Hello, my name is Johnathon Holland, and I never imagined I’d be writing something like this, but life has taken an unexpected turn and my family and I are in need of help.

I am a married man and the sole provider for my wife, who struggles with mental health issues, and our preteen daughter, who is on medication for ADHD. I just turned 40 and have proudly worked as a school bus driver for First Student in Rock Falls, driving for our sister town of Sterling, for the past three years. I absolutely love my job and the joy of safely transporting the children in my community.

On September 2nd, I woke up to discover I had lost vision in my left eye. After visiting an optometrist, I was diagnosed with a detached retina that requires urgent surgery. My surgery is scheduled for September 4th—on what would have been a day of celebration for my wife and me, our 16th wedding anniversary. The recovery process could take up to three months or longer, especially since I am a type 2 diabetic on insulin, which may slow healing.

Because of my condition, I cannot safely perform my job as a school bus driver. This leaves me unable to provide for my family during my recovery. Our bills average around $2,400 a month—not including food or other household needs. Rent alone is $800, our car payment is $230 biweekly, utilities are around $300, and there are many other expenses that quickly add up.

I am humbly asking for help during this difficult time. My goal is to raise $10,000 to cover at least four months of bills and living expenses so that I can focus on recovering and returning to work without the fear of losing everything we’ve worked so hard to keep.

I know times are hard for many people, and asking for help is not easy. But any contribution—big or small—would mean the world to my family. If you can’t give, please consider sharing this with others who may be able to help. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for taking the time to read my story, and thank you for any kindness you can offer.

With gratitude,

Johnathon Holland

UPDATE: Hello everyone. I am writing this update so you all understand the process of what is going on with my eye and goals of this fundraiser.

September 4th, I went to an eye specialist to see about the "dethatched retina" that the medical doctor said I might have. After being examined at Hauser- Ross Eye Institute, I was told that it is not my retina, but diabetic eye bleed that has caused my blindness in my left eye. The doctor said that with hope and a few procedures, I should have vision in my eye again.

September 10th I am to return to the institute for injections into my eyes to help stop the bleeding and allow my body to natural absorb the blood back into my system. (The doctor related this to a bruise that fades away). After the blood has gone, I will need to go back for surgery on my eyes so that the bleeding will not return.

I am currently still off work and in the process of looking into a "Paid Leave" that is in my employer handbook. I will talk with my manager hopefully on Monday, September 8th about this. I am not sure how long the process may take. Other steps would be trying to seek Temporary Disability, but that apparently is through work and not the state/government like I thought.

As for bills, the following is a break down of my bills and their due dates (usually they come out around the same time of the month). When I did my calculations, I did not ask for the small things of course. Those are not needed for me to actually keep up my standard of living. I am only seeking the most important of my bills. Rent, Car Loans, Insurance, Utilities, Phones, Internet, and Credit Card payments. Things to help keep me stable while I endure this event.

9/1 Rent - $800

9/1 Premier Card - $30

9/4 Regional - $233.97

9/5 Paid - $??

9/8 Credit One - $60.00

9/11 Phones - $129.00

9/12 Paid - $??

9/15 Capital One - $64

9/18 Regional - $233.97

9/19 Paid - $??

9/22 Car Insurance - $89.73

9/23 Milestone Card - $51.00

9/25 Utilities - $367.33

9/25 Internet - $85

9/26 Paid - $

9/26 Premier Card 2 - $107

9/28 Nicor - $

9/29 Paid - $

This was written out before my eye happened, so the dates that say "Paid" were the days I was to get paid from work, which will be nothing as of right now since I am unable to drive a school bus.

If anyone could help, I would be so grateful. Thank you for reading my update.