Hi, my name's Josie.

I want you all to get to know my dad a little and hear his story.

If you know my sister or me, this will not come as a surprise to you - He is our best friend.

Our dad is the sweetest, kindest, most loving, tattooed, motorcycle and dump truck lovin' kinda man. Our dad is the best man we know. The best papa to his 3-year-old granddaughter - with another sweet granddaughter on the way.

In March of this year, our dad had several strokes.

He is only 50 years old. He had several strokes while he was working, just trying to get by. For as long as I've been on this earth, my dad has been self-employed. He is the most hardworking person I know, with very large dreams.

My dad also suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure. He thought he was just having a couple of “off” days with his diabetes. He did hard manual labor, so he just thought his sugars were messing with him. Until he tried to get out of bed in the morning and couldn't catch himself as he went down. He had complete loss of his entire left side.

6 weeks we spent in the hospital and a rehabilitation center. 6 long weeks of watching our dad try to learn how to eat, talk, sit up on his own, etc. 6 long weeks of facing our biggest fear - that something was wrong with our dad. You never know pain exists this way until you see your superhero work hard for his cape back. GOD WILLING, he is still here with us today.

He has seen almost every doctor you can think of. Rehabilitation doesn't end the day you leave. You have to work long and hard at it. My dad was doing so much better. He has learned how to do most things again - with his new normal. He still has only about 70% mobility in his left leg and now about 20% mobility in his left arm. Unfortunately, he has recently suffered a severe fall at a restaurant. After several tests, he additionally has several torn ligaments in his left shoulder, bone spurs, and severe pain - all while trying to recover from his strokes. This fall has pushed his recovery back so much, as he now can't use his left arm at all. He can't use his left hand at all. He is unable to do any type of physical therapy with his left side because the pain is just unbearable. He will need surgery.

With all of that being said, I hope you know my dad a little more and are still with me.

While navigating through his new normal, my dad isn't able to work. His insurance doesn't cover outpatient therapy/rehab. His bills are slipping by. He is in so much pain. He wants to recover. He wants to work. He wants to be able to walk through the grocery store. He wants to be able to hold his new grandbaby - with both arms. He is not giving up.

My hope is for our community, family, friends, and complete strangers to come together to lift this man up. Our prayers have gotten us this far.

(Apparently … Ameren doesn't accept prayers as payment.)

If you have it in your heart - we would so greatly appreciate any help to get my dad back on his feet.

We would so greatly appreciate any help with his bills, medical bills, and rehabilitation support. Waking up with a hope and a dream isn't enough - but he still does it every day.

Thank you for listening and God Bless!