Perspective of Crisis

Recently a very good thing has begun to happen, the little man is being noticed.

#TwitterPhilanthropy is a movement led most notably by @pulte or Bill Pulte. He and his followers assist people who need help with a variety of adverse circumstances. Every day people that have a medical crisis, facing homelessness or need help with housing and utilities are being helped by this movement of charitable giving. As someone that is facing hard times I wanted to take a moment and share my experiences of fundraising and working to overcome my present situation.

I'm a CDL truck driver diagnosed with atherosclerosis. I had triple bypass surgery in 2008 and in 2016 had a endarterectomy and stent to correct stenosis of the left carotid artery. Due to my medical history I must be certified annually to continue driving. Now doctors are focused on my right carotid.

Left carotid surgery 

The tricky part of this situation is that I still have my job so I can't draw unemployment. If ever there was a crack to fall through this is certainly one. I have short term disability that I pay for on my insurance but it doesn't kick in until forty-five days. In the meantime I'm paying copays and other medical expenses on top of basic living expenses.

For thousands like me you're living life on a string. What might be a minor annoyance in your regular life can threaten you with homelessness or worse. Inability to pay a phone bill makes it many times more difficult to get a job or stay in touch with doctors. Maintaining housing and transportation can be giant hurdles. Things we routinely take for granted. It's no surprise that so many have turned to social media and crowd funding as a means of survival.

My day starts early. I check my social media and make a post or two to promote my fundraiser. Then I'm off to doctors or the Atlanta VA Medical Center. Today I received my Family Leave and short term disability insurance paperwork so I'm busy getting that filled out so I can get it in the hands of the doctors for completion. For those in crisis everyday is a challenge and an opportunity.

Note: upon taking the family leave act and disability forms to my private physician I was informed that they charged $35 per form filled out. I mention this to illustrate the ongoing expenses that I face in trying to resolve this problem.

With thousands of people in need, getting noticed and distinguishing yourself from internet panhandlers is both crucial and difficult. At 62 I can assure you that I'm not the most savvy social media person you might encounter. In order to assure people of the validity of my situation I update regularly often with photos of my most recent hospital bracelet or just simply checking in on Facebook when I'm at the hospital.

For thousands of people my situation is their situation. A struggle to avoid catastrophe. Treading the waters of uncertainty. In my darkest moments I worry about homelessness and by extension so do the many thousands of people that are living in crisis. One day at a time I remain focused on resolving the problem. Everyday twenty four seven is about staying positive and maintaining hope.

When some kind soul donates or shares my fundraiser it lifts my spirit away from the dark ponderings about the uncertainty in my life. It's often difficult to express the gratitude I feel but it is real. It restores my faith in God and humanity. It gives me the courage to keep going. It's more than money it's a testament to caring. And to everyone that has cared enough to share in the burdens of another person's struggles I say thank you and may God bless you.

Kirby McCain
My GoFundme Medical Fundraiser