[To anyone reading on or after 20260909, please make sure you read the updates section under the main story, it is closer to the bottom and requires you to click on see/view more to see the rest of it, it has more recent information. Thank you.] Good day, my name is Wil, and I'm reaching out for help as I'm facing as I'm in a very abysmal situation at the time. Here is my story:

I was previously in the Army but had to be discharged due to being hospitalized for pneumonia and still have yet to be diagnosed for a severe breathing issue I've developed since then. I haven't been able to find a job that I can do despite going out myself and biking around the plaza asking and calling just to receive no response. I only had a job for a month in February but had to out in my two weeks notice the next month as my condition continues to worsen [and still to this day] and I was unable to keep up, even getting an asthma attack on my last day. I'm in the worst mental state I've been in years, I've lived with this breathing issue since October 2 when I got sick, and it's gotten to the point where I have to go out with a dust respirator all the time, even though I've barely gone out except when I've had to look for jobs around my area and my medical appointments by biking.

The VA hasn't approved my claim because they didn't have enough evidence, despite going to sick call over and over and begging the medics to let me see a specialist and get a CT scan instead of just chest x-rays. Hell, they even gave me albuterol sulfate inhalers [for asthma], but I WAS NEVER PROPERLY DIAGNOSED, and it barely has any sort of effect. The doctor I saw the month I was in the holding unit Charlie 95 battery at the Troop Medical Clinic? He outright said "We don't want to waste any more money on you since you're about to be discharged."I just got health insurance again this March from medicaid since I haven't had a job, right before I had a medical emergency that I had to get surgery for in April. And this was June 11th was when I was finally able to see a pulmonologist, just to have to wait even more to get CT scans and yet another Pulmonary Functions Test [I received one from the VA but I never received the results for it over the course of 4 calls. The VA went off just the PFT and my medical records to deny me, even though I've never had a history of breathing issues and I was made to continue training despite being sick and having hemoptysis. aka coughing up blood and I went through the CBRN CS/Tear gas chamber that way and completed the Night Infiltration Course with my condition, almost collapsing at the end due to not being able to breathe.] and Pulmonary Stress Test.

I can barely function in day to day activities, any exposure to either the emissions from vehicles outside since I live on a service road or just in public with very strong artificial smells or perfumes irritates my lungs and I go into a coughing fit, hence the dust respirator, and I'm stuck job searching in bed. I have constant pain that worsens as well when any of the aforementioned things happen, or even just normal exertion, sharp stabbing pain at the bottom of my lungs and the middle of my right lung. I'm terrified that it's something serious that I should've gotten treatment for but because of negligence while I was in service and the VA, I haven't been able to. I'm trying so hard. We shouldn't live in a society where working barely covers the inflated costs of, well, everything really. Where we're borderline exploited and abused just for profit while we barely make ends meed. And for what? Minimum wage? What happened to liveable wages? Being able to make ends meet? I just became 20 this past June 14. This was going to be the beginning of the rest of my life, and now I'm just, stuck. I desperately need help due to being down to now not having any money at all for rent and just barely over 100 dollars in my account for emergencies and I'm overwhelmed by my helplessness and abysmal mental state from all of this. I've wanted to take my life due to just, everything happening, not only with the situation I find myself in, but with the issues in society and the world in general. I don't want to keep living in pain just from having to do a simple thing such as breathing. All I wanted was just to have a normal life. And there's just, so much more going on but this is going to be too long to read. I'm tired from it all, and I'll just save it from when I do get a mental health evaluation from psychology.

I'm asking for your support because I can't do this alone anymore, and I’m not one to ask for help in the first place, as I’m the person who has done the opposite for the vast majority of my life, help others, as it makes me feel fulfilled and brings me genuine happiness. Everything raised will go directly toward my rent, basic living expenses, care for my cat, Callie, who's going to be 4 this at the end of July, and my healthcare costs, while I continue to fight for a proper diagnosis and treatment, and to keep me afloat as I wait for the claim from the VA to be accepted, and use that to study and start a proper career. Any contribution, no matter the size, will help a lot to get me through this incredibly difficult time I'm going through. Thank you for reading my story and for any support you can give. I've made it my life's goal to help anyone and everyone through volunteer work, mental health, and just general advice, both in person and online, and I wanted to join the service to continue helping others as a medic. But seeing my situation, I was unable to do just that. I now ask for help from others. Anything helps, and I'm truly grateful for whatever you are willing to help with.

I will not be allowing, or using it myself, the use of generative AI or AI in any way, shape or form on this fundraiser, and I believe that's also why it's not getting any sort of attention on the platform, unfortunately.

June 23 update: No good news yet, got a CT scan in June 22 and nothing showed up there, I got the notice from MyChart about half an hour after it was done, nothing showed up there, still waiting for an earlier appointment in regards to my Pulmonary Functions Test and Pulmonary Stress Test. Looking into having my pulmonologist get me orders to get an MRI or SOMETHING to fin out what it is that I have. This crap is not normal. I still have that constant pressure all around my lungs, unable to breathe well in general, and a sharp stabbing pain in bottom of both lungs, middle of right bronchi/lung area. My symptoms worsen with exposure to dry air, strong artificial smells, talking, exertion, become severe, albuterol sulfate inhaler has barely any effect unless asthma is induced by inflammation, obviously not what my current symptoms include. As of early June, constant dry coughing has led to burning sensation, possibly also light stabby pain, can’t tell, in trachea, larynx & both main bronchi. It just keeps getting worse with time. So yeah, more bloody waiting, I'm at the point where I might go to the hospital and stay there until I actually get diagnosed properly if this gets bad enough. But yeah, this is just, so bad. This pain, the coughing from the irritation, it just gets worse with every passing day and it's a positive feedback loop because coughing makes the pain and irritation worse when the pain and irritation is the reason why I cough in the first place, and I'm just so exhausted. My voice is somewhat raspy as well and talking for too long irritates me more.I barely have the energy to take care of myself at all. The only thing that helps me even try to get up is just taking care of Callie. I’ve done over 48 hours without food just because I lack the energy to even get up and the pain doesn’t allow me to sleep well or sleep at random times of the day when it’s not as severe. I’m so exhausted from all of this.