TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WKBW) — "Souper Boy," that's Travis Strade's nickname at Buffalo Road House in Tonawanda. That's ‘Soup’-er Boy, like soups and salads. He was also a dishwasher at the restaurant.
Strade had to stop working this past spring.
“I woke up one morning and just had really bad pain in my shoulder,” recalled Strade.
That pain was about to turn Strade's life upside down.
“It was a spontaneous-epidural-hematoma. So, he had blood clot in his spinal cord,” explained Stade’s mother, Kelly. “It doesn't happen a lot and it almost never happens in a 17-year-old.”
Travis was paralyzed after his surgery, He's just getting the movement back in his hands and arms. Perfect for the video-game-loving 18 year old. He celebrated his birthday in the hospital.
His injury, though, is problematic and costly.
“We moved because our house wasn't adaptable,” said Kelly Barone-Strade.
Strade’s co-workers threw him a party at the restaurant on Sunday, a benefit to help with the bills. Something the staff says they would do for anyone in their Roadhouse family.
“He has such a positive attitude and I know that he's going to do great things no matter where he is in life,” said Ashley Groat, one of the organizers of the benefit at Buffalo Road House.
Besides a GoFundMe and the benefit, people can also buy paper Buffaloes. You write a message to Travis on them. The proceeds go to his recovery.
“Every visit, every card has just been life changing,” said Strade.
Travis has a journey ahead of him. He won't know his full prognosis until next year.
