
Not good at asking for help but....Help please
Donation protected
Ok, where do I start? My name is Harry Lee Johnson II, and I'm in need of some help.
At the middle end of last year, I noticed a big change in my health. Like a drastic change. While at work (I do armed and unarmed security), I noticed a weird feeling in my chest that ultimately led to a mild heart attack. The doctors at the ER chalked it up to anxiety, but for some reason, something was telling me it wasn't that simple. Fast-forward to about a week later, again while at work, I experienced a moment of shortness of breath followed by what felt like a cramp in my chest. Needless to say, it scared the bajeebus out of me and I hyperventilated myself into unconsciousness. When I came to, I was already being examined by emergency response.
Not being a doctor myself or understanding what was going on with my body, I begged them to do an X-ray. They did, saw nothing, and prescribed me more anxiety pills. "This can't just be stress, I eat stress for lunch," I thought as I sat in the supervisor's office of the security company I worked for the next morning. Long story short, the company felt it was best to let me go so I could "focus on whatever I had going on." This devastated me since I'm the sole provider for my family of 4. But no time for a pity party, I got right to securing another post. I had to accept a few part-time positions at a noticeably lower pay rate than I was used to. At the same time, I noticed my health declining. Severe fatigue, that cramp in my chest became a familiar feeling, and taking a full breath was non-existent. During this time, my lady decided I couldn't put a strain on myself and took over the financial lead. "Happy New Year's!!!!" The few friends I had around me cheered as I stared at the debt we had accumulated in my absence of work. Going from my $23/hr, 45 hr a week paycheck to her $18/hr, 32 hr paycheck took a bigger toll than I expected, and all I could find out health-wise was that I had an infection in my gums spreading through my face. But that still didn't explain what was going on in my chest. Thankfully, we rent from a private owner who allowed us to get on a payment plan to try to catch up on rent. Despite countless arguments with my lady and switching primary care doctors, I had to get back to work and figure out what was going on. Long story a little bit shorter, I ended up having another mild heart attack, but this was way worse than the previous two I experienced. Not only was there severe pain involved, but I ended up collapsing in front of my 5 and 2-year-old in the middle of us dancing. Panicked, my lady prepped me for EMS. Don't know if it was the sloppy cries for help and understanding in the back of the ambulance or the God I was crying to, but when I got to the ER, they performed every test they could. A CAT scan revealed I have a collapsed lung and a blood clot on the other. To wrap it up, the procedure that's needed is close to $5,000, and to put the cherry on the cake, I'm at risk of losing my place due to the $4,000 in debt we've accumulated. It's just me and my family of four, and to my small circle of friends, I'm normally the help. I cry on the inside and wear the mask of a smile because we're all having financial issues, which is why I've been dealing with this weight without reaching out to anyone. Why would I put my problems on someone else who is also struggling? Don't need all the funds, just some kind of footing to get my health in order so I can get back to working and providing for my family.
And for my donators, I will be putting together an album, each track titled after the donor, and will provide updates on my medical journey.
Just a little help can go a long way.
Organizer
Lee Johnson
Organizer
Phoenix, AZ