Chad's Battle: From Service to Survival

Hi, my name is Chad Cole. I’m an Air Force veteran (E4) from Sterling, IL, and I’ve spent my life serving others, including disaster relief efforts in Japan. But my time in service came at a cost. Exposure to active radar caused cancer, and transporting casualties left me with PTSD. I’ve fought and won against five cancers and a stroke, undergoing five surgeries in the past year. Through it all, I’ve stayed strong, but now, I find myself in urgent need of help.

Recently, I was finally able to remove squatters from my home, only to discover they had eaten six months’ worth of food I had carefully stored for hurricane season. With nothing left, I applied for food stamps for the first time and hope to be approved soon. But right now, I’m struggling just to get through each day without skipping meals or medication.

On top of this, I had to visit the ER four times last week and am still waiting to see an orthopedic surgeon for urgent medical care. The pain from my neck injury is constant, making my PTSD, anxiety, and panic attacks even worse. My stroke also left me with memory issues. Some days I feel like myself and other days I don’t remember what’s happening around me. It’s terrifying.

I also hit another setback when my car unexpectedly broke down a few days ago, and I need reliable transportation to keep going. In addition to keeping me afloat, a portion of the funds will go toward repairing my car.

I’ve fought so many battles, but this time, I need your help. Any donation, big or small, will go directly toward food, medication, and essential expenses to help me survive this rough patch.

If you’re unable to donate, please share my story. Your support means the world to me. Thank you for your help.