A Helping Hand for 40 Years of Hard Work

Hey guys, look, this is all so difficult for me because I’ve been a giver my whole life. And I’ve never had anything EVER given to me. I’ve been self-employed since I started working. I started installing ceramic tile and marble in

1985, and by 1989 I started subcontracting work from my first flooring company. Within two years, I had my own builders and other contractors that I was dependent on and started to do work for through my own company, KB Tile & Marble Contractor. I had worked 40 years installing tile, marble, granite, and porcelain for many well-known people: football players, basketball players, soccer players, hockey players, lawyers, doctors, and many homeowners.

I don’t know what it is like to have time off work, whether it’s a sick day, vacation day, or a holiday with pay. For 40 years, I worked most of the time seven days a week, and I’ve helped so many people with many different issues, whether they asked me for it or I could pretty much read between the lines and just help them. I never asked for anything in return, and I never made it known or advertised what I did to make myself look better. I did it because my heart said to do it. But it’s crazy how many of those people that I helped forgot who I was, but I still continue to help to this day whatever I could do to help them.

You know there are three types of people in this world: there are givers, there are takers, and there are people that do nothing to give or take things but continue to stay to themselves, which is OK and it’s their decision too. And that’s OK, but after my divorce, I have gone through a lot and lost a lot. My hard work has caught up to me, and it’s been one surgery after another. I continue to fight through it and bounce back, but each one had an effect on me and limited my ability to work as hard as I was used to. Although I manage to keep going and be a productive citizen in our world, I struggle behind closed doors mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Well, I’m up against the wall with no way to go because I have had an MRI showing that the bones in my feet are rubbing together and causing me to fall down, slow down, and be unable to walk, making it really hard to work. But I continue to struggle and do what I gotta do, but I’m barely getting by right now because of it. Being a strong, hard-working man, those of you that know me know it’s super hard to admit this to anybody because it makes me feel like a weak loser that should not be in this situation. If I can’t take care of it myself, then I shouldn’t be here. Those of you that know me know that I do not ask for anything; I never have. But this surgery and the recovery time is 8 to 16 weeks. The doctor that’s doing the surgery is Dr. Lew Schon at Mercy Medical Center in 301 Saint Paul Place. He is a well-known worldwide surgeon for his reconstructive surgery of the ankles and feet.

So again, those of you who know me know that this is really HARD and difficult for me to put out on social media for everyone to see. I’ve been fighting all these surgeries all by myself, and I was told by several people about doing this to get help while I’m recovering. But like I said, all those people I’ve helped over SO MANY YEARS no longer know nor care, and everyone is going through their own struggles and issues, so why should anyone care or help me, right? So again, this is all so hard for me to do and to put out there MY PROBLEM. You know me, and no matter what happens, I’ll be here, and my heart is still with you. Guys, I appreciate you, and if you can or can’t help, it’s OK.

PS IVE APPLIED FOR TEMPORARY DISABILITY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM AND WAS DENIED. Because they took too long to get the paperwork completed. But then I found out the max they help with is $295 per month. Please don’t get me wrong. I’m grateful for whatever they would’ve offered me, but the kicker is I have to pay that back if I ever happen to receive SSI or SSDI from Social Security Administration. So I try to get help on several different occasions.

PSS Listen I appreciate everyone who has been on this platform and all the kind words and support along with advice. And I know the things are tough, and a lot of people are dealing with issues and my prayers go out to everyone of you. Also GOFUNDME are the ones that put together that video on my story page and they made several mistakes. This money I’m trying to raise is not for my surgery my insurance covers that it’s for my recovery the 8 - 16 weeks or whatever it takes me to recover. And lastly GOFUNDME asked me how much do I think my goal is going to be. So I figured up each bill and I came up with $6500 for the 16 weeks recovery. PLEASE THIS IS SO DIFFICULT FOR ME TO PUT OUT THERE FOR YOU ALL TO SEE. I FEEL LIKE A FAILURE AND WITHOUT THIS SURGERY I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO GET AROUND AND GET JOBS DONE WITHOUT BEING IN SEVERE AND EXCRUCIATING PAIN. Anyway I love you all and every little bit will help and I’m so grateful and appreciative for everyone of you ok.