Assist with Donny Dicer's Medical Expenses

If you travel the roads in Athens, Georgia, chances are you know my friend Donny Dicer—Day-Glo pants, Van Dyck beard, and tricorne hat—that’s right, he’s the cycling pirate. What many people may not know is Donny’s story, and the fact that due to a recent accident, where he was hit by a car, he really needs our help.

 

Thirty-two years ago, Donny was an Honors Student and All-American Swimmer at the University of Georgia, but on a cold December afternoon in 1989, that all changed as Donny and another teammate and I were heading to O-House Dining Hall after UGA swim practice. Donny was on his new mountain bike, and to keep from getting too far ahead as he rode, he broke away to practice some hops and other skills around the Geography building.

 

As he was heading back towards us, Donny hit a bump and lost control of the bike, and in the resulting fall, sustained a brain injury that kept him in the hospital, unconscious for weeks. When he awoke, he had to undergo months of rehab just to reacquire the skills necessary for everyday life. That was the end of Donny’s swimming career, but not of his time as a Georgia Bulldog. He eventually returned to school, and despite having double vision and other residual effects from the head injury, earned his degree in Graphic Design.

 

Fast forward to 2017. Donny is living in Athens and married to his high school sweetheart, Julie, with two children in Clarke County Schools. He has decided that it’s time "to get back on the horse,” and has bought a Terra Trike, which he's christened “Annie.” In the guise of “Captain Bentpole, the Cycling Pirate,” Donny has begun to ride again, and by the end of 2020, he's achieved his goal of logging 25,000 miles on the roads of north Georgia.

 

For Donny, riding Annie was more than just exercise; it was therapeutic—a physical manifestation of his triumph over the accident that had changed his life so dramatically. Unfortunately, that aspect of his achievement came to an end on a country road near Colbert last month. On October 1st at 9:00 am, Donny was hit by a car while riding, the victim of a distracted driver. The impact of the crash threw him over 50 feet, and resulted in a torn aorta, a broken back, a broken neck, a broken pelvis, and broken ribs.

 

Miraculously, his head was not injured, and due to the immediate assistance of bystanders and the skill of our local first responders and ER surgeons, Donny is still with us today. But he has a long and difficult road ahead. Though he isn’t paralyzed, he will have to learn how to walk again. He will have to endure months of waiting while his broken bones heal. And due to restrictions on visitation due to COVID, he’ll have to go through much of the recovery process on his own.

 

That’s not all though. The medical expenses are staggering, even with insurance. The surgeries that saved his life and stabilized his broken bones have cost over $750,000 and there will be more expenses to come. Copays, rehab costs, and modifications to his house are all just over the horizon, and as primary caregiver for Donny in his convalescence, Julie will be unable to work for months to come. Fortunately, they are receiving some help with day-to-day expenses, but the cost of getting Donny out of the hospital and back to a semblance of normal life is more than the family can bear.

 

We are hoping with this Go Fund Me to get the Dicers through the next six months, but the need is immediate. Donny will fight through this, as he has before, but he and his family need our help. Please consider donating today.