Pictured above: Ricky Whitmore and his Mom, Wendy. Both with blue hair dye in support of Autism Awareness!
Short Description:
On Tuesday, January 28, 2020, while walking to work, Frederick “Ricky” Whitmore slipped and fell on an icy sidewalk outside of his apartment, breaking his left leg in two locations. He was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery, which was successful in pinning the broken bones with a rod and several screws. He is now on the challenging road to recovery which will require several months of rehabilitation as he heals, and learns to walk again.
Ricky’s life has not been short of challenges, he was born with Autism and several medical complications that left him with brain damage, poor depth perception, and limited motor skills. Many doctors predicted that Ricky would not live to his 1st birthday, and if he did he would never walk or talk. In spite of these obstacles, he has worked tirelessly with the support of family, friends, educators, and employers to never be limited by his disability; instead, becoming an independent, joyful, and caring member of the community.
The goal of this fundraiser is to help Ricky get back on his feet doing the things he loves to do – spending time with his friends and family, contributing to society through his work, and advocating for Autism Awareness. We are hoping that through your generosity to this “GoFundMe,” we will be able to provide the best-possible care for our boy.
The funds you donate will be used to cover any medical services including hospital bills, rehabilitation therapies, transportation, home modification, lost wages and food and living expenses that are not covered by Ricky’s parent’s insurance and the Medicare and Medicaid he receives.
As more information becomes known regarding funding needs and Ricky’s recovery process, this GoFundMe site will be updated.
On the behalf of Ricky, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Brad and Wendy Whitmore
(Ricky’s Dad and Mom)
Long Description:
About the Accident & the Road to Recovery
When the fall occurred in the early morning of January 28th, Ricky was alone and had no-one to help him, so he first called his boss Morgan at Ryan Companies to let her know that he “wouldn’t be into work because he just broke his leg.” A surprised Morgan advised Ricky to call his Dad, who lives in North Carolina. Ricky called his dad, and alone, hurting but not crying or panicked, he explained the situation and was able to hold his phone on FaceTime to show Brad his leg. Brad calmly asked Ricky to hang-up and call 911 for himself. Once the ambulance was called, Ricky called Brad back until the ambulance arrived. It was clear from the moment Brad saw Ricky’s leg that he was seriously injured in the fall and booked a flight to Minneapolis immediately.
While Ricky’s Dad flew from North Carolina to Minneapolis the same morning, Ricky underwent a three-and-a-half-hour emergency surgery to reset the bones in his leg, installing a rod in his tibia to hold the bones in place while they heal. The Whitmore family is particularly grateful for the help and assistance from the staff at Minnesota Life College (a transitional program for Autistic adults that Ricky had been part of years before). They comforted Ricky while advocating for his care until Brad could arrive.
In the time since his fall, the outpouring of visitors and messages has been uplifting for Ricky and the entire Whitmore family. The prayers and outreach continue to lift our spirits each day, and Ricky looks forward to the time he can spend with others to take his mind off of the reality of his long road ahead.
Ricky’s prognosis for a full recovery is good but will require patience and courage. Ricky cannot put weight on his left leg for three weeks, and given his motor skills, he requires in-patient rehabilitation to learn how to dress himself and use a walker to move around. Once Ricky completes his two to three week stay at the Villa at St. Louis Park, Ricky will be headed to Summerfield, North Carolina to live with his parents to continue his physical therapy and heal for the remaining four to eight weeks of his anticipated recovery.
We are looking forward to the day we can watch Ricky back in his life -- living independently, working for a respectable wage, enjoying the company of friends and strangers alike, advocating for Autism, singing karaoke with his friends on stage, and spreading kindness around the world.
About Ricky’s Life--Early Years
Anyone who knows Ricky will tell you what a vibrant, optimistic and inspiring young-man he is. Ricky has beat many of the odds in his life, always determined to live a full life. We wanted to share some of his story for those who may be curious to learn more about this incredible young man who we are proud to call our son.
Frederick Richard “Ricky” Whitmore has been overcoming obstacles his entire life. He was born a deep purple color three weeks premature with complications suspected to be from oxygen deprivation during delivery. At eight days old, Ricky suffered a Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) attack, that was fortunately caught and stopped, but not before causing significant brain damage. Ricky was in and out of the hospital for the first year of his life for a combination of breathing and heart issues requiring constant monitoring of his condition. One evening, the fluctuations of his heartbeat were so severe one doctor told Wendy to, “Take him home and love him because he won’t live past this year.”
In addition to the heart and breathing complications, Ricky suffered from severe pain and seizures for the first eight months of his life. He would cry for hours, pass out from exhaustion, awake and start crying again. The Doctors told us that they knew he was in pain, but they could not figure out why.
One of the final complications Ricky experienced as a baby was caused by several severe ear infections that eventually required tubes to be installed numerous times. During the final procedure to install tubes, one tube hole did not heal, and the bones of his inner ear became exposed. Ricky underwent reconstructive surgery on his left ear. Hearing was restored, but not without some loss.
At the age of three, Ricky underwent a medical brain-mapping exercise that demonstrated conclusive damage to the parts of the brain that deal with mathematical skills, motor coordination, depth perception, and social skills. But, in other areas, he began to amaze us with his incredible strengths.
The Best of Ricky
Ricky has consistently demonstrated his drive to be in control of his life, and fight back against the challenges of his disabilities. His prevailing qualities of determination, courage, kindness, and independence presented themselves early and remain true to this day.
Determination
Before Ricky could walk or talk, his parents would read to him extensively. When all his books were laid in front of him and he was asked to find a certain book, he would crawl over the books, find the one you asked him for and give it to you. While the doctors who saw this thought his parents had trained him to do a trick, we knew he was determined to overcome his obstacles. Other examples include,
Ricky was told he would be unable to tie his shoes. Two years later he could.
Ricky was told he would be unable to ride a bike. Two years, and many crashed into fences later, he did.
Ricky was told he would not be able to drive a car. He went through driver’s training at a location that trained people who suffered traumatic brain injuries. He got his learner’s permit.
Kindness and Courage
School was always hard for Ricky; he was constantly teased and tormented because he was different. By contrast, Ricky referred all of his fellow students as his friends (including those who bullied him). His kind, gentle and optimistic spirit made each stranger who crossed his path an instant and lifelong friend. Here are a couple of those stories,
Over the years, Ricky was removed from most classes by teachers when possible, and was sent to the Special Education Department, with children much more severely physically and mentally disabled than he was. Ricky joyfully joined these students, became their friend and regularly held their hands, talked calmly to them, patted their backs, always making the children smile or laugh. To Ricky, people with disabilities are just people with different abilities.
Ricky told us his senior year of High School that he wanted to give his High School Graduation speech. His dad, Brad, was worried for him and asked him not to try out fearing he would be teased and ridiculed. His mom, Wendy, helped Ricky write a speech and present it to the selection committee. He was nominated by the panel to give the speech even though he was not an honors student. He gave a speech about “Overcoming Obstacles,” in which he explained to the audience the learning disabilities he had and how he overcame each of them. He received the only standing ovation ever given to a graduation speaker at his high school.
Independence
In High School, Ricky’s brothers, Ben and Chris, started playing football. Ricky wanted to participate but couldn’t play the sport, so he became the team’s first-ever student manager (water boy) with a disability. Ricky set a precedent and opened an opportunity that did not exist before him. Every year since Ricky stopped managing the team, the school has selected another disabled individual to serve as the manager, participate in football, and follow in Ricky’s footsteps.
After high school, Ricky was enrolled in a three-year transitional day program for learning or physically disabled young adults. Ricky would learn how to live on his own. He learned how to navigate the city bus transit system, how to cook, held several part time jobs (including working with the elderly, working at the local thrift store, and working at the public library), learning about personal relationships, health, safety, and his legal rights and responsibilities. He did not want to go at first, but did, and graduated the program with honors.
The third summer of the day program, Ricky wanted to continue working at his job, however the four million dollars for the program he worked for that provided his wage was cut from the Minnesota State budget. The program coordinators asked Ricky and his mom if they would be willing to testify at a State Financial Hearing in an effort to win back the funding. Understanding the significance of the request, Wendy supported Ricky in writing another speech and guided him to advocate for himself and others like him. Prior to the hearing, Wendy asked him if he understood what testifying at a State Financial Hearing meant. Ricky responded with an eyeroll stating, “Mom, I watched Legally Blonde, I know how the courts work.” Ricky gave his speech, was credited for winning back three million dollars for the program, and was told by another disabled young man that, “[he] said what I couldn’t say for myself today.”
It was at this time in Ricky's life where his lifelong condition was officially diagnosed as a “High Functioning Autistic” adult with Asperger’s Syndrome. Up until now, medical doctors had yet to label his collection of disabilities, and Ricky was just "different." This ultimately had a wonderful effect on Ricky as he was able to fully embrace his true self, learn about others like him, and advocate for other individuals facing similar challenges.
Given the new information, Ricky’s parents enrolled him into another, live-in transitional program, Minnesota Life College (MLC), where he would continue to learn and practice his independent living skills and develop a rich community of friends and advocates. After three years, Ricky graduated from MLC and hasn’t lived at home since.
Since graduation, Ricky has lived with friends in several apartments, held a number of jobs and volunteer positions including as a wheel chair attendant at the Minneapolis airport, providing food service in the airport and in corporate offices, and giving history tours at the Commemorative Air Force Museum. In the summer of 2018, Ricky finally got his own apartment where he lives independently (with support for certain things such as cleaning, meal planning, grocery shopping, etc.). Ricky also landed his “dream job”, working in an office in Downtown Minneapolis where he does data entry, helps with event production, and leads community-service and fundraising events (Book Drive and Autism walks), etc.
Ricky is a one-of-a-kind individual who has the determination, courage, and kindness to achieve his independence once again. If you made it this far in the story, we want to thank you for taking an interest in his life and hope that you will consider donating to support Ricky’s Road to Recovery.
#rickysroadtorecovery #backonhisfeet
Short Description:
On Tuesday, January 28, 2020, while walking to work, Frederick “Ricky” Whitmore slipped and fell on an icy sidewalk outside of his apartment, breaking his left leg in two locations. He was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery, which was successful in pinning the broken bones with a rod and several screws. He is now on the challenging road to recovery which will require several months of rehabilitation as he heals, and learns to walk again.
Ricky’s life has not been short of challenges, he was born with Autism and several medical complications that left him with brain damage, poor depth perception, and limited motor skills. Many doctors predicted that Ricky would not live to his 1st birthday, and if he did he would never walk or talk. In spite of these obstacles, he has worked tirelessly with the support of family, friends, educators, and employers to never be limited by his disability; instead, becoming an independent, joyful, and caring member of the community.
The goal of this fundraiser is to help Ricky get back on his feet doing the things he loves to do – spending time with his friends and family, contributing to society through his work, and advocating for Autism Awareness. We are hoping that through your generosity to this “GoFundMe,” we will be able to provide the best-possible care for our boy.
The funds you donate will be used to cover any medical services including hospital bills, rehabilitation therapies, transportation, home modification, lost wages and food and living expenses that are not covered by Ricky’s parent’s insurance and the Medicare and Medicaid he receives.
As more information becomes known regarding funding needs and Ricky’s recovery process, this GoFundMe site will be updated.
On the behalf of Ricky, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Brad and Wendy Whitmore
(Ricky’s Dad and Mom)
Long Description:
About the Accident & the Road to Recovery
When the fall occurred in the early morning of January 28th, Ricky was alone and had no-one to help him, so he first called his boss Morgan at Ryan Companies to let her know that he “wouldn’t be into work because he just broke his leg.” A surprised Morgan advised Ricky to call his Dad, who lives in North Carolina. Ricky called his dad, and alone, hurting but not crying or panicked, he explained the situation and was able to hold his phone on FaceTime to show Brad his leg. Brad calmly asked Ricky to hang-up and call 911 for himself. Once the ambulance was called, Ricky called Brad back until the ambulance arrived. It was clear from the moment Brad saw Ricky’s leg that he was seriously injured in the fall and booked a flight to Minneapolis immediately.
While Ricky’s Dad flew from North Carolina to Minneapolis the same morning, Ricky underwent a three-and-a-half-hour emergency surgery to reset the bones in his leg, installing a rod in his tibia to hold the bones in place while they heal. The Whitmore family is particularly grateful for the help and assistance from the staff at Minnesota Life College (a transitional program for Autistic adults that Ricky had been part of years before). They comforted Ricky while advocating for his care until Brad could arrive.
In the time since his fall, the outpouring of visitors and messages has been uplifting for Ricky and the entire Whitmore family. The prayers and outreach continue to lift our spirits each day, and Ricky looks forward to the time he can spend with others to take his mind off of the reality of his long road ahead.
Ricky’s prognosis for a full recovery is good but will require patience and courage. Ricky cannot put weight on his left leg for three weeks, and given his motor skills, he requires in-patient rehabilitation to learn how to dress himself and use a walker to move around. Once Ricky completes his two to three week stay at the Villa at St. Louis Park, Ricky will be headed to Summerfield, North Carolina to live with his parents to continue his physical therapy and heal for the remaining four to eight weeks of his anticipated recovery.
We are looking forward to the day we can watch Ricky back in his life -- living independently, working for a respectable wage, enjoying the company of friends and strangers alike, advocating for Autism, singing karaoke with his friends on stage, and spreading kindness around the world.
About Ricky’s Life--Early Years
Anyone who knows Ricky will tell you what a vibrant, optimistic and inspiring young-man he is. Ricky has beat many of the odds in his life, always determined to live a full life. We wanted to share some of his story for those who may be curious to learn more about this incredible young man who we are proud to call our son.
Frederick Richard “Ricky” Whitmore has been overcoming obstacles his entire life. He was born a deep purple color three weeks premature with complications suspected to be from oxygen deprivation during delivery. At eight days old, Ricky suffered a Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) attack, that was fortunately caught and stopped, but not before causing significant brain damage. Ricky was in and out of the hospital for the first year of his life for a combination of breathing and heart issues requiring constant monitoring of his condition. One evening, the fluctuations of his heartbeat were so severe one doctor told Wendy to, “Take him home and love him because he won’t live past this year.”
In addition to the heart and breathing complications, Ricky suffered from severe pain and seizures for the first eight months of his life. He would cry for hours, pass out from exhaustion, awake and start crying again. The Doctors told us that they knew he was in pain, but they could not figure out why.
One of the final complications Ricky experienced as a baby was caused by several severe ear infections that eventually required tubes to be installed numerous times. During the final procedure to install tubes, one tube hole did not heal, and the bones of his inner ear became exposed. Ricky underwent reconstructive surgery on his left ear. Hearing was restored, but not without some loss.
At the age of three, Ricky underwent a medical brain-mapping exercise that demonstrated conclusive damage to the parts of the brain that deal with mathematical skills, motor coordination, depth perception, and social skills. But, in other areas, he began to amaze us with his incredible strengths.
The Best of Ricky
Ricky has consistently demonstrated his drive to be in control of his life, and fight back against the challenges of his disabilities. His prevailing qualities of determination, courage, kindness, and independence presented themselves early and remain true to this day.
Determination
Before Ricky could walk or talk, his parents would read to him extensively. When all his books were laid in front of him and he was asked to find a certain book, he would crawl over the books, find the one you asked him for and give it to you. While the doctors who saw this thought his parents had trained him to do a trick, we knew he was determined to overcome his obstacles. Other examples include,
Ricky was told he would be unable to tie his shoes. Two years later he could.
Ricky was told he would be unable to ride a bike. Two years, and many crashed into fences later, he did.
Ricky was told he would not be able to drive a car. He went through driver’s training at a location that trained people who suffered traumatic brain injuries. He got his learner’s permit.
Kindness and Courage
School was always hard for Ricky; he was constantly teased and tormented because he was different. By contrast, Ricky referred all of his fellow students as his friends (including those who bullied him). His kind, gentle and optimistic spirit made each stranger who crossed his path an instant and lifelong friend. Here are a couple of those stories,
Over the years, Ricky was removed from most classes by teachers when possible, and was sent to the Special Education Department, with children much more severely physically and mentally disabled than he was. Ricky joyfully joined these students, became their friend and regularly held their hands, talked calmly to them, patted their backs, always making the children smile or laugh. To Ricky, people with disabilities are just people with different abilities.
Ricky told us his senior year of High School that he wanted to give his High School Graduation speech. His dad, Brad, was worried for him and asked him not to try out fearing he would be teased and ridiculed. His mom, Wendy, helped Ricky write a speech and present it to the selection committee. He was nominated by the panel to give the speech even though he was not an honors student. He gave a speech about “Overcoming Obstacles,” in which he explained to the audience the learning disabilities he had and how he overcame each of them. He received the only standing ovation ever given to a graduation speaker at his high school.
Independence
In High School, Ricky’s brothers, Ben and Chris, started playing football. Ricky wanted to participate but couldn’t play the sport, so he became the team’s first-ever student manager (water boy) with a disability. Ricky set a precedent and opened an opportunity that did not exist before him. Every year since Ricky stopped managing the team, the school has selected another disabled individual to serve as the manager, participate in football, and follow in Ricky’s footsteps.
After high school, Ricky was enrolled in a three-year transitional day program for learning or physically disabled young adults. Ricky would learn how to live on his own. He learned how to navigate the city bus transit system, how to cook, held several part time jobs (including working with the elderly, working at the local thrift store, and working at the public library), learning about personal relationships, health, safety, and his legal rights and responsibilities. He did not want to go at first, but did, and graduated the program with honors.
The third summer of the day program, Ricky wanted to continue working at his job, however the four million dollars for the program he worked for that provided his wage was cut from the Minnesota State budget. The program coordinators asked Ricky and his mom if they would be willing to testify at a State Financial Hearing in an effort to win back the funding. Understanding the significance of the request, Wendy supported Ricky in writing another speech and guided him to advocate for himself and others like him. Prior to the hearing, Wendy asked him if he understood what testifying at a State Financial Hearing meant. Ricky responded with an eyeroll stating, “Mom, I watched Legally Blonde, I know how the courts work.” Ricky gave his speech, was credited for winning back three million dollars for the program, and was told by another disabled young man that, “[he] said what I couldn’t say for myself today.”
It was at this time in Ricky's life where his lifelong condition was officially diagnosed as a “High Functioning Autistic” adult with Asperger’s Syndrome. Up until now, medical doctors had yet to label his collection of disabilities, and Ricky was just "different." This ultimately had a wonderful effect on Ricky as he was able to fully embrace his true self, learn about others like him, and advocate for other individuals facing similar challenges.
Given the new information, Ricky’s parents enrolled him into another, live-in transitional program, Minnesota Life College (MLC), where he would continue to learn and practice his independent living skills and develop a rich community of friends and advocates. After three years, Ricky graduated from MLC and hasn’t lived at home since.
Since graduation, Ricky has lived with friends in several apartments, held a number of jobs and volunteer positions including as a wheel chair attendant at the Minneapolis airport, providing food service in the airport and in corporate offices, and giving history tours at the Commemorative Air Force Museum. In the summer of 2018, Ricky finally got his own apartment where he lives independently (with support for certain things such as cleaning, meal planning, grocery shopping, etc.). Ricky also landed his “dream job”, working in an office in Downtown Minneapolis where he does data entry, helps with event production, and leads community-service and fundraising events (Book Drive and Autism walks), etc.
Ricky is a one-of-a-kind individual who has the determination, courage, and kindness to achieve his independence once again. If you made it this far in the story, we want to thank you for taking an interest in his life and hope that you will consider donating to support Ricky’s Road to Recovery.
#rickysroadtorecovery #backonhisfeet
Organizer and beneficiary
Brad Whitmore
Beneficiary