My name is Luke, I'm a 45 year old man living in Toronto. 2025 has proven a rough year so far, with recent days having pushed me to start this fundraiser in hopes I can keep the roof over my head while I weather some medical recovery time and am otherwise unable to work.

I started this year on EI, looking for a job after having lost my most recent one late 2024. The job hunt has been notably more challenging this year, and between some mental health and dental issues, I made it til June when my EI claim ran out. I spent my summer aggressively applying for jobs of all types, from stocking shelves at Walmart or Costco, to applying at work camps out of the big city willing to travel for better pay. Weeks with no replies, other weeks were rife with rejection responses. This whole time, running through what credit and savings I built up and borrowed what I needed to from close friends and family. Feeling the weight of the debt load building and my credit score dropping, I kept pushing, until late August, I finally got a hit and was meant to start my first day of training on September 8th.

Over the weekend leading up Monday the 8th, I developed a serious pain in my right butt-cheek. It was a lump. In the space of 48 hours that lump nearly tripled in size. Come Monday morning, as excited as I was to start training with my long sought job, I was in far too much pain and made the difficult decision to rush to my local emergency room and risk my job my missing the first day. It turned out my instinct was correct and the lump was a serious infection that required immediate surgery under general anesthesia. It had to be opened up and drained, cleaned out, and takes some serious time and care to heal because of the sensitive location, these wounds are not sutured, but rather have to be soaked continuously throughout the day (for up to 6-8 weeks in my case). After 30+ hours in hospital, I was sent home with a raft of care instructions, extra costs for prescriptions and care expenses (including adult diapers and baby wipes.) I am also unable to even sit upright due to the size and location of the wound, which has meant I am on a medical leave from work for a job I haven't even started yet.

Now, I am left with the very real possibility of losing my job (thus far I am applying for leave, but being in 3 months probation means anything technically could happen and I would have no protection), and possibly losing my rent controlled apartment of 13 years, which I share with one subletter who's on social assistance and my two rescue cats who call this modest 2 bedroom apartment home.

I've borrowed all I can, I am mentally and emotionally drained and the shred of independence I have left in this world is hanging by a thread in the form of my modest home. With some shame I am trying to disabuse myself of, I am now reaching out into the network for help wherever I might find some.

Any funds I receive from this will go to cover my added medical expenses, my cost of living for 1-3 months depending on recovery time until I am able to return to work, provided it is still there for me (which so far seems likely as everything I've experienced that caused this is well documented.)

I humbly thank anyone who cares enough to help and I promise to use the help to get back on my feet asap and do something to pay the kindness forward when I have my agency, health and freedom back.

Thanks for reading, supporting or sharing this.