A Father's Plea: Relief from Painful Reality

Any of you who know me know I've had quite a few setbacks in the last couple of years, but with the passion to provide for my family, an unbreakable positive attitude, and a work ethic that few can match, I've been able to power through and, for the most part, be fine.

Unfortunately, it turns out I'm human after all because I've recently started having a lot of pain in my back and down my right side. Even with the pain, I've been grinding my teeth and pushing forward because I know my family needs me too. The hard thing for a driven, pride-filled man to do is ask for help. However, the pain has become so bad it's hard to move at all, and it's made it almost impossible to work through it. But I push on. I don't know how much longer I can continue; my mind and heart say forever as long as my family needs me to, I will. It's my body that is trying to stop me.

This might be a little drawn out, but it's hard to seek help when you're the one that helps, the provider, the giver, and the never-taker. I do need help though. I'm falling too far behind and probably should have admitted to myself a long time ago that this was the case. We don't have insurance anymore, and I need a doctor because I'm afraid Tylenol and ibuprofen just can't get me through this time. I'm broken, and I need time to heal, so it's with a swallowing of my pride that's more difficult to choke down than I ever imagined.

Friends, family, strangers in the dark, I need a little help, and the gratitude and love I have for those of you kind enough to help is immeasurable. Thanks for reading and thanks for the help. I won't waste it!