Help Troy Rose #55

Many of you know Troy Rose.  Some of you know him now as the guy who rides around on the scooter, has the cute dog, walks with the cane, has a the great smile, works on bikes, comes to the track occasionally, and is an all around great guy.  Some of you know the Troy Rose that was National #55 many years ago, and one of the fastest Flat Track Racers from the Northwest.  You may remember him from "before" his accident or you may remember him from "after".  It's too bad that so much of his life is defined by a before and an after, but for Troy it is.

Troy Rose was involved in a horrific crash at a Formula USA Race in Portland on September 9th, 2000.  That is nearly 20 years ago.  His life has never been the same, and today he is really struggling and is asking for help for the first time.  Troy is partially paralyzed after the crash.  What he has is called "incomplete spinal chord injury" where he lost the use of his left side, but still has 80% use of his right leg.  A few months ago he began having severe pain in his hips and they found out he has multiple fractures that may require surgery.  Recently he has started losing his balance and falling.  He had a bad fall and ended up breaking his tail bone.  He is now forced back in to his wheelchair, unable to work, in pain, and struggling to figure out how to pay his bills and what he is going to do moving forward.

Troy was on disability for 3 years after his injury, but couldn't live on it, so he went back to work. You may remember him from Wide Open and then RMC Parts Department before they closed their doors.  He has continued to work on bikes from home over the years by owning his own company.  He tried to get back on disability at one point, but because he had been working for so many years he was denied.  He now is revisiting it again, and was told he would qualify but it will take up to a year for him to receive the benefits.  Troy has medical insurance through the Health Plan Finder, but with these new injuries those bills are starting to pile up along with the other ones. Troy lives alone and is  responsible for all his bills and care.

When he reached out to me, he had tears in his voice and I could feel through the phone how hard it was for him to ask me for help.  He said he just doesn't know what do anymore. He didn't know if he should even ask for help.  He didn't know if a Go Fund Me was the kind of way he should get help.  I told him this ABSOLUTELY was the time to ask.  Troy has struggled for so many years.  He has barely been making it by, and now he is at his worst, and he swallowed his pride and is reaching out for a little bit of a helping hand to help him get by while he is back in his wheelchair, unable to work, and the doctors figure out the next best steps for him.

Troy has been a friend and fan to many of us for many, many years.  Now is the time for us to be that to him.  If you have it in you to help him out, every little bit will make a difference.  Thank you for your consideration, and help as we all work together to try and get Troy back on his feet!

Thanks for reading!

Amy Lee McCoy