Hello my name is Dave McLeod; I was a long-time employee with Strike starting back in the 3rd year of Strike's start. I retired from Strike April 2022: my wife and I had plans to retire in Costa Rica and live out our golden years there. We liquidated all our assets in Canada and cleared up all our debts. We ended up having a nice little nest egg saved up to help supplement my pension so we could enjoy our retirement. My wife, my 10-year-old cat and I headed to Costa Rica. We needed our residency in Costa Rica so we could get our health insurance to cover our medical needs. We had all the needed personal documents before we left Canada, or so we thought. About 5 years ago I had a triple bypass so my health wasn’t the best. We moved to Costa Rica to live a stress-free life. We were certain that we had done our homework to ensure this outcome. We had a contact person who advertised his business as helping people achieve their dreams. Stupidly we believed in this person. The minute we arrived we were GRINGO PRICED on every service including dentist work, apartment, vehicle, lawyer and the list goes on. The lawyer that our “helper” had us hire to obtain our residency told us immediately upon arrival in C.R. that our paperwork was wrong and we would have to get it all certified so we had to send it all back to Canada to be certified. After waiting for 8 months, we were turned down because she was wrong about the papers needing to be certified, they needed to be apostilled. She apologized and told us to do it all again. She said she would make it right. She didn’t. We waited for our residency again for another 8 months…we were turned down. This time though because of misinformation from the Canadian government (Her being our lawyer SHOULD have caught this). We thought we would still be okay…then I got sick. All of my medical bills were paid in cash because of the still non- existent residency. Meanwhile, the lawyer had us even married us again in C.R. because she said it would go easier on us. $$$$ again. We were ready to keep the rest of what we had left in savings and go home to Canada. The lawyer told us that if we applied again…FOR SURE this time we would be approved. We thought by this time she had to know what she was doing! Stupid us. We believed her and she screwed us over again after we jumped through all the hoops. During all of these months, after I got sick, I wasn’t able to walk without help for 1 ½ years. My wife waited on me. Then she got sick. She went through so many tests (colonoscopy, endoscopy, etc etc.) which were all paid for in cash. Finally, her weight went below 90 lbs. I was scared for her life. I sent her to Canada to seek medical help. She was there for 3 months (also paid in cash because she has no family she can depend on). Canada’s Doctors fixed her and she came back to C.R.

Now my heart has gone bad. I’m scared. We totally believed the lawyer when she said we would obtain our residency on our third attempt so we could have our health care so we spent our remaining money on that third attempt. We could still live on my pension here as groceries and our rental were within budget. Boy, we were so wrong.

WE HAVE TO GET HOME ! Once we get to Canada, we really have nowhere to go so we would need a little money to obtain a senior's apartment and I am going straight to the hospital where I know the Doctor will keep me for a while. If any money is donated to help us, we’re hoping maybe there will be enough so I can get a used car to help us with hospital trips and such.

The only family I have in this world to turn to for help is my Strike family, the most caring company ever. Over the years at Strike, I’ve seen them step up and rally around many who were in need. I need to get home now. I'm afraid if I don’t get home soon, I may not make it. My goal is to leave before the end of August OR HOPEFULLY SOONER., We have to get home now. Any help provided would be greatly appreciated and would never be forgotten. Thank you.

Dave, the wife and the cat