<div>My name is Mark, and I’m a 100% Permanently &amp; Totally disabled Army veteran fighting to rebuild my life after a lifetime of hardship — and my goal is not only to get back on stable ground, but to pay forward every blessing I receive to help other veterans in crisis.

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<div>I grew up in the foster care system after losing my family to addiction.

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<div>My mother passed from an overdose.

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<div>My brother passed the same way.

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<div>My birth father spent years in and out of prison before he also died from an overdose.

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<div>I was a troubled teen, bouncing from place to place, learning early what it meant to survive with no safety net.

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<div>Despite everything stacked against me, I fought to change my life.

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<div>I earned my GED, received an orphan scholarship to college, and earned enough credits to qualify for Army enlistment. In May 2014, I left for basic training — the moment everything finally felt like it was turning around. The Army gave me purpose, direction, and a family I never had growing up.

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<div>I served on Active Duty until March 2022, and then continued serving in the Army Reserve for two more years. I gave everything I had to my country — my time, my health, my body, and parts of myself I can never get back. But the physical and mental toll didn’t end when my uniform came off.

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<div>A vehicle accident, chronic service-connected injuries, PTSD, anxiety, and the long-term wear of military life slowly took my ability to work. I pushed myself far past my limits — job after job, breakdown after breakdown — until my body and mind simply couldn’t keep going.

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<div>The fight didn’t end with service. It got harder.

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<div>I spent years navigating the VA system, medical exams, documentation, appeals, and endless proof just to be believed. After a long battle, I was finally rated 100% Permanent &amp; Total — a relief, but also a painful acknowledgment of how far my health had declined. I’m now fighting for SSDI as well, another slow, stressful process with no clear timeline.

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<div>Meanwhile, life didn’t pause.

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<div>Bills piled up.

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<div>Debts grew.

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<div>I gave up my vehicle, my credit, my loans, anything I could — trying to keep myself afloat.

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<div>My finances collapsed faster than I could recover. My credit is destroyed, my savings are gone, and every month has become a battle just to keep a roof overhead and pay basic bills. I’ve been trying to get emergency assistance through veteran organizations, but many are full, delayed, or unable to help right now.

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<div>One of the hardest parts of being a veteran is going from a world where your brothers and sisters would die for you — to a world where you feel completely alone when you need help most.

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<div>That loss of camaraderie… it hits harder than people realize.

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<div>But I’m still fighting.

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<div>This GoFundMe isn’t just about survival. It’s about clarity and purpose. Through all this pain, I’ve realized something important:

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<div>There are countless veterans silently going through the same struggles — financial crisis, mental health battles, fear, shame, and the feeling of being forgotten.

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<div>I don’t want anyone else to reach this point alone.

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<div>My goal is simple:

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<div><strong>Help back on my feet now — stabilize my housing and bills that are immediate — and once I’m secure again, donate any remaining funds at local Veterans groups or organizations to veterans facing the same hardships.</strong>

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<div>I want my story to become a turning point, not just for me, but for someone else out there who feels like giving up. If I can get through this, I want to reach back and help the next veteran who’s slipping through the cracks.

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<div>If you choose to help, you’re not only helping me survive — you’re helping me turn this struggle into a mission to serve again, in a new way.

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<div>Thank you for reading, for caring, and for giving me a chance to fight my way back.

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Service to Struggle: Help a Disabled Vet Rise & Give Back

Still $7,450 to go. Help us build momentum.