One of our forest fighting heroes urgently needs our help. Bill Clarke, who has been truly putting his life on the line fighting forest fires in the Okanagan, as well as all over B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and other parts of Canada since 2014, was diagnosed with a disease called trigeminal neuralgia, nicknamed the "suicide disease" because of how crippling and incessantly painful it is, how often it cannot be treated, the downstream financial destruction it causes and, as a result, people just end their lives because of it.

Despite being an incredibly resilient, amazingly caring, compassionate and hardworking man, he is completely unable to work because it's a disease that causes unbearable pain 24/7, and he's losing everything because of it.

So it's our turn to give back to a man who has given so much back to us and continues to serve people in need despite the hell he is going through.

That's just the kind of man he is, and I've seen and experienced it firsthand.

Sadly, he is allergic to most medications that may reduce the pain, and the ones that he is on have not helped him whatsoever. And he's not the type to ask for help or complain, but continues to press on, support and help people every day, to this day, without asking for anything in return, despite the incomprehensible adversity that most of us cannot comprehend.

He didn't even tell me about the diagnosis until many months after it started to take him down.

This guy is 1 in 10 million and has a heart of gold. He has lived a life dedicated to helping others in need and continues to do so every day, to this day, despite what he is living through.

The provincial and federal governments have completely denied him any financial assistance, and he is on the brink of losing everything.

Couple that with the horrific pain he lives with every day and the inability to sleep or earn a living due to the constant pain, and he is not far from being homeless.

As Canadians who have been directly or indirectly impacted by wildfires, this is our chance, or dare I say, our responsibility, to give something back to someone who has put his life on the line for years to save lives, property, wildlife, nature and other people's priceless possessions on the front lines, never mind what he has done and continues to do outside of fighting wildfires - despite the crippling pain and stress he under.

In the summer of 2024, he watched a friend and colleague get trapped and burn to death. I spoke with him every day, including that day, while he worked 7 days a week for up to 20 hours a day.

He was checking in on me every single day in some of my darkest days, without fail, despite what he was going through and the pressure and unimaginable exhaustion he endured day in and day out fighting wildfires.

He needs our help and certainly deserves it.

I cannot stand by idly, watching a man of his character and caliber get taken out by something he didn't deserve when he's given it all for the sake of other people's wellbeing - not just in fighting wildfires but in countless other ways.

So please, join me in helping him maintain some measure of a quality of life and not end up on the streets while specialists try to help provide some relief, because that's what will happen if we all don't chip in. This is urgent as he's running out of time.

Please donate whatever you can - even if it's $5.

Those of us who have been impacted by wildfires talk about how great these men and women are. Let's put some action behind our words and give back and make sure we don't lose one of those incredibly rare people that this world needs in a multitude of ways.

He's been on the front lines, including the mega fires in Fort McMurray, Jasper, many Okanagan fires and many others throughout Canada.

Required Disclaimer:

My name is Jay Woodford. I've lived most of my life in the Okanagan Valley in B.C. and was born and raised in Alberta. Bill is a dear friend of mine and one of the most sincere, genuine, authentic, caring people I've ever met. With 20+ years of experience in business, I've met thousands of people, and Bill is my top 5 because I care deeply for people who genuinely care for other people, and he has not only demonstrated that to me in an absolutely incredible way, but he has, and continues to do so for me and many others in a myriad of ways despite what he's going through.

He needs our help.

If you have any questions, you can reach out to me directly here.

The funds will be distributed directly to him to help him with paying his bills, since he can't work, medical bills and, to put it bluntly, to keep him from losing everything and ending up homeless while he battles this horrifically debilitating disease for which he doesn't deserve considering who he is, what he's done and what he's going through.

I will give anything to help him because he has helped me and innumerable others who will never know his name, and I hope we can pull together as Canadians and give back to someone who thoroughly deserves it.