Today we’d like to introduce you to Drake Trotter.
Hi Drake, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
We were on a family vacation in August of 2017. I took my sister out for a late-night beach walk and, when I came back in, made a bad decision to dive into the 4ft pool to clean off the sand. I broke my C1, C3, C7 vertebrae and my occipital bone. We ultimately ended up in the Panama City Trauma Center. (A wonderful care team and host of nurses and doctors, BTW). I had an emergency spinal fusion; a setback with an emergency tracheotomy, and two weeks in the ICU. T wonderful pilots agreed to Angel Flight me back to Austin. When I returned home, I developed an infection in my spine and metal hardware. It required an additional surgery, and I found myself back in ICU for another two weeks. I am humbled to say that my journey resulted in hundreds of answered prayers, Godly miracles, and I am fully restored, despite all odds. Most of the people in the Spinal ICU were unable to walk out of the hospital. We were introduced to Lone Star Paralysis Foundation in Austin. They are a non-profit founded by Doug English and are dedicated to finding a cure for spinal cord paralysis. While they are investing their proceeds in a cure, they are also providing services for recovery and recreation for patients who cannot afford care. Spinal cord recovery is a long, arduous and expensive process. They were incredibly helpful in our journey.
After the injury and recovery, we met Steve Lawton, who had a similar injury from a skiing accident. He wrote a book titled “Head First, A crash course in positivity.” He shared with us that they celebrate on the day of his accident each year and call it “Alive Day.” We adopted this practice and decided to celebrate by hosting a charity golf tournament. Golf is my favorite sport, and my goal through recovery was to be able to shoot in the 80s again. So, we combined my favorite sport and started “The Drake Tournament” on the first anniversary. We wanted to find a way to help Lone Star Paralysis advance their mission to give others the recovery that I have been able to have. It’s important to note that through recovery, we were surrounded by the most incredible family, friends, colleagues, and church community possible. They rallied around us (and especially my parents/sister) to ensure they were able to survive. This same community has surrounded us in support of our tournament. We have over 100 incredible volunteers and wonderful sponsors who have made the tournament possible. A special shout out to NVIDIA, Subaru, and Orange Theory for sponsoring us every year since the beginning. On November 2nd, we will host our fifth SOLD OUT tournament. We even have a waitlist. We are dreaming big of selling out two rounds next year and increasing our mission. Come out and see us at Star Ranch, or you can also support us by donating here. https://benevityapp.page.link/bEw9iyWh4QEL7XsN8
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Aside from the physical recovery and roadblocks, setting up a charity golf tournament was a much more significant undertaking than we anticipated. We had no idea really how hard it was to get sponsors, coordinate volunteers, and raise money. We have had an AMAZING group of volunteers who have driven our success over the years. Our directors have been with us since the beginning. They have continued to ensure we deliver an excellent experience for our golfers and sponsors. We strive to provide a fun, unique, and impactful money-making tournament! We give every dollar back to LSPF, and they give every dollar back to their patients!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I work for a local technology company supporting our Federal customers. It’s an amazing company, full of talented, driven and caring people. Both of my parents also work at the company and during my recovery, all of our groups were incredibly supportive. My leader even brought my entire team to my house for a kickoff event. I am most proud of being part of such an incredible team and company.
What does success mean to you?
I define success as finding happiness. I have been incredibly blessed with a miraculous recovery; with that, I feel that my job is to give back to others. I am extremely grateful for my life. Because of my accident, I was able to reconnect with my middle school sweetheart, Macie–who I married in 2019. We just welcomed our beautiful baby girl, Deklyn, in April. We have adopted Romans 8:28 as our family verse, which speaks so well to my journey. God promises to bring greatness out of the storms that bring devastation to your life. So, I have a job that I love, a wonderful family, and a healthy body. I will continue to strive for success for Lone Star Paralysis Foundation in helping find a cure for others.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @thedraketournament
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Drake-Golf-Tournament-2143954175640585/about/?ref=page_internal
- Other: https://benevityapp.page.link/bEw9iyWh4QEL7XsN8
Image Credits
Phyllis Pate
