Disability Retirement, with Children, AND a good attitude about life!

by Dave D.
(Columbus Oh)

I have been on disability for over 6 years now. When I was 41 I got very sick and spent the next year and a half in and out of the hospital for a variety of infections.

I was eventually diagnosed with a rare neurological condition that limited my ability to do things in a normal way.

I had been working for several years in my second career. My first career was in restaurants, but the toll that the business was taking on my body and my family life was too much. I went to work in a normal job that only required me to work forty hours a week with weekends off in the financial sector. Switching jobs allowed me to refocus my priorities in life from my career to my family.

After working for several years in the financial industry, I got sick and could not return to work. I did try to work two times after my initial illness and was only able to last a couple of weeks each time before being hospitalized again.

I was eventually convinced that working was not going to be an option for me and went on permanent disability. My change to living on disability is similar to my other career change. It has allowed me to refocus my life into another area.

I have become a stay at home dad who is able to take care of my children. I have also been able to help others out by offering my services to them without having to charge for the services. This allows other parentS to have their children in a safe environment without having to pay money for it.

I look at it as paying these people back for the help that they give my family and me to deal with the issues that arise due to my disability.

Our friends have helped us with transportation and child care when I have been in the hospital or otherwise unable to do these things. My wife’s income supplements my disability.

The hardest part is health insurance. My wife has hers through work, I have mine through the government, and we have private insurance for our children.

My disability has not stopped me from living my life. It has changed the way I do things, but this is just a normal part of the life process. It happens when you graduate high school and college, when you get married and at other times of your life. It is something to embrace and not something to feel sorry about.

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