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Hedge fund founder says Colts' Kenny Moore saved a dog's life, and by extension, his son's

Drew Dickson is the founder of Albert Bridge Capital, a London-based financial group, though he grew up in Indiana.

He keeps a blog on Albert Bridge’s website, “Drew’s Views”, which is usually focused on investing.

But this week he wrote a deeply personal post that revealed how Indianapolis Colts cornerback Kenny Moore impacted his family’s life.

‘Stay in the game’

Dickson begins thusly:

“This is going to be an uncharacteristic departure for me. This story is deeply personal, for our family, and for our oldest son in particular. But it is a story he’s letting me tell, because it is a story he wants people to hear.”

He then shares details about his son, Max, who was born in 1997 and because of Dickson’s career, saw his young life begin in Detroit and then Hong Kong before the family settled in London.

A London-based hedge fund manager credits Indianapolis Colts cornerback Kenny Moore with saving the life of his son's dog and by extension, his son's life as well. (AP)
A London-based hedge fund manager credits Indianapolis Colts cornerback Kenny Moore with saving the life of his son's dog and by extension, his son's life as well. (AP)

Max’s story may be familiar for some parents: “He was an amazing child, and became an amazing young man. But he had his demons. And just before he turned 16 years old, those demons arrived with a vengeance,” Dickson wrote. “I will spare you the details, but for the next three years, he went through a personal hell. Imagine all the things you don’t want to have happen to your teenager. They happened to him.

“For three years my wife and I would wait on our front stoop until 5:00 am, in the shadow of the Albert Bridge, hoping that he would come home. On those nights that he didn’t, we would call the hospitals, and call the police. And sometimes the police would call us.”

Dickson and his wife tried whatever they could, and he notes that they were fortunate to be in position to do so. Max contemplated suicide, Dickson said, but he and his wife knew that it was ultimately up to Max whether he lived or died.

Two years ago, Max decided he had to leave London, and chose Costa Rica. Dickson told his son he would pay for the flight and provide money for his first week, but beyond that, Max had to support himself.

And he did, and things were good for a little while. But Max’s anxiety and depression came back. Thoughts of suicide came back.

Then Max began to turn around.

Finding Chica

Max began to turn around, Dickson discovered, because he’d found a puppy “roaming the streets of Santa Teresa. The dog had been abused, was eating trash from scrap heaps, and was terrified of people.”

But Max and the puppy connected; he named her Chica.

“Max, who by then was 19 years old, started to realize he had something to offer. Chica needed help, and Max was there to provide it,” Dickson wrote. “Max started doing adult things, like earning and saving money so that he could take Chica to the vet for check-ups and vaccinations.

“And Chica started getting healthy. And Max started getting healthy. I could hear it in his voice when he would call. There was an excitement about life and the future that I hadn’t heard since he was 14 years old. He was starting to get his groove back.”

At one point, Max told his father he was ready to leave Costa Rica, but didn’t want to return to London. He mentioned going to Georgia or Indiana, places where his father had family or friends who could help if needed.

Max chose Indianapolis. Dickson’s wife and their three other children met him there, helping him settle into a new apartment in the city. He got a full-time job and was able to manage his anxiety and work through the depression.

The accident

A few months after they moved to Indianapolis, Max was walking Chica when the dog saw a squirrel. Before Max could stop her, Chica chased the squirrel into the street, and she was run over by a speeding car.

The driver took off. But as Max was in the street clutching his beloved dog, another car stopped.

“It was a young black kid. A young black kid who saw a young white kid on his knees in the middle of downtown Indianapolis,” Dickson wrote. “His name was Kenny. He opened his door, got out of his car, walked up to my son, and said ‘hey, I got you.’ He then walked Max out to the middle of Indiana Avenue and they picked up a bloody Chica and loaded her into Kenny’s car.

“Turns out that Kenny had just moved to Indiana, and had grown up down in Georgia. He had been traveling around a bit, and had recently lost his job up north. He subsequently found an offer for a temporary position down in Indianapolis, and had just started work there. He was apprenticing at his new shop, and was hoping to be made a permanent employee. Kenny was just 21.”

Kenny found the nearest vet clinic on his phone, and brought Max and Chica there. The vet said Chica needed emergency surgery, but that doctor wasn’t a surgeon.

So like a big brother, as Dickson wrote, Kenny took Max and Chica to a clinic that could perform the surgery, and Chica lived. Her pelvis was broken, but Max got her back to health over the next six months.

‘I want to thank him’

Dickson said Kenny stayed in touch with Max after that day, asking about Chica and checking up on Max too. Last Thanksgiving, about a year since the accident, Kenny offered Max tickets to a Colts game, and took Max to dinner after the game.

“Max is doing great now. He’s been working full-time, got super healthy, started running marathons, and is now on the good path,” Dickson wrote. “These were his choices, they had to be, and he did it. But it almost didn’t turn out this way. Kenny made sure he stayed on that path.

“This guy Kenny, I want to reach out and give him the biggest hug he ever got. I want to tell him that he is special. I want to thank him for saving Chica’s life. I want to thank him for saving my son’s.

“Oh, and as a follow-up. We got some news about Kenny this past week. It’s some really good news.

“Kenny not only got that job offer, he just got a nice long contract along with it. Kenny Moore, from Valdosta, Georgia, just signed a four-year contract with the Indianapolis Colts to be the highest paid slot cornerback in the NFL, in a deal that is going to pay him at least $30 million over the next four years.

“Good things happen to good people.”

Undrafted out of Valdosta State in 2017, Moore initially signed with the New England Patriots. But he was cut out of training camp; the Colts claimed him off waivers a day later. After playing in all 16 games as a rookie, Moore started 15 games last year, missing one to concussion.

Moore saw Dickson’s post on Twitter on Monday, and said he shed some tears reading it. “Craziest day ever but glad everything worked out for Max and Chica!,” Moore wrote.

Max Dickson wrote back, “I appreciate you Kenny. You helped me that tough day and I’ll never forget it.”

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