Give Andrew Smith a Chance to Breathe Again

Hello I’m Andrew Smith I’m a professional healthcare worker respiratory therapist for 34 years holding down full time jobs since graduating in 1991 providing for my family of five including my wife . I ignored painful symptoms in my lower back and legs for years until I could no longer and was diagnosed with spinal stenosis of the lower lumber spine with neurogenic claudication currently on SSDI myself having used all my resources to help my family, children through colleges depleting my 401K and selling my stuff at garage sales and vendor swap meetings and online market place offer up etc. but still drowning in debt, low credit scores unable to pay back loans and about to loose my truck to repossession for multiple late and non payments. I simple need a chance to exhale getting caught up with my bills and get a used pickup truck to apply to deliver medication to nursing homes in my area at night. I’m still in the race but getting further and further behind, here’s hoping for a helping hand in my time of need paying no attention to my foolish pride thank you. My work at the bedside of some of the sickest patients even in the midst of the worst pandemic of our time Covid 19 when respiratory therapist were at the bedside dressed in suffocating space suits seeing the horror of the dying and deaths from this scourge praying we survive only to face another day in a sealed room just you and the patient on a ventilator I did out of love for the profession not expecting any passes in life now that I can’t stand for those long 12 hour shifts is both depressing and dehumanizing however I believe it takes strength to ask for help rather than bury my head in the sand, no shame in asking for help just to cross that bridge. Everyone guard their privacy some might say i may be open to shame and inviting ridicule but i can't eat that or pay my bills with that i believe i am showing courage and strength in simply asking for help.