Let me begin by saying I am not a writer. I chose a vocational life, working in manufacturing for the past 25 years. But, i do believe i have the spelling and grammatical skills to communicate to the world my journey. So, let us begin.
Just as the description says, I was originally going to call this blog “Just Another Fat Man Blogging.” At the time, that would have summed up my inspiration for being here. I had just been released from the hospital after suffering a heart attack. I spent 9 days there, 4 of those in the I.C.U. My original plan was to share my journey of weight loss, learning how to live healthier, and learning how to eat healthier. But, my inspiration changed due to some unforeseen consequences of my heart attack.
You see, I had just started a new journey in my work life as well. I have always worked in manufacturing, more specifically, the printing industry. But I was looking for a change. I had been in the printing industry for over 20 years, and quite frankly, i was bored with it. So I decided to take a job with a company that manufactures parts for the automotive industry. I was always very mechanically inclined, having grown up the son of a fantastic Machine Tool Technician. My dad could build and repair anything, and i learned as much as i could from him. Okay, I’m rambling now. Back to the unforeseen consequences.
I had not been on my new job long enough to be eligible for important benefits, including health insurance, and short/long term disability. It was completely unexpected and unplanned. I did have a little bit of money saved for a rainy day, but the expenses would far exceed any savings I had.
The initial medical bills alone, for 9 days in the hospital and everything associated with that, plus consultations from specialists like cardiologists, kidney specialists, and other medical professionals, was around $45,000. Needless to say, that may as well have been $45,000,000 to me, seeing as i had no insurance, and no short term/long term disability to rely on. Another concern was day to day expenses, like utilities, gas for trips to and from Dr.’s appointments, and other things you take for granted until you don’t have the money to pay for them.
I am now approaching 2 months off work, and my savings is gone. With 5 people in the house, including my girlfriends 3 children, I have been stressing about how i was going to pay for things, since I’m not quite well enough to return to work. That’s what led me to this blog.
I was sent a link, by someone who wanted to help. It was a link to a crowd funding website. I had not heard of this before that day, but she said I should look into it. She said, “You are always helping other people, so now you should ask for some help.” I wasn’t sure if I could do that. I have never been one to ask for help, I have always worked and helped others. But, with each passing day, I was getting a bit desperate. The bills kept coming in, and I had no income to pay them. I was losing sleep, and stressing out about it.
I visited the website, set up a profile, and then I changed my mind. I couldn’t do it. I was afraid people would think I was pompous, and selfish, essentially begging for money. I thought about this for days and days. Finally, I decided to just ask for help. I had applied for assistance through several different sources, but I was still waiting for decisions to be made. Part of that may have been my fault. I wasn’t expecting to be off work so long, so I didn’t apply for assistance right away. I thought my savings would suffice.
There I was, with no income, no savings, and bills to pay. Needless to say, I was stressing about it. This went against all the advice the Dr.’s had given me, specifically, to remove as much stress from my life as i could.
So, I shared a link to the crowd funding website to my facebook page. I’m not sure what i expected really. I didn’t know if anyone would respond to it at all. Then, something amazing happened. Someone made a donation. I was speechless. Several people made donations that first day. I sat on my couch, looking at this website, sobbing. It literally moved me to tears.
I realized at that moment I was not alone in my struggle. I found out I do have friends and family that care, and were willing to help however they could. A feeling of love and warmth came over me. It inspired me and motivated me to change the way i feel, and the way i think, and the way I live.
That was yesterday, and today my new life begins. I’m still far from my goal, but i have faith that i will achieve it. At the very least, my faith in people in general has been restored, and my journey begins here…..
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