At about 11:30pm I knew it was bad. Third time passing out, this time I was unconscious on the floor for 30 minutes with blood pouring out me. I crawled to the bedroom to wake my wife. An ambulance ride to the hospital and now roughly 11 days later I am alive. I had 7 units of blood given and an emergency colectomy. Bleeding uncontrolled for four days almost killed me. I have 6 more weeks of recovery and 3-6 months after that I have another surgery, just for this issue.  I didn't cause all of this. I had changed my diet years ago, and I don't drink or smoke. I was the victim of a system that was flawed for so many years. See, I was in the United States Air Force and was injured, early 90's. Answer then was to perform basic surgery, or surgeries and send an airman on their way with a bag full of pain medication. I went away after my surgeries and lived in a hole and took massive doses of  pain medication, wishing I would die for many years. This killed my guts and my teeth. This was my second colon surgery and I have had multiple back surgeries, a spinal cord stimulator placement, used a cane and/or walker for years, and still have excruciating pain in my leg(s). They say this may stop with another surgery for a nerve ablation. 

I stopped my pity party and I summoned up all the courage I could and tried to make a better person of myself. I went to school and became a Paramedic. I spent 15 plus years in that role. I have taught EMT classes, taught advanced life saving skills to civilians, nurses, Dr.'s, Firefighters, military. I have won a Star of Life Award, I was an Field Training Officer, a Field Supervisor, Military contractor medic, I have written protocols for agencies to follow in patient care, and I have volunteered for endless tasks to show kids that they don't need to be afraid of all the people there to help them in an emergency. 
What's happening now is this: 
I can barely use my leg as my neuropathy and nerve damage has become severe. I have a failed spinal cord stimulator in my back connected to my spine. I have a colostomy that will need reversed in 3-6 months. And, the biggest one of them all is the combination of all that I have been through in the military and as a Paramedic has given me horrible PTSD. I cannot work, I can barely function in public. I have counseling 2-3 times a week and take medications for depression, sleep, pain, nerve pain, inflammation. I have nightmares of deceased babies from calls I was on. I hear screaming and can feel the call(s) as if they were yesterday.  


I have had great care but it will all take time. They say I am looking at almost two years of surgeries and rehab since none of the surgeries can be done at the same time. I will have physical therapy, a different nerve stimulator implanted, bowel resection, and nerve ablation. Then I have to make it through life with my depression and PTSD. 

I have sold everything I can to pay bills. I have been through a foreclosure of a house, repossession of my truck, forfeiture of a travel trailer, I have found my beloved dog a new home as we could not take proper care of her while all of this is going on, my wife's cats have also gone to a better home. There is nothing left but move into an RV that I still have to rebuild or be homeless. Family has all been tapped out. They have endless amounts of love left but money is gone. Please help as I will get there and hopefully be able to help others as I have for so many years. 



Our Goal is 50,000 to help with the following.
Pay for small car payments so there is still one vehicle that can be driven
Pay to rebuild RV to live in temporarily or maybe permanently 
Home care costs as my wife needs to go back to work.
Start special needs home or trailer build  as we have been renting and property we own is bare and not set up for living
living expenses since both of us have been unemployed and will be for some time.
debt payoff so my wife's credit won't tank and we can actually buy a small home or trailer to put on our property.

We have to be out of our apartment by the end of May. So sometime between now and then I have to travel 9 hours to go get it, make sure it can drive the 9 hours, and ready it to live in.  This means the need for money is dire and now. I can guarantee you that any money given will be returned in community service time through education from me once I am recovered. That is where I live and what I enjoy.