Nov 22

The Survivor in Me

Early Years – The Making of a Ghost (Ages 0-12)

Born into a home where chaos was the only constant, I was faced with physical abuse, emotional neglect, and sexual molestation, shaping a childhood defined by fear and silence. An unnamed family member battling severe mental illness would disappear for days, leaving me alone in the house, forcing me to learn self-reliance far too young. I remember one instance where police kicked in the door during a domestic dispute, then finding me locked in a basement because they didn’t want to deal with my ADHD. I’ve gone days without eating.

This period of my life forged the beginning of my resilience where pain became the teacher that shaped a compassionate heart. I did not want others to endure this same neglect and heartbreak.

The Silent Years – Learning to Survive (Ages 13-17)

I accomplished more than anyone realized as I excelled academically despite no support, I became a top competitor in martial arts, earning my black belt and collecting hundreds of gold medals… nobody celebrated. I discovered natural leadership, even when no one cared enough to notice. I had to work illegal jobs after school just to buy my own clothes, training in martial arts alone, at midnight, in abandoned parking lots or empty school gyms because I had nowhere else to go. I had eventually found a training partner in martial arts, David, who would train with me 12 hours a day. We were a bond that could not be broken. On the way home from a tournament one day, we were in the backseat while his dad and mom were in the front, we were hit by a drunk driver. David passed away at the hospital. This broke me.

I gained strength when I learned to outwork pain. Between every unseen accomplishment and the loss of a great friend… my only friend, I learned to not get to close to anyone. I continued my kindness and respect, but didn’t let anyone get close for years.

The Winter of Exile – Homeless at 17

I was homeless in Michigan during the winter, where I slept in the snow for four months just to survive. I had nights where frostbite nearly took my fingers and toes, being attacked and robbed as I slept outside. Losing important personal items, such as a keepsake necklace from my grandmother. One night, it was negative 12 degrees and I nearly froze to death, saved by the bathroom heater at McDonald’s.

This period of my life built my endurance. I didn’t just survive the cold, I survived a world that had completely abandoned me.

The Rise from Nothing (Ages 19-25)

Some of the greatest accomplishments of my early adult life include becoming a top sales agent in life insurance, developed unshakeable discipline through martial arts, and built early business foundations and skillsets that would later shape my future. I was betrayed by a trusted confidante who stole my credit, costing me a huge financial setback. I had a girlfriend who stole my life savings. I had my first child.

I learned self-worth. Even in success, I realized I stood alone-and that made every victory mine alone. No one to share it with. Was this a good thing, or a bad thing?

The Crusade Against Darkness (Mid-20s to now)

I had three more children during this time. I would think they were a blessing, but honestly, I feel like I’m failing as a parent. My kids, although kind and respectful (most of the time), are very well uneducated (because I was too busy working), and have various mental disorders, from autism to ADHD, ODD, and DMDD. I try my best, but sometimes I feel like my best isn’t enough. I wish I knew how to help them better. I wish I had help!

Let’s discuss my choice in women. Jessica, who stole my house by working with the landlord to illegally remove my name from the lease and add her name to it. The only proof I had was the printed lease inside the house. I contacted police and attorneys, nothing I could do if I didn’t find that lease. My kids and I lost everything we owned that day. We had no money, no clothes, no food, no place to live. We were homeless at an instant’s notice.

Susan… got upset because I was talking to a female friend, Madison (as mentioned below). I even showed her the messages, our entire conversation revolved her temptation to relapse. The next day, I was at work in Daytona and Susan was supposed to pick up my kids from school. She went to the school to get her daughter, but left my kids. I had to leave work and rush to the school to get my kids. When I got them and attempted to enter our home, the doors were locked. Deland PD said they could not force her to let me in, even though I had proof of permanent residency. Susan sold my car (in my name) to the junkyard. Police refused to do anything because of the community property law. She kept everything we owned, including a washer and dryer (in my name) being rented from Aaron’s. I still had to pay that bill even though Susan kept the washer and dryer. Once again, we were homeless, with nothing.

Tabatha… proposed to me during sex. WTF am I supposed to say? That was the highest form of manipulation. We got married two weeks later, but it was all part of a larger plan. During this time, I sold life insurance and had multiple sizeable life insurance policies. Tabatha poisoned me with rat poisoning in an attempt to kill me and collect life insurance. She almost succeeded, twice. Both times about a couple weeks apart. The first time I had a hemoglobin level of 2.4, which is usually when people die. Both murder attempts resulted in blood transfusions and endoscopies.

Tiffany… Tyler and Jaden’s mom, who is suspected to have bipolar (but never diagnosed) would often threaten me with a large kitchen knife. On one day, I had to take Tyler to work with me (he was a baby then) because she didn’t feel like being a parent that day. I promptly had my evil stepmother pick him up, against my better judgment, but it didn’t change the fact that I got fired from my job for bringing my son to work, who was only there like 45 minutes of my shift. It was an office job and I knew I would have gotten fired for calling in late because the duty I had to perform would have shut the entire company down on such short notice. I actually didn’t get fired instantly, I trained my replacement without knowing it. My replacement? My sister. I thought I was doing her a favor by getting her a job. She was my replacement. Tiffany cheated on my multiple times and created heartbreak that was way too damaging.

Jennifer… the first girl I met in Florida, back in 2002. Later in life she became a drug addict and I struggled with this for awhile. But there’s nothing in place to restrict access to medications. Did you know? If you go to a hospital and they deny pain meds, you can just jump to another hospital until one gives them to you? She used to get three months of medication, every single week… the system allowed it. On March 3, 2020, Jennifer walked away from a great life and beautiful children, one month before Isabella’s 2nd birthday. She was gone, unheard of, for nine months. We had no clue if she was even still alive.

To this day, Tiffany and Jennifer still only sees the kids maybe 3 or 4 times a year. Lately, Jennifer has been seeing them a little more, but it’s not about the kids… she wants me back. I continue to reject her advances. She will NEVER get me back. She abandoned us. She can come see the kids, they love her unconditionally. She can’t have me!!!

Now, let’s talk about “her”. This unnamed girl got my spark back. I saw something in her that I’m willing to bet no one has ever seen in her. The beauty of her soul shines brighter than the pain she’s been through. I wanted to ease some of that pain. I wanted to be a reason for her happiness. I wanted her to rise above all that pain and suffering. But after continuous rejection, I eventually had to realize, neither of us really did anything wrong. The timing just wasn’t right. On May 5, 2025, I met the most beautiful soul in my life, and I couldn’t have her! It broke me. Again, not because we did anything wrong, it was just the wrong time. She had just gotten out of an abusive relationship and she’s still in her healing phase. I’ve gone through my healing phase between Jennifer abandoning us and the situation with my friends (as mentioned below).

After my children’s mother fell into addiction, I became an outspoken advocate against drugs where I helped many people get clean. I met some of the most incredible, broken, courageous people where I built friendships through pain, people who trusted me because I saw who they were beneath the addiction. But… on June 12, 2024, my life would take a tragic turn. While I was busy working an insane number of hours, I ignored the call from Madison (as it came through at 2:43am)… I was working on something I “thought” was important. The next day as police showed up at my door, Madison, Brooke, Tyler, Jackson, Evan, and Cole were found dead from a group suicide. I was too “busy” to save them. I held onto this guilt ever since, and I will until the day I die.

After my friends past away, I slowed down on work. I could no longer allow myself to be too “busy” for people. I had built my company up from the ground and acquired a savings most people would dream of. I was fortunate, I was happy. My kids were happy and healthy. We had no financial stress. After I slowed down with work (due to my friends passing away), I started draining my savings. I helped everyone. I’ve put homeless people in hotels. I’ve fed people. I’ve hosted events. I spread joy and happiness by spending my money. The people I met along the way didn’t want my money, but they needed the things it could help them with. I changed lives. When my money ran out, I began taking out loans and maxing out credit cards, I continue to work myself into debt in order to help people. I’m the guy that will hold a door for 20 minutes as people walk through to wish them a great day and God bless them. You never know the kind of day someone is having, and that small gesture could just save someone’s life. You can ask Abby, she seen this first hand as she’s just standing there watching me greet people, over and over, and over again while at Wawa during a busy afternoon.

This debt I’m working myself into won’t last long as I just rebranded my business, but this is assuming… I’m still surviving long enough to see it through. I know there’s a lot of people that wish I didn’t exist, and it’s up to me to decide if I make their wish come true, or continue surviving. I’m at a point in my life where I might just give up. Stop surviving. It’s been a long and difficult life, but at some point, God just might be giving me more than I can handle.

During my life, I have met some of the most amazing people (and some shitty ones).

David – my good friend who practiced martial arts with me 12 hours a day. We were both champions with hundreds of gold medals. We explored Michigan, Ohio, and Florida to participate in local, nationwide, and global martial arts tournaments. David sadly passed away during a drunk driver car accident. I was in the car with him and his parents.

My Dad – my dad was an amazing man, however, like me, he was a workaholic. He owned his own garbage company, Don’s Disposal, and later merged with Arrow Waste. He was kind and respectful… but, he allowed his wife, my evil step mother, to run the house and make all the decisions. I rarely saw my dad because he was working nearly 20 hours a day. During these times, I was abused, sexually molested, locked in the basement, and rarely fed. My step mother kicked me out at 17 where I had to sleep in the snow.

Madison – I met Madison during a period of my life where I was helping people get clean from drugs. I used a system that was almost always effective, but to do it, you have to put pain into people’s hearts first… but it worked. Madison got clean, she would talk to me for 6 hours every night when her temptations were the strongest. We learned to love each other unconditionally (but not romantically, although, there was one kiss that almost changed that). Madison had a bright soul. She left behind two young girls.

Brooke – I met Brooke about a week after I met Madison. They were sisters. They became drug addicts after their mom past away, their closest, and best friend. The mom and daughters were closer than most mom and daughter relationships. Brooke had a smile that could light up any room, she was the girlfriend of Tyler…

Tyler – I met Tyler about 6 months after I met Brooke. During the time I met Brooke, Tyler wasn’t an addict. Shortly after, Tyler was in a car accident, which caused a lot of pain. He was prescribed pain meds and became addicted. Tyler and Brooke had one son together, who would later pass away from a drive by shooting. This was after I helped Tyler get off the pain meds. When his son passed away, Tyler had relapsed. He wanted to numb the pain and escape. I again had to help him get clean. It wasn’t easy.

Jackson, Evan, and Cole were red head triplets. I met them at a drug rehabilitation center where I was volunteering. They became addicted to cocaine during a party they were invited to. This is the story I was told, although, I believe some details were left out. We later became best friends forming basketball teams and shooting hoops until after it was dark. Jackson ended up getting a sports scholarship to FSU, but ended up having to reject it because his mental health was declining fast. He advised FSU he will not be attending early in 2024. It is believed that Jackson orchestrated the group suicide.

Shawna – An amazing soul that helped me through some heartbreak and still continues to do so.

Abigail – I consider her to be my best friend. We’ve spent a lot of time together preparing for Baby Noah. We’ve had some amazing conversations. I helped her through some tough times and helped her with something that changed her life forever. She’s very thankful I exist and she tells me this everyday.

Baby Noah – He’s not here yet (coming Tuesday!). I already love Baby Noah, even though I haven’t met him yet. I feel like a bond has already been created between Uncle Donnie and Baby Noah.

Yvette – We don’t always agree on everything, but she usually gives me the harsh truth that I usually don’t want to hear. I consider her a great friend, but it may have caused me to step over the line……….

Dorothy – There is not a soul on the face of this planet that I love more (besides my kids). Dorothy has shown me a light that I wish the whole world could witness. There’s something spectacular about her. She’s been through some of the darkest days, and she’s still surviving, she’s still smiling, she’s still laughing (and I love her laugh so much). I wanted to be a part of her life so very much. I wanted to make her happy… to help ease her pain. To give her something she’s never had before, unconditional love from a man. One that would never hurt her. But, I did hurt her, unintentionally. When I met Dorothy, the intentions behind it was to make a new friend. The sister of someone I’ve known for awhile. I never planned on falling in love, but I did. I thought it was destiny. The unexpected love kind of way. I thought she was my future. But I came to her at the wrong time, and now, I feel like this is the end!

0
comments

Reply


© 2025 Our Unfinished Story