AKA Troy Fields! This gentleman and his wife Terry graced us with a visit at the RV park in Tampa, FL. I first met Troy via Zoom in preparation for a Hispanic Heritage Month ALS Awareness event last year. I had, in fact, heard of him participating in other I AM ALS teams. Since then, we have collaborated on other projects. As with any Zoom acquaintance, you only know what is on the screen. So when he answered my tweet to meet in Tampa, I couldn’t wait to get to know him better.

Here is what I learned about Troy and his family. First of all, he is an accomplished businessman in his field, an experienced globetrotter, and above all, a loving husband and father. I was already aware of his public speaking prowess and his keen mind for analytics. I had been introduced to his sharp wit and humor. What I didn’t expect was his self depreciating humor; a man after my own heart. If you can’t laugh at yourself, then what’s the point?

As the title says, ALS-Another Latino… you get it. The “another” is, of course, me. What? Are you going to argue with a dying man? Didn’t think so.

Ok, now here’s a nugget that I learned about Troy. The man is cookoo for fine Italian wine. He mentioned a few that rolled off his tongue while Terry wiped the drool off. Not because of his ALS, but because in his mind, he was savoring those delectable vintages. He recounted a specific experience in Italy where he described his taste in wine, in what he referred to, “an unrefined fashion.” The sommelier, to his surprise, knew exactly what he meant. As Troy recounted his experience, his eyes rolled back as he recalled the palatable potions of the purveyors of his preferred Bacanalian beverage.

Troy’s lovely wife Terry spent time sharing with Meg, and they chatted about kids, life, and ALS caregiving. Terry also kept Troy from going off the deep end on matters he’s passionate about. Much like I do for Meg, but she will deny it, lol. We did make Terry nervous, though. Troy took a brief tour of the RV. When it came to getting him off the RV, well, the lift wouldn’t lower. After a few minutes of trouble shooting, he rolled back into the RV and the lift reset. I thought for a moment that we were going to go home with one hell of a souvenir, lol.

We could have chatted all day, to be honest. As we prepared to say our adues, Meg mentioned CRPL, Clandestine Racing Powerchair League. Troy’s eyes lit up! The following is footage of Troy’s Tampa Takedown.

TJO