Dennis Crouse is my best friend, the only person in the world I could not live without. He has been my rock through thick and thin for more than 32 years. Now, at the young age of 57, he is struggling with life in so many ways. We have come to a point in his life where he is no longer able to work; he physically cannot. For those of you that know Dennis, you know him as a loving, caring, innocent, good-natured man. What you may not know is that Dennis struggles every day to breathe, every day to beat back the demons, struggles every day to smile and to have a kind word for every one of his customers at Walmart, where he has worked on and off for more than 15 years.

Dennis was born and raised in Barton County, first in Albert, then Great Bend. He graduated from Otis Bison, and like most kids his age, started smoking. Cigarettes have taken us to this point! Although he no longer smokes, the ravages to his lungs are irreversible. This diagnosis hits me very hard and close to home as he hs the same diagnosis my mother had at about the same age, I watched her suffer and do not want the same for him. I want him to enjoy life once again. I want to see that childlike innocence I fell in love with. I want him to be relieved of as much stress/pain as possible. Currently, he has no transportation, and we have no reliable transportation between us. He has so many specialist appointments, so many prescription consults, tests, and treatments. I fear that they will be missed, and his anxiety and stress will only increase, although he would never tell me that. Even though my own health is severely compromised, my main concern is Dennis; he has so much life to live, so many conversations to be had with strangers. If you know Dennis, I know you are smiling right now as that is what he does to everyone. I want him to smile more for himself these days.

Thank you for reading and please say a little prayer, please share with friends, please donate if you can, please call and check on him, his birthday is October 25th & would love to hear from each and every one of you. He has so many friends. He also has Stage 3 COPD, Asthma, Emphysema, High BP, CHF, underlying heart conditions that exacerbate the original diagnosis. I want him to live and conquer long after I'm gone. He is good people as they say around here. 32 years and still putting up with me. He is a special, special person to me. I SINCERELY APPRECIATE EVERYONES THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS FOR BOTH OF US. PLEASE SAY AN EXTRA ONE FOR D.