Long before he became known as the owner of Status Barber Shop, Troy “TBone” Wilson was known in Victoria classrooms.
For 25 years, he worked as an educational assistant in School District 61, including at Esquimalt High, supporting students with behavioural challenges, autism and special needs.
He was the calm in the room. The steady adult who pulled up a chair instead of raising his voice. The one who showed up.
Now, at 49 years old, Wilson is facing stage four peritoneal cancer.
He was first diagnosed with stomach cancer in September 2023 after experiencing persistent fatigue and abdominal pain.
During chemotherapy, his tumour ruptured, leading to an emergency eight-hour surgery in which doctors removed 80% of his stomach. He spent five days in ICU and then underwent eight months of treatment before ringing the bell in May 2024.
For a time, it felt like he had closed that chapter.
Then in December 2025, what appeared to be appendicitis led to a month-long hospital stay. A biopsy confirmed the cancer had returned and metastasized. On January 5th, he learned it was now stage four.
He began another round of chemotherapy on January 16th, and is preparing to travel to the Teknon Oncology Institute in Spain in mid-March for targeted treatment not available in Canada.
As of publication, $105,117 has been raised through a GoFundMe campaign toward a $150,000 goal.
More than 780 donations have come in, with hundreds sharing the fundraiser online. Organizers say total costs are expected to exceed $250,000 once treatment, travel, accommodations and time away from work are factored in.
For those closest to him, this fight is about one thing and that is more time.
Wilson and his wife, Saroeun Dim, are raising 10-year-old twins Makaih and Kamaihra, and 4-year-old Nia.
When it came time to tell their children about the diagnosis, the couple worked with a BC Cancer counsellor to explain it in an age-appropriate way while emphasizing hope and family togetherness.
His children, a very close friend shared, see him as invincible. “They adore him and draw strength from his determination. To them, he truly is a superhero.”
Wilson has gently prepared them for changes. He may not be at every soccer practice or extracurricular activity the way he once was. And that absence will not only be felt by his own children. He has always been the loudest parent on the sidelines, cheering for every kid, not just his own.
For Wilson, more time is measured in everyday moments.
“For him, more time means more mornings making his legendary pancakes for breakfast and getting his 10-year-old twins ready for the day. It means more chances to watch them grow into who they’re becoming, to guide them, joke with them, cheer for them on the soccer field, and be present for the moments that turn childhood into memory,” reads the GoFundMe.
“It means more bedtime stories. More laughter. More Sunday baking sessions with Nia proudly making cookies and cupcakes beside her dad.”
For nearly two years, Wilson carried much of this privately.
“Opening up about what he’s truly going through has lifted a weight he carried far too long,” a very close friend said. “For the first time, he has allowed himself to say out loud that he cannot do this on his own anymore.”
When people ask how he’s doing, he still smiles and says he is “taking it one day at a time.”
Even on the hardest days, friends say he remains steady and positive, unwilling to let his pain become someone else’s burden.
Going public with his diagnosis was not easy. Those close to him say he never wanted to be defined by illness or seen as someone seeking sympathy. But accepting support has become part of the fight.
“Saying ‘I need your help’ isn’t weakness. It’s courage.”
After decades working in schools and mentoring youth, Wilson opened Status Barber Shop 16 years ago. It became Victoria’s first Black-owned barbershop and quickly grew into something much bigger than a business.
The shop became a gathering place rooted in mentorship and inclusion.
Through his No Child Left Uncut initiative, Wilson provided free haircuts to underprivileged youth, rewarding academic achievement and volunteerism. Parents recall him opening early and dimming lights for children with sensory challenges. Former athletes describe him as a father figure.
He never kept count of the free haircuts he gave. He simply did what he believed a community should do.
Wilson has not physically worked in the shop since early December as he undergoes treatment, though his team continues operating Status in his absence.
As of this publication, more than 780 people have made a donation with hundreds of shares og the GoFundMe across social media.
“Troy has poured so much into his community for decades,” a very close friend said. “Now the community has a chance to pour that love back into him and remind him he’s not walking this road alone.”
As the founder and publisher of Victoria Buzz, I’ve known Troy for many years. I attended Esquimalt High when he first began working there as an educational assistant. Even then, he stood out. He brought energy, presence and steady leadership that connected with students in a way that felt genuine.
Over time, that same energy carried beyond the classroom and onto sports fields, into community events and eventually into Status Barber Shop.
Whether mentoring a struggling student, cheering from the sidelines, or lifting someone up in the barber chair, Troy has consistently shown up for Greater Victoria.
He has devoted much of his adult life to this community.
And he is someone this place needs around for a long time, not only for those of us who have watched his impact over the years, but for his wife and three young children who need their dad.
If he is unable to access treatment in Spain, his options become significantly more limited. The specialized care represents his strongest opportunity to slow progression and maintain quality of life.
At the centre of it all are three children who still believe their dad can beat anything. And a father determined to prove them right.
Click here to donate today.
