Troy Nelson & family
On February 1st, 2014 Troy Nelson was driving their family van and was in an auto accident.
He was at Denver Health Hospital in the ICU and undergoing multiple surgeries, then transferred to the VA hospital. He was receiving care for his injuries with plans for more surgery until the day he left.
On February 27th, 2014 he was released from the hopsital. Troy went straight from the hospital to turn himself in to the sheriff's department in Denver. Honestly, he was not really in any condition to be doing anything but going home to stay in bed. But Troy and Jenn agreed that the kids couldn't watch him be arrested. You see, Troy was under the influence of alcohol and caused the accident. He was released on bond a couple of weeks later once the bond amount was brought down from $50,000 to $5,000. His entire jail stay was in the medical infirmary.
Bringing Troy home was the first steps to recovery. Jenn and the kids spent more days at the VA hospital with Troy, then days at home. They brought their school lessons with them, packed lunches and snacks. Whatever it took to support Troy in his physical recovery and mental health and substance abuse recovery.
In November 2014, Troy made the decision to not go to trial but to plead guilty of vehicular assault. He knew it was his fault, and didn't want to drag the victim through trial, too. On November 17, 2014 Troy was sentenced to 6 years in the DOC. He has been incarcerated since November 21, after the judge very graciously gave Troy some time to say goodbye to the kids and get everything in order that he could. Please keep in mind two things, one per his plea agreement his sentence was not to exceed 3 years, two the judge wants Troy to return to court on March 9th for reconsideration on his sentence. So we won't really know what his sentence will stay until that day.
In the present time till March 9, the reality is that 4 children have a Daddy taken from them, and Jennifer is left with everything on her plate without her husband. Thankfully, in the facility where Troy was placed, the whole family can visit together. This is a two hour drive to Cañon City, a lot of rules to follow, to end with leaving without him to drive another couple home. In order to visit on Fridays, Saturdays are now a school day. Again, Jennifer and the kids are making sacrifices to try to stay a close loving family.
On top of that, since the accident, this family has been surviving on food stamps and Troy's VA compensation checks once a month. However, after 60 days of incarceration the amount will be decreased to 10%. Once again putting Jennifer and the kids in an even tighter situation due to a choice they had no say in. Once Troy is either on probation or parole or placed in a halfway house he will be able to start receiving his VA benefits again. Until that time Jennifer will have to file a claim to an apportionment of his benefit to still be payer to her and the kids as his Dependants. Until approval or denial, which nothing states how long that process takes, leaves this mother of 4 with very little.
What your donation goes toward:
1. Anything that food stamps doesn't pay for, diapers, toiletries, cleaning supplies, etc...
2. Gas in the car to not only visit Troy, but go to church, school once a week for the older two kids, run errands, etc...
3. Pay bills, at least the essential ones, like utilities.
4. Putting money on the phone so Troy can call and talk to Jennifer and the kids. Putting some on Troy's inmate account for hygiene, doctor visits, any other basic needs.
5. Unexpected things, like vehicle repair, or shoes or clothes for kids if they grow out of them, and if possible birthday basics for the kids.
Thank you for your support. If you are unable to contribute financially, they appreciate your prayers!
