Rickey Woods, 39, was born and raised by a single mom in Dallas, TX. He played baseball and graduated from Skyline High School in 1997. He attended Tarrant County Community College to pursue a career in Radiology. Rickey worked in the medical field for 21 years where he delivered medical equipment and liquid oxygen to hospitals and patient’s homes.
Rickey enjoys watching any and all sports.
Rickey discovered he was born with an AVM (arteriovenous malformation) the size of a golf ball as a result of an injury while playing golf in 2009. The AVM was inoperable due to the size and critical location and on the brain. This caused serious paralysis on his left side which continued to worsen over the years.
In 2009, Rickey went through three Gamma Knife Treatments to eliminate the mass. This resulted in scar tissue causing him to have his first stroke in 2009 furthering his paralysis. This paralysis includes his left arm/hand and a severe case of drop foot.
Rickey had a second stroke in 2010 resulting in the loss of his peripheral vision on the left side of both eyes. His vision could not be corrected due to the nerve damage behind the eyes. This second stroke also caused short term memory loss and depression that he continues to struggle with on daily basis.
Although the mass was completely eliminated by 2012, the remaining scar tissue from its removal continues to put Rickey at risk of seizures.
Rickey was treated with medical steroids for 5 years to decrease swelling on his brain due to the radiation. The steroids resulted in a 100lb weight gain which Rickey has since lost through hard work and dedication. The steroids also caused a vascular neurosis which led to a bi-lateral hip surgery in 2018.
As a left hander, Rickey is determined to get full function back in his left side with the hope of returning to the medical field and to play golf again.
Regaining what he knew to be a normal life is a goal of his, but more important to him is this opportunity to prove that there is still hope despite what all of the doctors and others have said. After 8 years of paralysis and numerous therapy sessions resulting in no positive results, Rickey had accepted the fact that this was never going to get better. Upon his first visit to ATF and witnessing the abilities of the incredible athletes, he has found new hope
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