Hi my name is Mike and I have stage 5 kidney failure . My family and my wife have been by my side since this started when I woke up one morning and felt a terrible pain in my chest.  My aorta had dissected.  My wife rushed me to the hospital where I was sent to UNC . They told my wife that they would do surgery in the morning but things happened over night and I needed emergency surgery right away. I woke up 5 months later with a tracheotomy and was not able to talk or walk. I had been catatonic for 5 months. I had  3 stokes and bleeding ulcers during that 5 month time and was in the ICU for over 30 days. One of the specialty doctors had even told my wife and parents that i would never be the same and it would take year' for me to even walk again.  I had to learn to walk and do things that we take for granted all over again. I spent weeks in rehab and It has taken years, but I finally feel like I am getting back to living again. I still have alot of difficulty with day to day basic activities and take several medications every day. I still have to have surgery to repair damage to my throat so I can breath bette . I could really use some help becaus  I'm not able to work and my wife does the best she can each day just to keep the power on and pay for a few groceries. We need help with our daily living expenses like food, medication,  utilities, and gas so I can get to my doctor appointments every month. Im also trying to get a kidney transplant  Im hooked up to a dialysis machine every nite just to keep me going. We're in North Carolina,  for some reason it says I'm in PA.  We have sold just about everything that we own to pay our bills and asking for your donations to help lesson the burden on my wife and help pay for medications,  transportation to and from Dr. Appointments and just day to day expenses because I am unable to work and disability isn't easy to get.  It's been and still is a hard journey for us.  Any amount of donation would be deeply appreciated. Never in a million years would I have thought that I needed help from people that I don't know because I've always been a hard worker my entire life, just like my wife , and now at an age where we are suppose to enjoy life I'm fighting to stay positive and survive. I started this fundraiser because I am trying to get a kidney transplant and I have several more tests that have to be done.   I have to take care of my teeth and can not have any kind of infection. I just wanted to let you know how my life is and how it has effected my wife.  My life is 10 hrs hooked up to machine every day that puts 2000 of fluid in my belly every 1hr and a half.  Some times it goes okay but most of the time I wake up with my belly to full of fluid and have to drain myself because of the pain and feeling sick.  If I'm lucky I want get sick and wake up my wife who is trying to rest because she works so we can pay some of our bills.  Like or electric bill because I need power to run my machine which is what keeps me from getting sick and dieing.  I am not able to work anymore I had 2 strokes that have caused me to forget numbers and things I need to do and I am weak on my left side.  I have problems breathing I can do alot because I get out of breath. I have to g into the clinic 2 times a month to get blood tests and see the Dr to make sure my dialysis is working so I stay alive. On top of that I have many Dr appointments that I have to go to every month.  Marie is a Saint she has been by my side the whole time even when I was not the best patient she has never gave up on us and she truly tries her best every day. She pushed me to walk again and  want to live.  She knows I was depressed when I first got out of the hospital and wanted to give up I had so much I couldn't do for myself anymore and I just wanted to die in my sleep . My wife got me past that and helped me to see that if I would just try I I could overcome things each day she pushed me and slowly things that I was not able to do started to come back to me.  I use to provide for my wife now she provides for both of us and it's never easy seems like the mail box always has another bill in it.  I'm sitting here at 12:20 because I had to get up and drain myself like most nights and I wanted to share some of what we have to deal with each day.  I'm on a bunch of medication that I have to take everyday several times a day.  I have medication that I have to take with food are they make me sick and moody. I am glad I am still breathing and have a wife that never gave up on us even when they told her I would never be right and she needed to put me in a home.