FOR ROY, IT'S ABOUT WALKING AGAIN

By Scott Cacciola , Register Staff

 

ORANGE — Travis Roy could have gone home to his family after the accident and lived the rest of his days in relative anonymity, but he chose a different path.

Roy instead became a visible face and vocal force for spinal cord injuries, and an endless stream of friends offered him handshakes and hugs at the Ninth Annual Travis Roy Foundation Invitational Golf Tournament, held Monday at Race Brook Country Club.
 

"It’s been such a loyal and supportive group, from Day One through nine years," Roy said.

On Oct. 20, 1995, just 11 seconds into his first collegiate shift as a freshman on the Boston University hockey team, Roy crashed into the boards after trying to check an opponent from North Dakota. Trumbull native Chris Drury, a BU teammate, was on the ice. Paralyzed from the neck down, Roy began the long process of rehabilitating the emotional and physical damage.

Michael and John Ferguson, businessmen from Orange and longtime friends of the Drury family, created the golf tournament in 1997 to help defray Roy’s medical costs. Since then, the tournament has evolved into something larger.

With the help of friends and family, Roy started his own foundation in 1997, which has raised more than $1 million. Half the money goes toward spinal cord research, while the other half gets earmarked for individual grants — to help people who have suffered spinal cord injuries, Roy said, "but might not have the support or the insurance that I did."

The charity golf tournament, which drew 250 golfers and 200 more for dinner, ranks among the foundation’s more lucrative events each summer. Michael Ferguson said he anticipated raising more than $40,000, thanks to donations and a post-tournament auction.

Among the items up for grabs were hand-made pieces of furniture — constructed entirely of Kevlar hockey sticks — that were donated by Orange craftsman Steve Dykun. His most prized piece might have been a bar, replete with matching stools, that he hoped would attract some high bids.

"Maybe after a few cocktails," Dykun said. "We’ve got some big spenders here."

Ted Drury, a two-time member of the U.S. Olympic hockey team, took the red-eye flight from his home in Southern California early Monday morning to host the event with his brother, Chris, a forward with the Buffalo Sabres, and New York Rangers defenseman Tom Poti. Ted Drury said he planned to head back to Los Angeles on Monday night.

"I haven’t slept yet, but I wouldn’t miss this," Ted Drury said. "Travis is a real giving person, so it’s nice to come here and help him out. And I guess that’s what we’re doing at this point. As much as we’re helping Travis, we’re helping the people that he likes to help."

Roy, who lives in Boston and earned a degree in communications from BU in 2000, became an in-studio analyst for University of Maine hockey games last year. But above all, his passion remains raising funds and awareness for spinal cord research.

"This is really the underlying, motivating factor for me: I hope to walk again, and I believe it will happen," Roy said. "It’s just a matter of time and, more important, money. The more money I raise, the less time it will take." 

 

New Haven Register

June 29, 2004