If I were given the opportunity to have one larger wish granted, I would ask for the financial foundation to rebuild my life and create long term stability for myself and my family.
For all of my adult life, I have worked for what I have. I became a specialized truck driver, traveled across the country for work, hauled everything from regular freight to oversized loads and learned how to survive in an industry that requires sacrifice, independence, discipline and a lot of time away from home. It wasn’t always easy but I was proud of being able to support myself and help the people I love.
Then, my life changed unexpectedly.
While working OTR, a vehicle cut in front of my truck and forced me to brake suddenly. I was hauling approximately 45,000 pounds of steel and the load shifted forward into the cab and crushed my truck while I was in it. I was taken to the emergency room and have been unable to return to work since. What I originally hoped would be a short recovery has turned into major injuries, continued physical therapy, specialist appointments, additional treatment and more time away from work while on unpaid leave.
If someone asked me what I would do with a life changing financial gift, my answer would not be luxury shopping or an extravagant vacation.
I would create security.
My first priority would be securing stable housing and eliminating the constant pressure of wondering how I will maintain everything as I had to move back to my hometown for recovery. From there, I would create an emergency fund so that one unexpected situation could never put me in this position again. I would take care of necessary expenses associated with my recovery, transportation and rebuilding my everyday life. It would also allow me to focus more of my energy on recovering and would give me something I haven’t had much of lately, room to breathe.
Most importantly, I would invest part of the opportunity into creating income for my future.
This accident forced me to acknowledge something important. I don’t want my entire livelihood to depend on my ability to physically get into a truck and drive thousands of miles every week. I am grateful for everything trucking has taught me but I want to build something of my own. I want multiple streams of income, a business that can grow beyond me and eventually the ability to create opportunities for other people.
I have ideas, ambition, work experience and the willingness to learn. What I haven’t always had is the financial breathing room to stop surviving long enough to build those ideas properly.
There is another part of my story that has shaped this goal deeply. I lost my younger sister in 2025 while I was away on the road working. I mention that not because I want sympathy but because it provides context for what this season has required of me emotionally, physically and financially. There have been moments when life has felt incredibly heavy but I am still determined to keep moving forward. Grief changed the way I look at time, family, purpose and what it means to leave something meaningful behind. My dream is eventually to build something successful enough that her name and memory can be attached to opportunities that help other people. I don’t want the hardest chapters of my life to be the only things that define them.
I want something good to grow from them.
So if someone were willing to grant me a wish, I wouldn’t look at that money as simply a donation. I would look at it as seed money for the next chapter of my life.
It would give me the ability to recover without constantly worrying about finances, establish stable housing, create an emergency cushion, invest in my future and begin building something that can eventually provide for more people than just me.
Sometimes people don’t need to be rescued. They just need a bridge between where life unexpectedly placed them and where they’re working hard to get back to. Right now, that bridge would mean more to me than I could adequately put into words.