Guillermo's Back Surgery Fund

As many of you already know, my name is Guillermo Pozos and I ended my 2020 with a bang. For those of you that don’t yet know the story, I ended last year with a bad snowboarding fall that resulted in a fractured T7 vertebrae, back surgery, and a fast track to a year long recovery process that will end up keeping me out of my new job for six months, if I’m lucky.

The accident happened on Thanksgiving day while I was snowboarding with friends and family at Timberline on Mt. Hood. Two months before that, I had landed my first aviation related job as a member of a ground crew for Western Helicopter Services. I had just recently finished flight school and was putting in time on the ground to earn a flying position on the team, a job that I’ve put in years of my life and countless hours of studying and training to achieve. After my surgery, I found that my right arm is now partially parilized, a development that might take me out of flying forever. Additionally, I was not with the company for long enough to qualify for disability insurance, and because I am not physically able to work yet, I also don’t qualify for unemployment benefits.

I am thankful every day that I have health insurance to help cover the medical bills, but with no job and no financial assistance from my company or from the state, it is getting difficult to get by. Even with insurance, the out of pocket cost of the accident is quickly approaching five figures. I’m currently searching for a job that I am able to do from home, but even then my qualifications don’t give me many online options. After months of paying bills with no income and medical bills starting to become due it will take me a long time to catch up. On top of all this, I’m currently exploring my options to be trained in a new field, one that I can be successful in without the full use of my right arm. All of my experience in aviation and in ground transportation is not useful without it.

I know many of us are stretched thin after a wild year that affected so many people, so only help if you are able. Every little bit makes a big difference for me, and if you are unable to donate, sharing my story with others will benefit me just as much. If I can get 400 people to chip in $20, I’ll be able to cover my medical bills as they are now, and focus solely on my living expenses and returning to school.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. I hope that this new year treats you well and I wish for each and every one of you to have a full life and a strong spine.