​Hello, my name is Clay Kilgore.

​I am a Navy veteran who received an honorable discharge. For many years, I didn't feel I could claim that title because I didn't get to finish my service the way I planned. But fellow veterans I’ve met over the years told me, "Clay, you signed the line and you took the oath—you’re one of us." The final realization came when my granddaughter asked me to participate in her school's Veterans Day event. I finally understood that I had given my life to my country when I swore that oath; it just so happens they gave it back to me sooner than expected.

​The truth is, I left the service with more than just a discharge; I left with PTSD from the trauma I experienced. That trauma led to decades of severe insomnia, which took a massive toll on my health. That physical stress eventually led to a six-way heart bypass, a carotid endarterectomy, and ultimately, a stroke.

​The stroke took away many things, but it didn't take my spirit. My wife, my children, and my grandchildren are my entire world. They are the reason I am still here and why I fight every single day to recover and be the man they deserve. However, the financial weight of these medical crises—the surgeries, the treatments, and the ongoing care—has become more than my family can carry alone.

​I am reaching out to ask for your support. Your donations will go directly toward my medical expenses and the costs of my recovery as well as ensure I don't become homeless.

​If you cannot donate, please consider sharing my story with others. Thank you for standing with me and the family that means everything to me.