Hello, my name is Freddy Guzman. I’m a former baseball player and current private baseball coach, as well as a former UPS worker.

I’ve been dealing with surgery since I was 15 years old and had open-heart surgery. Thank God my body has been able to heal for the most part, and I’ve had little restrictions since that time for most of my life.

3 years ago, I had to have my first surgery on my shoulder. I missed almost 8 months of work and was on disability, struggling to pay for everyday bills and food. After surgery, I did therapy, got back the best I could, and went back to work.

A year later, I had an horrible injury to my back while working at UPS, which I’ve been fighting to heal from. Unfortunately, the injuries are permanent and I will have to deal with them forever.

Finally, last year, the same shoulder that previously had surgery got injured again, as well as my neck and spine … and I had to have surgery again, leading to six more months of disability and therapy and barely any income once again.

I’m a hard worker. I usually work two or three jobs at a time. Anyone who knows me knows I pretty much cannot be outworked physically unless something serious has happened to my body. But I have been fighting this for years now. My medical bills have added up, my personal bills I’m not able to afford, and I’m even struggling to put food on the table for myself. I can’t stand for more than a few hours. Finally, the facility I worked at closed two months ago, which left me with another problem. There was no formal warning of the closing date. Plus, my body was injured, so it left me with no job, no insurance, and trying to find a new job for the past two months with no luck and limited ability to stand for more than a few hours. I live by myself. I have no support system….

In no way do I believe the help I find here will take care of the rest of my life or all of my problems, I’m simply asking and hoping for enough help to buy me some time to do what I’ve always done to figure it out. Like I said, I pride myself in being independent and self reliant and it’s hard for me to ask. But if the worse happens, and I didn’t even ask for help, then I haven’t done everything I’ve could. I’m learning even the strongest of men need to ask for help every now and again.

So I’m trying. I understand that everyone is dealing with hard times and I understand if u are unable to help. But I can promise you all, once I am able to, I plan to pay this forward.

I need help and I don’t know where else to go. I’ve tried public aid. I’ve tried several things. I don’t qualify for many government programs or any programs, and I don’t know what to do anymore so that I can survive and continue to see my doctors, rehabilitate , and move forward with my life.