Hi, I’m Megan. You may better know me as Matt’s mom and press secretary. As many of you know, Matt is a staunch supporter of horsemen and women and especially loves to cheer on jockeys in thoroughbred racing! Matt is, of course, the president of Carol Cedeno’s fan club! Through Carol, Matt learned of another jockey in our racing colony in need. Her story isn’t as well known as Carol’s because her accident wasn’t live on the track during a race. It happened during workouts when the world wasn’t watching; the results, however, are no less devastating! In fact, because it did not happen during a race, this jockey is getting much less official support. Let me tell you about Melissa Iorio.

Melissa Iorio is a native of New Jersey and has been a jockey for the last 3 years. You may have seen her ride at Monmouth, Tampa Bay Downs, Delaware Park, or other tracks in the Mid-Atlantic. On September 11th of this year, Melissa was breezing horses at Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland, working horses from the gate, when the horse she was riding took an unexpected turn out of the gate straight into the rail. Melissa was thrown from her mount, lost consciousness, and had to be taken to the hospital via ambulance. Because of the concussion she suffered, she does not remember much of what happened; however, she does remember trying to get up and having her arm fail to support her. At the hospital, she had x-rays done which revealed her arm was broken in several places.

The doctors debated surgical repair versus casting. Unsure of the outcome of surgery, Melissa opted for casting. That was more than a month ago now. She is healing but not as fast as she and the doctors had hoped. There are options to stimulate the healing process, but they are not covered by Melissa’s private insurance.

Melissa is STRONG and dedicated and wants to get back on a horse as soon as possible. As many of you know, if a jockey isn’t on a horse, they aren’t getting paid. She is struggling under the weight of this physical and financial struggle and could really use your help.

I thank all of you in advance for your consideration and any help you can provide!

(This campaign was created with the permission of Melissa and her family and friends. This is the ONLY method of donating at this time - do not be fooled by any attempts to scam from this GoFundMe.)