Ian Troupe has made it his life’s work to help others. Now he’s recovering from a major spinal surgery and needs your help.

Introduction

Ian is a Registered Nurse working in the Emergency Department (ED) at UCSD Health and is currently studying at the University of San Diego to earn his Doctorate in Nursing Practice with a focus in emergency care. This degree will allow him to become a Family Nurse Practitioner, professor, and healthcare researcher. He is a native of Fresno, California, attending Fresno State as an undergraduate nursing major and working at Fresno's Community Regional Medical Center Emergency Department as a charge nurse during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since moving to San Diego, he has found a community through his many passions including surfing, rock climbing, and live music.

Background

In 2017, Ian suffered a vertebral disc hernia in his lower back which pinched his sciatic nerve and has contributed to chronic pain and irritation in his left leg in the years since. This has limited his ability to walk, work, and even sit or lay down comfortably despite years of physical therapy and epidural steroid injections. At the beginning of 2023, Ian was exercising and felt a muscle in his mid-back strain; this was the beginning of a severe exacerbation of his chronic herniated disc that would escalate two weeks later.

Hospitalization and Surgery

On Saturday, January 21st, 2023, after several sleepless nights of back pain, Ian suddenly felt what he describes as the worst pain of his life radiating from the site of his herniated disc. He dropped to his hands and knees, and his partner Megha called an ambulance to get him to the emergency room. The paramedics had to carry him up the stairs from his room, and after several hours of analgesic and sedating medications in the ER, he was finally able to get an MRI which read: “Disc material compresses the descending left S1 nerve root and obliterates the left lateral recess.” In other words, his herniated disc collapsed into his spinal cord and crushed the nerves leading to his back and legs.

The amazing orthopedic doctors at UCSD performed an emergent microdiscectomy with a two-hour spinal surgery and were luckily able to prevent any further damage or loss of function. He was admitted for two nights at UCSD health for pain management and discharged in the hopes of fully recovering sensorimotor function within the year. He is currently healing at home, a process predicted to take 2-3 months, and is gradually recovering his ability to walk and operate independently. During this time he is on medical leave from work but will continue grad school online as a full-time student.

Financial Needs

Ian has been working per diem as an RN and studying full-time for school, but his limited mobility and medical treatment have made it nearly impossible for him to continue working at UCSD during his recovery. Because his student medical insurance leaves him with a high deductible, he now faces the difficult task of stretching his student loans to cover his new cost of living.

Anyone who has met Ian knows his intentionality, kindness, and reliability. His selflessness and positivity radiate into the lives he touches, and, even in the middle of these struggles, he remains resilient and motivated to pursue his passions. In his obligations at school and work, he has kept a 3.9 GPA in his graduate program and continues to advocate for patients in the Emergency Department at UCSD Health.

On behalf of his friends and family, let’s make sure Ian is met with the same love and support that he shows us! Any support that you provide will help tremendously—donations will go directly to Ian to help cover his medical bills, recovery, and housing, and to improve his quality of life in this difficult time.