SEQUIM — As a volunteer with Sequim Wheelers, Ron Adler has given bicycle rides to those with mobility issues.
Now he needs that support.
An avid cyclist who rides about 4,000 miles a year, Adler was almost home from a bike ride on May 30 when he went flying over the handlebars. He was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he was diagnosed with a severe spinal injury.
Adler, 78, was paralyzed from the chest down, and the initial prognosis was discouraging.
Just as Adler has helped others in the community, the community is now helping him. Thousands of dollars have been contributed to a GoFundMe campaign to help cover mounting medical and rehabilitation costs.
Among Adler’s support system is his granddaughter, Aliya Traficante.
“He’s just incredibly active,” Traficante said. “In his retirement, he really got back into cycling, and it became a huge passion for him — not just for himself, but to help others.
“He rides for himself, but he also helps people get outside and on bikes in different ways. It’s a weird, full-circle moment, because now he’s the one needing help.”
Adler’s work on behalf of Sequim Wheelers isn’t the only way he’s given back to the community. According to the GoFundMe page, he is board chair of Olympic Peninsula Community Clinic, which serves patients who are low income or homeless, and is team captain for his neighborhood’s community emergency response team. He also participates in and coordinates the Olympic Theatre Arts singers, some of whom sang to him when they came to visit after his accident. Members of Sequim Wheelers and Spoke Folks sang to him as well.
There have been signs of hope during Adler’s recovery, Traficante said.
“He’s made some improvements, like being able to feel sensation in his legs and extremities,” she said.
The GoFundMe campaign (gofundme.com/f/help-ron-come-home-after-spinal-cord-injury) had raised more than $21,000 toward a $25,000 goal on Friday.
“We knew there were going to be some big costs coming up,” Traficante said. “Medicaid and secondary insurance only cover so much, so we’re fundraising to meet whatever isn’t covered.”
The funds will be used toward a care aide to assist with daily needs, making essential home modifications for wheelchair accessibility, installing equipment such as a Hoyer Lift, and covering the cost of in-home care. An estimate of all those costs, including home care services, supplies and equipment, exceeds $25,000.
“It’s been challenging, but I’m happy to be there for them,” Traficante said. “Just happy to help in any way possible.”
The outpouring of support has been strong, said Adler, who added that “the cycling and singing community that I participate in have rallied around me, and they come in the afternoons and do exercises with me.”
Adler was at Sequim Bay Post Acute rehabilitation center last week and was expected to return home within a few days. His family remains hopeful that he will continue to recover.
“My granddaughter (Traficante) is getting married at the end of September 2026, and I would like to be able to attend her wedding in a walker,” Adler said. “(I also want to) be able to be the husband that my wife deserves in retirement … so I would like to recover to the point where I can make her a cup of coffee and serve her and sit down and just enjoy life with her.”
Adler added that he wants to be able to get back to all the community activities he enjoyed.
“He’s set a goal, and I think he’s made decent progress,” Traficante said. “We’re all pulling for him.”
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Jacques Star is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. He can be reached by email at jacques.star@sequimgazette.com.
