Nick Russo is a competitor that has spent most of his life leading and caring for others. He now needs some help. (Please share this request with your personal network and circle of contacts and friends. We can accomplish a great deal when we all pull together.)

Earlier this month (May 2023) Nick collapsed just before the start of a baseball game in Atlanta. He was taken by ambulance to a local hospital where he spent the night in Emergency before being admitted and undergoing a battery of increasingly invasive tests. He was released a week later, scared and exhausted. Doctors concluded that he had gone down due to acute dehydration and associated blood chemistry issues. He continues to undergo outpatient testing as the medical community tries to figure out the actual cause and best treatment for his condition.

There is some good news. In the absence of any specific root cause, doctors have put Nick on the type of healthy living regimen that we all know we should follow. He plans nutritious meals and eats regularly, goes to bed (and sleeps!) on a more structured schedule, and exercises daily. No junk food, lots of water, healthy drinks, and a new commitment to taking care of himself. This is not his normal hockey coach lifestyle. For the first time in his life, he is putting himself first. Nick has lived with us in Marietta GA for the past six months as he tries to navigate a new career path, so we have been in the front row to see his lifestyle changes and their associated impact. He is doing quite well after a significant scare.

Just as every silver lining has a dark cloud around it, so too does Nick’s life path. His hospital charges were astronomical, even with insurance. And he faces an immediate future of repeated tests and medical consultations. He chose a non-traditional career path dedicated to his two (now adult) sons and to the hockey players he coached and led. Even a partial list of his hockey accomplishments is overwhelming. One high school national championship. Seven Pennsylvania high school state championships. Numerous players went on to play in college. He built a powerful hockey program that expanded from boys’ varsity to men’s and women’s programs that reach all the way down into the local district elementary schools. All in a public school system. He has been inducted into the Southeast Pennsylvania High School Hockey Hall of Fame and his teams won nine Class A Flyers’ Cup titles. After leaving the Bayard Rustin High School program that he built into a Class A PA powerhouse, Nick “moved up” to the world of minor league professional hockey. He has been president/chief officer/GM/etc. for Federal League teams in Mentor OH and Fraser MI. Unfortunately, COVID derailed his career progression as teams struggled and the league intermittently closed its doors.

I regale you with his history for one reason: with all his successes and accolades Nick has never held a position that had a pension, a significant salary, or more than modest (at best) benefits. He made his career choices based on admirable criteria: he focused on the players, their parents, and his love of hockey.

Now he struggles. He works diligently to establish a new A level professional hockey league in Florida, to open for the 2024-2025 season. He consults with various teams and localities. And he stays focused on the players. But he has overwhelming bills. Any help you provide would be appreciated!!

Thank you in advance.

Mary (Russo) Talley

Sean Talley