Troy William Richmyre Healthcare Services Bursary

In July of 2020, Troy went from a lively, working young man who eagerly wanted to be with his friends and family to one that struggled to get out of bed to do the smallest of tasks. Troy’s body was beginning to shut down. After a very scary week of not knowing if he was going to come home again, we learned that Troy was in heart failure and because of this, many of his other organs were beginning to fail as well. We later learned that Troy was born with a genetic condition which can cause the heart to fail and went completely unnoticed until July 2020. Thanks to the incredible team of doctors, nurses and support staff at the Heart Institute, Troy came home in late August 2020 with an LVAD that would help his heart continue to pump while he waited on the heart transplant list. In June 2021, he got the call and was told to stop his video game, pack up, and head to the Heart Institute to get his new heart.

Troy’s first year with his new heart had been a wild one. Side effects from all the drugs he was on to ensure his body kept his new heart safe caused a lot of discomfort for Troy. But with his new heart, Troy was able to start doing the things he loved again. He saw his friends, was able to go camping and swimming, hang out in the hot tub, play basketball with Ella and made it through the day without his LVAD beeping unnecessarily, a running joke in our family.

In early July 2022, Troy began to feel unwell again. His heart looked healthy and showed no signs of rejection, but he was adamant that he was not feeling well. After some more tests, once again Troy was thrown another obstacle that seemed extremely unfair—with his weak immune system, a virus many of us can live with and have no issues caused Troy to develop Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The progress of his cancer was rapid and had already spread to multiple organs. Troy bravely accepted his new diagnosis and began chemotherapy at the Ottawa General Hospital in August 2022. He dealt with all the side effects chemo has to offer, including undergoing dialysis to support his kidney function. Despite the havoc, his chemo was putting on his body, mind and soul, we learned in September that the chemo was not progressing the way the doctors wanted it to. But still, Troy persisted. He made plans on what he wanted to do when he got home. He actively participated in his physical therapy and fought like an absolute champion. All of this is why on Friday morning, when Troy rapidly took a turn for the worse, we were all in shock. An unforeseen complication had arrived, the damage was extensive and Troy’s life was in critical condition. With the support of the ICU team at the General Hospital, Troy’s parents and two sisters sat with him, watching one of his favourite childhood movies, The Incredibles, and listening to one of his favourite songs as a child, ‘The Reason’ by Hoobastank, we said goodbye for now.

Through his two years of health challenges, Troy was introduced and supported by multiple healthcare service members. In a time when the healthcare system was already spread thin due to COVID, our family encountered many doctors, nurses, PSWs and technicians who went above and beyond to help Troy and our family. They were instrumental in every step of Troy’s journey therefore, we feel that the best way to honour Troy’s memory is to support future healthcare providers. We are establishing the Troy William Richmyre Healthcare Services Bursary. Every year one St. Mother Teresa High School (Troy’s alma mater) student who has been accepted into a program with the intention of pursuing a healthcare career will receive a bursary. This student could have goals to become a doctor, a nurse, a medical device technician, a physical therapist, or a personal support worker. Their specific career aspiration is of no consequence, only their heroic pursuit of one day being someone who could support a patient like Troy.

We ask that in lieu of flowers, please donate to this fund to honour Troy’s legacy which is incredibly important to his parents, Tara and Bob, and sisters, Katie and Ella.