In all our lives we suffer hardships that we must overcome. These stories of inspiration are extremely important to share with each other. They give us the power to go on when all hope seems lost. I hope you will let me know yours. Thank you for being here for me and the rest of our wonderful community.
~mark
p.s.-I would like to thank the person who gave me this idea for a topic to add to our forums. You know who you are and I hope all is well for you. Thank you for sharing your story with me.
My story begins with me surviving the lowest point of my life. Heart failure is difficult at best. Soul crushing at its worst.
I started off with leg weakness and trouble getting out of chairs. Even so, I still managed to work. I could not get on my knees, because I couldn’t get back up. I went to the park to walk with my mom hoping this would make my legs stronger. When I got there, I couldn’t get out of my car. My mom called the ambulance and I went to the hospital.
I was diagnosed with heart failure. Due to my weight of 311 lbs. I was relocated to a nursing home (the worst experience of my 50 yrs/more on that later) where I spent 8 months. I almost died once with a 3 percent chance of survival. Turns out I couldn’t have heart surgery due to my weight and an ongoing infection in my right foot. I left there when Covid hit. A year later I tried flipping my mattress and wound up in the hospital with chest pain. I lost a lot of weight and got the triple bi-pass surgery ( I hope I spelled that right). I lost my job with SSDI and my apartment at that time. I lost my savings and was forced on disability to survive. I never was on welfare before. Now, my life was food stamps and government assistance. I was at my lowest point.
I considered other options, but my religious convictions wouldn’t allow me to do so. Instead, I prayed. And the answer was “I was still needed here.” Since that time, I’ve had to rethink my life. I now live to help others. Which is why I am glad to share this story with you today.
No matter how bad things get. Always keep going. We are all here for a reason. Even if that reason may not be readily apparent during our hardships.
What an amazing journey, Mark. Thanks for sharing. I’ve overcome (or I should say am working on overcoming!) the need to please everyone. I’m accepting that “everyone” is a tall order! I’m trying to pick and choose, now, who needs to be pleased and who doesn’t, and mostly I’m learning to find the things that please me most. Good luck to all of us on our journeys.
