Milton High School graduate, Troy Seay, is in Pittsburgh awaiting a double lung transplant. He is in a critical stage of cystic fibrosis (CF), one of 30,000 in the United States according to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Today, the Chili’s at 4701 Highway 90 in Pace will hold a give-back fundraiser to support his medical and his family’s travel expenses.
Download the flyer with this article, or pull it up on a smart phone, and bring it to Chili’s between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. today (Tuesday) and 10 percent of the bill will go directly to Seay through the nonprofit organization HelpHOPELive.
Leslie Smith, Chili’s assistant manager, who herself has a grandon with CF, said Seay was diagnosed at five months old and was hospitalized 13 times before his first birthday. Despite dealing with his ailments, Seay started working at Chet’s Seafood at 15 years old and then TGIF at 23, but by 25 he wasn’t able to work.
Smith said Seay stayed active in his youth, playing in little league baseball and later weight lifting in high school and lettering in track. He went on to study criminal justice at Pensacola State College. Now, he’s taking two enzymes with every meal just to digest his food.
Angel Moore went to school with Seay and works for Chili’s. She brought his story to Smith’s attention. She said, “Money finds the cure.” However, she said, when asked how much money his family needs, “There’s not an answer.” She said aside from the numerous and expenses Seay’s family has had to endure, the lung transplant itself would cost $900,000.
Moore said she wasn’t close friends with Seay in high school, but she said, “He was fun to be around. Nobody in school knew he was sick.” She said Seay only confided in his best friend about his condition.
Moore also wanted to acknowledge Advanced Dental Concepts in Seay’s road to Pittsburgh. She said they provided the dental work he would need. According to Moore, the anti-rejection drug Seay needs to take to accept a transplant is contingent upon excellent teeth. If not for Advanced Dental stepping in to provide the dental work they did, Moore said, “It would have been a stop in the tarcks for him. Honestly, if not for Advanced Dental, he would have been dead.”
Moore said the best part of the event today is customers don’t have to donate out of pocket. Just come to Chili’s and show them the flyer here and 10 percent of the bill goes to Seay.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Chili's fundraiser today for MHS grad