Hello everyone. My name is Earl... like the TV show :). About 3.5 years ago, I was diagnosed with diverticulitis and had to have emergency surgery. I had a colostomy bag as a result of this. Fortunately, I was able to have the correction surgery to remove it, followed up by a double hernia surgery a few months later. All of that totaled about 11 months off work. I drained my 401k and savings to stay afloat, but I didn't have to ask for help financially, which was a big deal for my pride.

When I returned to work, I started a rigorous 6 days a week schedule. I told myself I would do this for 2 years to get back on track. Fast forward to now, and it's the end of my 2.5 years of working 6 days a week. I had planned myself 2 vacations as a celebration. To my surprise, on August 8th, I had to have another emergency surgery for the same issue, which has put me out of work for another 6 weeks. I am asking for help this time. I would love to be able to still take my well-deserved vacations without losing everything I worked SO HARD for. As I am a bartender, if I do not work, I do not get paid. If you know me, I'm very independent and do not like asking for help. I just need these vacations for my mental state. I need a break. It's been very draining to work as hard as I have to bring myself out of the gutters. Any donation would be greatly appreciated. Thank you and God bless.