A fundraiser has been launched for longtime All Star cheerleading coach and choreographer Troy Hedgren, who is awaiting a liver transplant while receiving treatment through the USC Keck Abdominal Transplant Center.
The GoFundMe campaign, organized by Kara Buttacavoli on November 8, had raised $16,827 toward its $60,000 goal through 108 donations as of November 12. Proceeds will help cover medical treatment, physical and occupational therapy rehabilitation, transportation and household expenses while Hedgren is unable to work.
Hedgren’s liver disease has progressed to liver failure, resulting in repeated hospitalizations, blood draws, transfusions and increasingly intensive care. His family says he has been placed high on the transplant waiting list based on his MELD score and is waiting for a compatible liver.
His wife, Keri, is supporting him through treatment, with the demands of his care also limiting her ability to work. Hedgren is a husband, father of three and grandfather of three, with a fourth grandchild on the way, according to his family.
His career spans gym ownership, coaching and choreography, including his work with Magic All Stars and Pacific Coast Magic. Known to athletes and coaches as Coach Troy, he built a reputation for stunt and pyramid choreography while working with programs across the United States and internationally.
His path into All Star cheerleading began in gymnastics. In a profile published by The Cheer Professional, Hedgren described starting a mobile gymnastics business before opening Gymnastics 4 Kids with Keri in 1995. After being introduced to competitive cheerleading through a local Pop Warner connection, the couple added a cheer team in 1997. The gym later became Magic All Stars.
That program eventually joined with Pacific Coast Cheer to form Pacific Coast Magic. In the same profile, Hedgren discussed the challenge of expanding across locations while maintaining consistent training and allowing individual gyms to retain their identities.
“Kellie and I are coaches at heart,” he said at the time, referring to fellow Pacific Coast Magic co-owner Kellie Elliott.
His choreography work extended beyond his own gyms, including work with the company Small World, according to his family. A Next Level Choreography biography lists work with programs in the United States, Canada and Costa Rica, along with multiple Summit titles as a coach and choreographer and two bronze medals at The Cheerleading Worlds.
Hedgren also appeared on Jason Larkins’ Let’s Talk Cheer podcast in 2022 for a discussion about team culture, his longtime Worlds team Fantasy and how he became known as the “Pyramid Guy.”
His niece, Kambria Walters, contacted Cheer Daily to share the fundraiser and provide additional background on his approach to coaching.
Walters said Hedgren built his coaching philosophy around John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success, using those principles to mentor athletes who went on to earn collegiate scholarships and win world championships. She emphasized that his influence extended to the people around him, describing Troy and Keri as examples of faith and family.
“I just really want to stress the positive impact he has had on the people around him,” Walters wrote.
“He has spent his entire life showing up for his athletes, and now it’s our turn to show up for him,” she wrote in her initial message.
Walters asked those familiar with Hedgren’s work to read the campaign, donate or share it with others. The fundraiser similarly calls on former athletes and members of the cheerleading community to help with the expenses associated with his continuing care.
His family is accepting both one-time and recurring contributions and has also requested prayers that a compatible liver becomes available.
Donations and the family’s account of his medical needs are available through Support Coach Troy Hedgren’s Medical Care on GoFundMe.
