Jul 25, 2017 6:50 PM
On Friday, June 2, Tony Sekera, friend of the Chicago area polo community, was in a solo stick-and-ball practice on his favorite polo pony near Aiken, South Carolina, when the pony took a bad stumble. Tony somersaulted over the pony's head and suffered C4 and C5 vertebral fractures and devastating spinal cord damage.
Tony was airlifted to Augusta University Medical Center where he underwent emergency surgery to realign the vertebrae and decompress the spinal cord. He stayed in the Shock Trauma Unit for two weeks until he was stabilized enough to be flown to Chicago's world class Shirley Ryan Ability Lab, (formerly RIC) where he is currently being provided excellent care and intensive therapy.
However, the road ahead is a long one. Due to significant immobility below his shoulders. Tony will always have to rely on 24/7 nursing care. Anyone who knows Tony will recognize his determination, tenacity and positive attitude. However, this injury presents insurmountable challenges and he needs your support.
The Chicago area polo community and the Sekera family have partnered to help raise donations that will help offset the out of pocket expenses for Tony's ongoing day-to-day care which is not covered by insurance.
Your notes and visits are welcomed and encouraged. Please drop in whenever you are able or send him a message via Caring Bridge (link below). Who knows, during a visit, you might even be able to cheer Tony on in one of his therapy sessions and see just how hard he is working. Just like you did when he was on the field!
Polo has long been a passion and Tony will continue to follow the sport with fond recollections of his time in the saddle. And although his riding days are over, Tony's love of the sport will live on.
Effective Date: Saturday, May 16, 2020
The suspension of USPA Tournaments and Events will be lifted for USPA Member Clubs in locales where hosting polo matches and tournaments is permitted under applicable state and local laws, executive orders and similar decrees. The USPA Member Clubs in these locales are encouraged to follow all such requirements of their state and local authorities with respect to polo operations. In addition, we also encourage all USPA Member Clubs to take the precautions recommended by the CDC. We are preparing a detailed list of best practices for USPA Member Clubs as they return to hosting USPA Tournaments and Events and plan to circulate these guidelines within the next week. We will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation closely and will notify you if we determine a different course of action is necessary.
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