Hi, my name is Simon. I’m 55 years old, and I’m a father to two beautiful young children, aged 5 and 6 and right now, I’m fighting the hardest battle of my life.

I live every single day in severe, constant pain due to a degenerative spinal condition, alongside chronic daily migraines. The pain never stops. It’s there 24/7, and nothing I’ve tried has brought relief. I’m exhausted, overwhelmed, and doing everything I can just to get through each day.

I’ve always been a hard-working and independent man. Since the age of 16, I’ve never had to ask anyone for help. But my condition has worsened so much that I’ve lost my job and can no longer work at all.

I tried to hold things together for as long as I could, using my savings to support my family, but that has now completely run out, and I’m at the point of panic. Despite years of contributing, I’ve been told there is no real support available to me.

I have no real support network. My only family are my very elderly, disabled parents, and they are not in a position to help. This has left me feeling completely alone at the worst possible time.

To try and survive, we are currently living without hot water and heating. Even with this, I’m still struggling to keep up with the one thing that matters most... our home.

At 55, nearing retirement age, I am terrified about the future. I may never be able to work again. But more than anything, I am terrified for my children; that I won’t be able to give them the safe, secure home they deserve.

I try my best to hide the pain from them, to protect them, but it’s incredibly hard. It breaks my heart every day knowing that I can’t be the father they need right now.

What hurts the most is not just the physical pain, but the impact on my children. I’m fighting pain every single day, and it breaks me that they see me like this.

I’m now facing serious financial hardship, and my biggest fear is losing our home. The mortgage is my main worry; it’s the one thing I’m desperately trying to hold onto to keep a roof over my children’s heads.

I never imagined I would be in this position, asking for help. It’s incredibly difficult to put my pride aside, but I have no other option.

I’m not asking for luxuries. I’m simply asking for help to cover my mortgage payments of £1,095 a month for a short period, just to give my family some stability and security during this incredibly difficult time.

Any support, no matter how small, would mean everything to me and my children, and would help us stay in our home.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story.