‘YouTube Rider’ appeals for help, remains positive

WHILE HE REMAINS positive despite his limited mobility due to a motorbike crash in June which also left him unable to work, everyday is certainly a battle for “YouTube Rider”.

“…Tell you the honest truth it’s been a constant battle up and down financially, but emotionally, I got that part locked,” 27-year-old Ronnie Miller of Brighton told SEARCHLIGHT yesterday, September 16.

It’s been three months now since the July 13 accident and steel holds his left leg together, a cast is firmly placed on his right foot, and his left arm is yet to be fully functional after the surgeries that had to be done on it.

When he crashed his motorbike into the Calliaqua police station as he swerved to avoid a vehicle, Miller’s shattered his left knee cap, and his arm and leg were severely broken. Although he escaped with his life, the aftermath caught on video, told a bloody story, and Miller was in need of a substantial amount of the life force to make it through.

He still requires financial help to undergo further surgeries.

He said that three weeks after the crash, the bones inside his knee were “corroded and infected” so they had to take them out. Now, he needs a prosthetic, explaining “for sure I need a whole replacement.”

The biker hasn’t been able to get his medical report as yet, and said that although he has been asking , a portion is apparently still missing.

Miller explained that they need “The medical report – observation about your condition – so they could send it to Trinidad or to where they have to send it to see if, how they could better assist me on fixing my leg.”

“…My right leg is fully cast. Well it’s cast a part in the knee cap,” he said. When he went for a check up on Monday, they told him the bones were healing but they wouldn’t remove the cast as yet because it’s dangerous to put weight on the leg as this will damage the bones again.

As for his hand, he said, “It kinda stick in a position that it has to stay like how it dey till further notice. But I have surgery to go remove a screw that is inside of it, maybe that could be the cause of the hand not extending to its full potential.”

Miller now lives by himself as his ‘significant other’ relationship has ended and the relationship with his mom is not that close, he disclosed. “…Is just me alone living right now,”he remarked.

Moving his leg is aided by wrapping a string around the flesh and steel frame and lifting it, then moving the rest of his body along the floor, with the support of his arms. He can neither walk nor stand, and it is a slow, laborious process to move. He now relies solely on the National Insurance Services (NIS) for financial support.

And, “As far as cooking goes, oh no, I cannot support cooking. Like go up to the stove and cook, no, I could only go up and make tea,” he said in response to a question about meal preparation.

The young man can’t remember when last he had a hot meal.

“…Everything I got to do, I do it for myself because it’s not like I have somebody here living with me giving me three, four square meals a day, like breakfast, lunch and something in between to eat. No, I do not have that kind of help.”

In the days leading up to the conversation with SEARCHLIGHT, the Brighton resident said he had received some assistance from three individuals.

“One is a second mother, a biker friend of mine and a lady came last night and she give me some free food supplies which is very appreciated. Any small [assistance]you have and you want to hand it over to me, and you wanna give it on to me and put it in my care, it’s well appreciated,” said Miller who lives in rented premises.

A friend has set up a GoFundMe page on his behalf to help fund his medical expenses.

Miller explained, “I have this biker friend who is very close to me, his wife, we decide to ask his wife and she pick up the task of doing the accounts for me as a goodwill.

“I had asked a number of people and…most ain’ reply, some just say them can’t right now . The help was given to me from a stranger…” who found out about his condition.

“We all do make mistakes and mistakes could always be corrected with the proper guidance; and if I am to tell the media outside, the world outside, I would just like to tell them lend a helping hand, help a brother no matter how little, even if it not me and it get somebody in your community you know you could help, reach out to help because you never know where we could end up because I never knew I woulda end up like this,” Miller said. There is a series of videos on his Facebook account, ‘Silver Fox’, showing his condition, and that he has not allowed himself to sink into despair.

“If you’re going through a hard time I think you should look at it and you could see how I am faced with a lot of struggles in life and I refuse to be a victim of all of this slavery wey going on. I decide to rise up and I will continue rising ..” Miller said.

“I would really love to walk again… I’m just 27 years old so if you put your foot in my shoes yo go understand, it’s gonna be a challenging path in life so no matter how small, or big the contribution or the donation is that you wanna give to me… it don’t have to be financially… you don’t have to go to a store or supermarket and buy a ton load of stuff, you even call give advice, stuff like that,” he commented.

The GoFundMe account set up to help cover his medical bills can be accessed via: https:// www.gofundme.com/f/ medical-help-for-youtube? utm_campaign=p_ cp+share-sheet& utm_ medium=chat& utm_ source=whatsApp.