For much of Henry’s life, he had taken pride in working hard, providing for his family, and facing each challenge head-on. But in 2020, everything changed.
It began as a routine check-up, a way to make sure things were still running smoothly. But the doctor’s face, tight with concern, had changed everything. Henry had heart disease, and not just any heart disease—an aggressive form that had no mercy. His life, which had once seemed steady, was now threatened by a constant, invisible weight. But it wasn’t just his heart. His oncology support person had been the one to break the news—cancer, too. Prostate cancer. Both diagnoses felt like twin storms brewing on the horizon.
The hardest part was admitting to himself how fragile he had become. He was a man who had always been active, who had taken pride in his work. Now, the thought of getting out of bed each day was overwhelming. The medical bills quickly piled up—each doctor’s visit, each procedure, each test. Henry had never been one to ask for help, but there were days when the cost of living, of merely surviving, seemed to swallow him whole.
The credit cards became his lifeline. They allowed him to keep the lights on, to put food on the table, to pay for medications he desperately needed. But as the months turned into years, the weight of the debt grew heavier. There were days when he felt like a failure, when the thought of his mounting bills felt like an anchor pulling him deeper into the ocean.
And yet, there was still a flicker of something inside him. Maybe it was his old stubbornness. Maybe it was the small voice that reminded him of the life he once had—a life that, despite everything, was worth fighting for. Support from Mankind has been a blessing that keeps Henry going. Thank you, Mankind supporters!