A Lifetime of Survival — Now I Just Want to Truly Live

Hi, my name is Nathan but people call me Jabriel. I’m 43 years young, and I’ve lived a life that most would describe as impossible — but I’m still here. Not just surviving… but finally ready to start truly living.

I was born with a rare condition called bilateral PFFD grade D— which means I came into this world without femurs or knees in either leg. Most people would’ve called that a full stop. But I’ve always seen it as a beginning.

In my lifetime, I’ve been:

Struck by lightning

Hit by cars

Set on fire with white gas — the kind that burns hotter than jet fuel

Homeless

Left to recover from a leg broken in 12 places, having to relearn how to walk

...and somehow, I’m still standing.

I’ve endured extreme pain, lived off disability income, and survived on less than \$900 a month, watching my possessions — the little I had — get stolen. Through it all, I was placed on pain meds at age 20. After 20 years, they stopped working… so in came the nightmare street fentanyl. That chapter nearly ended me.

But two and a half years ago, I made a promise to myself:

“I don’t want to just survive anymore. I want to LIVE.”

I got sober. I got clear. I got serious.

And I made myself one big promise:

“If I can beat this, I’ll give myself the freedom I’ve always dreamed of. I’ll get a trike— and I’ll ride.”

For as long as I can remember, I’ve dreamed of riding with my mom—who rode Harleys with pride and still does. But because of my condition, the only way I could ever join her on the open road is if I manifested a trike (three-wheeled motorcycle). Something stable, adapted, and powerful enough to carry not just my body—but my dream.

Owning a trike isn’t just about a ride.

It’s about freedom.

It’s about independence.

It’s about making memories while I still have time to do so.

A few years ago, I promised myself that if I could get clean, I would fight for this dream. Just as I hit this incredible milestone and was about to take on life for the first time from a place of enjoyment and empowerment my mom informed me that she had throat cancer. Right after overcoming the hardest challenge of my entire life “which in my life is saying something” I found myself faced with an even greater one, helping my mom overcome her cancer. Just as I began that journey to live a life I deserved , my mom—the one who raised me, loved me, and who was the one who was the stand for me to get sober there in the good moments and the bad ones —was diagnosed with throat cancer.

When my mom told me she had cancer I told her we would make it through this together. One of the things that helped get her through it was the thought of us getting the chance to ride together yet before she left this earth. I made a promise to her and to myself that if she beat her cancer that I would do everything in my power to find a way to get myself a trike despite the cost. I’ve spent an entire life of being trapped inside both a home and a body never really given the chances to experience any of what life has to offer. After 40 years that starts to really wear on a persons soul.

I paused everything to be there for her. I gave her my word: “If you make it through, I’ll get that trike. And we’ll ride together.”

Today, my mom is six months cancer-free.

And I’m 2.5 years sober.

Now, it’s time to fulfill that promise—to her and to myself.

I want to ride to places like Mount Rushmore and Mount Shasta. I want to feel the wind, not just through a car window, but against my face on the open road—next to my mom and best friend, while she’s still healthy enough to ride. As well as I want a chance to get to explore life for the first time. As well as a healthy outlet and distraction on those days when the pain becomes overwhelming or soul food during the days it’s not.

I prayed the other night, asking God for guidance. The answer I felt deep in my heart was this: “Tell your story. Have faith. The right people will find you.”

So here I am, telling my story. I’m trusting that you—the person reading this right now—might be one of the souls who can help me finish the hardest chapter of my life, and finally start a new one.

I figured thats God leading me in the right direction to my prayers solution through His people so I created this go fund me in the hopes it can help me accomplish my dream. I want the chance to be able to experience life and make some amazing memories with my mom while shes still here…. But I cant do it alone. I need the help of those of you out there who feel called to help make a difference in someone’s life that will be life changing. To help bring a bit of soul food to a truly starved soul.

I believe that when we tell our stories with truth and courage, the right people show up. Maybe you’re one of them.

Maybe you’ve struggled. Maybe you’ve healed. Maybe you’ve ridden that same lonely road I’ve been on and know what it feels like to want one real taste of freedom.

If you feel moved to give, thank you — from the bottom of my heart. You are changing not just a day, but a life.

If you can’t give financially, you can still be part of this miracle. Please share this with your friends, your family, or someone who might be able to help. Every share is a prayer answered.

I’ve risen from the ashes. Now, with your help, I’ll ride toward the life I’ve waited 43 years to begin.

Im looking for help manifesting a way for me to find some soul food in the suffering if you will. Help finding an answer to a prayer and a promise to myself to get a chance to live and enjoy some of this life. Help me make memories I’ve waited 43 years to create. Thank you to everyone who’s read, shared, or donated to my story and my dream of one day experiencing a life of freedom.

Thank you With all my heart, God Bless