A fellow locator in need

[TheCableVine]

I recently got this PM from a fellow locator who has been on this site for a couple of years now. I know what he is saying is true and that is why I haven't hesitated in helping him as much as I can. I am publishing his PM with his permission and am asking others here to help if they can.

Here is his PM so you can judge for yourself:

Hey Steve,
This is the hardest letter I have ever had to write, but Here goes. I never thought I would be in the situation I am in. Over the past two years, as you may have
concluded, my health has completley gone to shit. I did not ask for these problems, but I have done my best to try to survive. I have done ok until the past 6 months or so.
In the past 2 years I was injured on the job, this injury caused me to have wrist surgery and shoulder surgery. Like the good employee I tried to be, I filed out all the paperwork
Utiliquest asked me to, and at first everything went well, the insurance co. paid for everything and we were surviving. Then I got a notice in the mail one day that I was to report infront
of a mediator, and bring a lawyer. Well you know how that ended up, me out of work. While all this was happening I endend at shands hospital for emergency hernia repair surgery. Not just any hernia the type that is so rare that I almost died right there. So I was not able to even apply to cls for another job. While I was recooping from the herna I started having problems from an old back injury, that ended up in me having a complete fusion of my lower spin, and now I can no longer work, hell steve I can barley walk. Picture this 45 year old short fat guy with a walker and that is me. I have been force to apply for disibility because there is just no money coming in. Steve I can't even get food stamps because my wife makes $10.00 more a month then they will allow. My wife is doing what she can, but it's tough out there we can't live on one salarey. We have robbed peter to pay paul so much that there is no more to take. When I told to that $50.00 came in handy I was not kidding, I was able to p/u some my meds. I have been turned down by disibility 3 time so fa,r even though I qualify for it, I am 45 years old white, and semi educated. So even though I can not walk, drive, stand, or sit. they are saying I can get a job somewhere. I finally got a lawyer who will take 25% of what ever money I may get from disibility. He said I am a Lock and he would have to walk up to the jusge and spit in his face in order to lose my case. I said "cool "how much longer does my family have to wait. In the state of florida It takes 8 to 10 months longer to get infront of a judge then 4 to 8 weeks to get a check. Needless to say by then my family will be homeless. Steve, I am going nuts, I am at the point of complete helplessness. My wife is about to take my kids, the bank is about to take my house. I do not know what to do, then you and quester showed up and gave me 1 more month worth of medication. That got me wondering the cablevine has always been a place I could go to to vent or help whenever I needed to. We have a bunch of really good people who really seem to care. I guess what I am getting at steve is, is there anyway the cablevine can sponser an area for support for locators in need. You might be able to start a fund for people like me who lose their jobs and are going through a hard time. We can collect funds or maybe clothing, school supplies, food. etc. Steve I understand if you say "John "F" off "I really do, but I am desperate, you have known me for along time and I would have never thought I would be considering asking for help "no way"
but I am about to lose everything and I can not do anything about it. Steve, you can just right this off as the babblings of a desperate guy, and I do not think you would be wrong.
You have been very good to me in the past and I know that if you say there is nothing you can do then I know there is nothing you can do. If you can though I would not know how to thank you ,I will do anything you say to help "as long as I do not have to kill someone". Ok Steve, I'm sorry, I am just desperate. Thanks for lettling me be blow off some steam. I understand if there is nothing you can do, I hope this plea does not effect our friendship I do consider you a friend steve and I am still telling people to come to the site as often as possible.

PM me if you can help and I will send you the information you need to help out.

[TheCableVine]

[yahoo]

did i miss something????? some one PM me with some details please!!!

[ifinditunderground]

Yahoo........you are a hoot, I am gonna PM you with a sledgehammer. You have the memory of a gnat.

[sprayandpray]

I'm confused about Steve's response - is he Happy about this guy's problems or what?

[Goldenboy]

I'm confused about Steve's response - is he Happy about this guy's problems or what?

He just bumped up the thread because it was way down in the stack and this locator must still be in hard times so he wanted to get this thread back up on top so people would see it again.

[TheCableVine]

I'm confused about Steve's response - is he Happy about this guy's problems or what?

I'm ecstatic. I couldn't be happier.

JUST KIDDING... The little happy faces are the 'bump' happy faces. Those are what you use when adding a response for the sole purpose of getting the thread to show up again in peoples unread file. I don't have any sad bump faces.

Or, alternatively you could just type the word 'bump'. That does just as well.

I PM'd NINJA and he is still in bad sorts. He just went through another operation and can barely move.

I and others here have sent him what we can to help him out. Bumping the thread was my way of putting it back up there so other new folks might see it and help out if they can.

[USIC1]

I myself being leery of charitable contributions was wondering if there was any possibility of setting up a surviellance monitor to lend weight to the seriousness???

Pictures are worth a 1000 words...

[phoenix827]

Aw hell! I didn't realize it was someone I knew! Steve, you still take paypal right? Can you forward?

[TheCableVine]

Aw hell! I didn't realize it was someone I knew! Steve, you still take paypal right? Can you forward?

Any donations don't go to me. I'll send you his paypal e-mail address.

[Throttle jockey]

What part of Florida, does he live in? I know of a new locate company thats based north of Orlando. May be they might be looking for dispatcher, or something.

[TheCableVine]

I don't know what part of florida he is in. you can PM him and let him know.

[Throttle jockey]

I'm new here. I don't know what he goes by or anything like that.

[TheCableVine]

Sorry. He goes by NINJA.

[Throttle jockey]

thanks, hopefully I can help out