Gage Lee’s truck damages

My name is Theresa Menges and I am setting up this GoFundMe to help my nephew, Gage Lee, with the repairs needed for his truck that was damaged while he was at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. At 9:30 Friday night, they left the NRG after feeding and watering his show heifer, Cola , and got to the Wyndham hotel several blocks away where they had a room reserved. Gage was showing at 8am. Saturday morning. When they pulled into the hotel parking lot, they were charging $50 for people going to the rodeo to park and there wasn’t a parking space to be found. Gage drove around and also drove the lots on both sides of the hotel. He had no choice but to park in the only spot in the back of the hotel next to a wall and was told security drives around all night. At 4:30 am the next morning , they get to his truck and someone had broke in it and tried to steal the truck. They tore out the ignition starter, the starter column and everything in between leaving a huge hole and broken parts and wires everywhere. The truck that Gage paid for himself with his show money he saved thru the years couldn’t be started because someone destroyed it! And they stole his new starched show jeans and parking permit to the NRG!! Gage had to walk to the stadium at 4:45 am by himself with his show supplies because he had to wash Cola and get her ready while Melissa waited on the police that never showed up! I met Melissa at the arena while my husband Jimmy borrowed a tow trailer so he could bring the truck home. Despite the heartache he felt, Gage and Cola showed great and he placed 5th in his class.

Gage is only 17 and has endured a lot of hardships and despite this, he continues to be a good kid. You see, 4 years ago, he found his Mom on the kitchen floor and she had to be life flighted to Houston. She had suffered a massive stroke due to a blood clot breaking off because she got kicked by Gage’s first scramble heifer. She survived but still struggles with her speech, memory and small physical impairs. She has been in the hospital twice since then with seizures in which Gage found her. He is very protective of his Mom and he has been her rock, helping her get better everyday. His friends and Uncle Jimmy have spent numerous hours and weekends working on the truck because it is older but he was proud of it. Because of its age, Melissa could only get liability insurance on it. The manager at Wyndham refused to even talk to us about it and said he’d have to get the survalliance video to us next week. The thief left his water bottle in the truck but no police ever came even the next day and the receptionist made excuses why the police at the station wouldn’t pick up the call. Melissa was given a claim # and stayed on hold for an hour waiting to talk to an officer. No one from the police dept called her back. Someone made a ton of money charging $50 cash to park in the hotel parking lot. Had Gage been able to park near their room or closer up front and it was patrolled like they were told (A security guard the next day told us he was sent home at 10 pm the night this happened) this may not have happened. As a family, we are trying to teach Gage about adversity and working hard to over come things but it’s hard when he keeps getting defeated. We are blessed with so many caring and wonderful friends and family that have helped Melissa get back on her feet. I just don’t want this to break Gage and and keep him from being the young man he is becoming despite his hardships.