Hello, and greetings to you all. I am reaching out for help for my family, something that I thought I would never have to do… but considering the circumstances as a husband and a father… as a man, my back is up against a wall.
In September of 2024, I lost my job of almost 13 years, with 6 of those years as a permanent fixture as a field supervisor as well as an inspection coordinator for a solar company. This company was at the top of the competition at one point; this was a $20 billion dollar company, and they held this crown for almost 20+ years. Sadly, last year they had to file for bankruptcy, releasing all of its employees in stages. Most of them received severance packages to help with their transition. My group was the last to go. Even as we were being told that there was a chance that our jobs would be saved, unfortunately, that did not happen. Because they filed under the WARN Act (The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) Act, also known as the WARN Act, is a federal law that requires employers to provide at least 60 days’ written notice before implementing a mass layoff or plant closing. This notice must be given to affected employees, their union representatives (if applicable), and state and local government officials. The purpose of the WARN Act is to give workers, their families, and the community time to adjust to the loss of employment, seek new jobs, and potentially participate in retraining programs), and with all that was going on at that time, the immediate close of my office as well as my warehouse did not leave room to seek other employment at that time.
I had two departments that I was responsible for. One department, my inspections team, was all released at one time, leaving me to try to tie up as many loose ends as I could. My remaining team, my operations and maintenance team, were put in a holding pattern, their jobs removed from their schedules, massive levels of uncertainty, with no reassurance or any information. Our time was up. I had to arrange loads of material to be picked up or sold, many vehicles that could not be returned to the shop because gas cards that were issued were no longer working. I had no answers not only for my crews but no answers for myself or my family.
I found myself in a place of worry and deep depression. I had to use my 401k to keep us afloat for a bit, but once that was used up on paying current rent as well as a few months ahead, catching up on credit card bills and utility bills and truck notes, that resource dwindled down quickly. My wife did work; she worked from home, and we both had pretty decent paying jobs when you combined both incomes. But now we are down to one, and even though I filed for unemployment, that didn’t even scratch the surface of what it takes to run our household. I stayed optimistic and kept up with my job duties until the very end. On the 26th of September 2024, my job was lost for good. My mind was so overwhelmed, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. As a man, that is a hard pill to swallow, not working and stressing about how I was going to take care of my family. That stress is even heavier now.
Three months after my company shut down and I lost my job, on December 27th, 2024, my beautiful wife Shalita, of 14 years, was diagnosed with breast cancer. At the beginning of January, she was scheduled for surgery to remove a tumor that was in her upper left breast. We thank God that the surgery went well, so we thought. Two weeks later, we were told that they needed to go back in because there was evidence of more cancer cells on her lymphoid. So we prepared for this as best we could. They went back in a few weeks later. By this time, just the thought of having cancer and it coming to our door, in our home, in our lives, was definitely more than what we bargained for. We truly understand that there are so many other people going through this as well, and we wish them well, and our prayers are with them. Now we are no strangers to this awful disease. We have lost some friends and family to it as well, but we also know some people who have survived too, so we understand things to a degree. But now it’s in our home. My wife, my two young children, and myself are now faced with it. How do I answer my kids’ questions when they ask, ‘Is mom gonna die? How sick will she get? Can we get it?’ All the while wondering to myself the same things.
I am very thankful that we have a close-knit group of friends and family who have been praying and helping when they can, but they don’t see the tears or feel the pain at night or feel the feeling of uncertainty. After the last few surgeries, my wife and I sat with the doctor, and he explained that it would be treated with chemo and radiation therapy. But while sitting there talking to the doctor, my wife mentioned the thought of full breast removal to totally rid herself of the possibility of it spreading, and a chill went through my entire body as I tried to process that thought. Our eyes filled with tears, thinking to myself, ‘It’s definitely real now, and how do we get through this?’ Trusting God has to be in order now. The doctor let us know that that would be a possibility, but it is a 50/50 chance, and we would need to make that decision.
With so much on my mind, I feel so irrelevant and helpless. Bills won’t stop. The household still needs to operate. Kids need to still be cared for. She’s in need of another surgery, then now chemo treatments, followed by radiation every day for the next 2-3 years. How do I make it, trying not to fold under this tremendous pressure? Everything seems to be bottlenecking. In between my wife’s treatments, she still works to try and level out the load. I have come to the end of my unemployment benefits, trying to get disability benefits, but it’s a process that can take several weeks or even months to kick in. We are currently renting, been here for about 6 years. Beautiful place, thank God. We do all we can to take care of it. We were just given a rent increase letter, so even that has piled on top of everything else.
Again, I never thought I’d find myself or my family in a position like this. There is no doubt that I am feeling overwhelmed and looking for some much-needed help. My wife has been a blessing straight from God, a bright light to our family, one of the strongest persons I know. I have watched her lose both parents, who had been together almost 50 years, die within 3 years of each other. Being there for them, taking care of them between her and her only brother, they have shown so much love for one another and total support for each other. They have made their parents proud! And now cancer has shown up, and that strength I have seen in her is fading at times, but she still remains faithful and strong. We truly appreciate any help that you can offer. Thank you.
