Rally for Myron Bell: Our Football Hero

My name is Robert Meissner. I was born and raised in Huntington, New York, and played sports while attending Walt Whitman High School. In 1974, our football team won the Suffolk County Championship/Rutgers Cup. The following year, we almost repeated, but we had to settle for AAA I Tri-League Champions. On our 1975 team was the ever-elusive stellar halfback Myron Bell, for whom this GoFundMe is for.

I first learned of Myron's plight when our 1974 Walt Whitman Football Team held a 50th-year reunion at Homecoming on October 19th. Our former Coach Vic Triolo, with whom Myron stayed in contact over the years, shared with teammates that Myron was in need of financial assistance.

Myron began developing his football skills at the very young age of 5 years old. As a youth, Myron was involved with the Huntington YMCA sports program. In his football playing days, the late 1960s and early '70s, with the YMCA, Myron set many rushing records which still hold today, over 50 years later!

Myron was the stellar halfback on our Walt Whitman Wildcats team in 1975, and without him, we would not have done so well. Myron received honors as All County, All State, and All American! Myron still holds most of the rushing records at Walt Whitman High School from his 1975 and '76 seasons.

He went on to play football at Southern University and ultimately made it to the pros, signing with the San Francisco 49ers. He ran a 40-yard dash with a 4.3-second time. Unfortunately, Myron was sidelined when he sustained a fractured ankle. He also signed with the Buffalo Bills before retiring from playing football.

More recently, Myron had a lucrative luxury/high-end car rental business. Unfortunately, Myron suffered from heart ailments which required stents, but ultimately he had to undergo a quadruple bypass surgery which was not simple and required the removal of a vein from his leg. This part of the procedure/recovery is sometimes the worst part.

Due to complications from the surgery, Myron had to return and stay in the hospital for six weeks. During this time, his friend of 30 years and business partner absconded with $450,000.00, leaving Myron destitute.

Myron has only recovered about 50% from his heart procedure and rates himself as a 5 out of 10. Myron cannot drive himself around as he has not been cleared by his doctors and must rely on Uber, but does not have funds to do so. Nor does he have funds to feed himself; he cannot pay rent and has been brought to court and has to fight eviction proceedings, which necessarily means he has to incur attorney fees, for which he has borrowed money from "high-interest rate lenders"/loan sharks. Myron has had his power cut off, as well as a complete loss of utilities.

Myron was a sensational athlete as described above, as well as excelling in basketball and baseball. He was a hometown legend where, in fact, guys from the neighborhood who played against him in different sports have recollections of his playing days to this day.

Myron is also a devoted father and continued to assist his daughter when it became necessary as he then had the funds to do so.

Myron is a good man who has truly fallen on hard times! We, as this is a conjoined effort which started with Coach Vic Triolo and passed along to Myron's teammates, would appreciate donations to help Myron get back on his feet and living life until he may receive social assistance.

Myron is a proud man and it is difficult for him to be in this spot, but I know he appreciates the potential donors very much and if this fundraiser was not absolutely needed, we would not be doing it on his behalf.

Thank you for your support!!!