SOKY’S CHOICE: Potter Gray students rally for classmate Troyce

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WNKY) — Potter Gray Elementary third-graders turned a Friday lemonade stand into more than $3,300 for their 7-year-old classmate Troyce, who is fighting heart failure and waiting for a heart donor.

Troyce has lived with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome since birth. His mom says he remains in the hospital as his family faces another difficult stretch in a medical journey that started when he was just weeks old.

‘All hands on deck’

The lemonade stand came together in just a few days.

Organizer Ashley Storey said she felt like she needed to do something after learning what Troyce and his family were going through. She reached out to a couple of other moms, and the idea quickly grew.

“And then we sent out to the moms group, and then everyone was like, all hands on deck. Let’s go,” Storey said.

Parents, teachers and students all wanted to help.

For Storey, seeing young kids rally around a classmate mattered just as much as the money they collected.

“If you have the moment to take action, do something, do it,” Storey said.

She said helping does not always have to mean giving money. It can mean sharing a post, checking on someone or simply making sure they know people care.

‘We miss you. We love you.’

Troyce’s classmates had their own messages for him.

“We miss you. We love you,” one student said.

Another said, “Everyone’s sad, and I hope he comes back.”

Other students talked about wanting Troyce to feel better, get a new heart and return to Potter Gray.

One classmate said, “I hope he gets a new heart, and comes back to school.”

The words were simple. They also made it clear how much his friends miss having him there.

A fight that started weeks after birth

Troyce’s mom wrote on the family’s GoFundMe page that doctors diagnosed him with heart failure when he was 3 months old.

He had his first open-heart surgery at 3 weeks old and another at 6 months. She says he has gone to the operating table at least 15 times since birth.

Now, the family needs a heart donor for Troyce.

His mom says doctors approved him for a Fontan procedure that could help him for a few years while the family continues down that road.

The repeated travel and medical care have also hit the family financially. Troyce’s mom wrote that she has fallen behind on bills while caring for him and her three other children.

“Not gonna lie, I’m doing this for my kids because my pride wouldn’t allow me to do this, but it takes a village,” she wrote on the fundraiser page.

‘This is beautiful’

Troyce’s mom says he remains in the ICU.

She left the hospital long enough to see the lemonade stand for herself — and the crowd waiting there for her family.

“I’m completely speechless. It’s like, this is beautiful,” she said.

She said she had no idea so many people would show up.

Later, she described it as “so, so much love.”

The kids raised just over $3,300, but when asked what else people could do, Troyce’s mom did not start with money.

She asked for prayer.

“It’s unreal. Because that’s all I’ve been doing,” she said. “And every day I see it. It is slow, but I see a difference. So just please keep those prayers going.”

For Troyce’s classmates, Friday gave them a way to do something while their friend remains away from school.

They sold lemonade. They raised thousands of dollars. And they made sure Troyce heard the message they wanted him to know most:

They miss him, they love him and they want him back.

Those who would like to support Troyce and his family can donate through their GoFundMe.