Everyone goes through rough times. Mr. Janney and I have been there done that, and no doubt we'll have our fair share more often than we care during the course of our lives.
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| Virgil, AKA Gandalf the Grey |
A couple of months ago, one of our coworkers, Virgil, began to have a series of unfortunate events that set him back. First, the guy was suspended from work for three days...I'll be honest, I don't know all the details, just that it was what I call 'coworker drama'. Whatever the reason, Corporate decided to end the suspension and bring him back, whether an exoneration or a second chance I'm not sure, although since the claims against him were regarding physical violence, my money would be on exoneration...especially since our company has a zero tolerance for that kind of stuff. I also believe that because he was eventually paid for the days he missed. They don't do that if you're guilty, they don't bring you back either.
So Virgil came back to work, much to some people's surprise. But he settled back in, drama evened out for the time being. And then his car broke. Specifically one of the back struts, which also damaged the tire. The car was not drivable, leaving him with no way to get back and forth to work on his own. He was able to get a ride into work most days, but no one other than my husband was willing to take him home - even though Virgil lives in the opposite direction from us. A gentleman, and I use that term loosely, who lives 3 away from Virgil, not only didn't offer...he all but refused to give him a ride home. His wife says that is just how he is with everyone...that's a whole other story I don't even want to get into!
Now, I know first hand that Virgil can be difficult to work with. But once I realized that he just wants the job to be done correctly, and for the rules to be followed (like employee rotation), it was a lot easier to work with him. Yes, he tends to be repetitive...but he is an older guy and I just chalked it up to that. But when he came back from his most recent absence, due to a breathing attack, with a life changing diagnosis, I wonder if his mental confusion isn't medical in nature.
I'm going to be honest, I was first told he was diagnosed with stage 3 cirrhosis...but then he later said Hepatitis C...so I'm not sure which one it is at this moment. I plan on finding out when I see him tomorrow. Both affect the liver. Hep C is more treatable than cirrhosis, so I'm hoping he has that instead. Cirrhosis carries a much bleaker prognosis.
Either way, with everything else going on the past couple of months, including reduced work hours (which can happen this time of year) he doesn't have a whole lot to spare for medical bills. So I started a GoFundMe drive for him. I just want to be able to give him a bit of money for the holidays to help him and to just encourage him. Because he's just been so discouraged with everything that has been happening to him.
From the stories he tells on the ride home, he's had a bit of a rough life. He's seen a few things that I've only ever seen on television or in the movies. He's a hard worker, only absent when ill, tells interesting stories and has a good heart. He was always so worried about me or Mr. Janney driving back home after dropping him off...a lot of white tailed deer country and we always saw more than a few on those drives. The night before Thanksgiving, he took home a couple rejected cabinet doors and I asked him what he was going to do with them. He told me how he was going to create a mountain scene in the center of one with wood burning and turn it into a memorial plaque for a friend who'd lost his father. I have no reason to believe that he didn't do just that. I mean, he's a single guy living on his own except for a cute rescue dog with time to do whatever he wants with time on his hands.
Everyone deserves a helping hand from time to time. I know the few dollars I collect for Virgil won't solve any of his problems, but they just might make the burden lighter. Please, if you have a few dollars to spare, help me Help Virgil.
