I’m a female trucker and as I travel the country I get to see and experience some wonderful places and people. Along the way I leave pieces of my heart with some that I meet and when their hearts break, so does a piece of mine. About a year ago I met this guy named Alex who is an Air Force vet, Paramedic and just an all-around good, good guy. 15 years ago he and his wife had a child and, sadly, when she was just a couple of years old, they divorced. He began to fight for full custody of their daughter when he realized she was not being well fed and cared for by his ex. He wanted to fill that gap and be the father she needed. When the child was around 5 years old her mom dropped her off with Alex and took off. Good - or so he thought - as the next 6 years of raising his child were the best of his life. He loves being a father to his little girl and his only mistake was not continuing to pursue full custody through the courts at the time that mom abandoned their child.

 

The child’s mom returned after 6 years, and Alex did not want to keep their daughter from her, so they arranged for visitation. One day while visiting, the mother took their child out of state and has been living away ever since. Because he did not have a custody agreement at the time this happened, he did not have any legal grounds to get their daughter back. Since the child was taken from Alex, he and his ex remain locked in a custody battle that continues to this day. He has been trying to work through the legal system to get custody because he loves his daughter and WANTS to raise her. This is not an absent father situation, he is a good dad and stood in the gap to fight for and take care of his daughter when her mother would not. He is supposed to have visitation and some shared rights, but the battle rages on.

 

In 7 short weeks he will go to court again for a final ruling. He HAD an attorney on retainer, but was just notified last week that his attorney is moving out of town to another firm so Alex is left scrambling to find someone new without all of the funds necessary saved to get someone new on retainer and up to speed by the court date in August. This single dad who finds himself in a very hard place right now could use your help. He needs to raise something in the $4,000.00 range for an attorney, allowing them the time needed to get up to speed on his case so he can get his daughter back . . . . I am sure many of you have been in situations where you've had to fight for custody of your child and know how hard and long the days are when you just want to hold them and see them smile. ANYTHING you can donate will help Alex keep moving forward toward the goal off full-time fatherhood.

 

Thank you for your support, and – drive safely out there because there are lots of crazies on the road . . . just ask me, I have seen them all!