I don't know if this is allowed here, so mods—please take down if it isn't.
My dad (63) has supported our family (5 kids) with his trucking career for his whole life. Gone for weeks at a time, trying to make the most of the few days home enjoying his family.
In the last few years, he's really started to see the impact of a long career of trucking on his health. Just before the new year, he collapsed from a massive pulmonary embolism. He was helicoptered to the ER, then heart hospital where he was put on life support with slim chances of survival after his heart had to be restarted several times. Miraculously, after emergency surgery and several weeks in the ICU, he pulled through.
Our family is so grateful he survived. It was a harrowing, terrifying experience. He faces a long road to recovery, a mountain of hospital bills, and is now unlikely to be able to get back into a truck anytime soon. My parents have no savings. They are facing housing uncertainty and struggling to get basic necessities while they navigate the lengthy process of social security, disability, and early retirement benefits.
My dad is the hardest worker I know. And a prideful one. But he needs help right now.
Thanks for reading.