Help Save A Marine Corps Sergeant

My name is Nicholas O'Connell and I am raising money to help my older brother Sergeant Robert O'Connell of the United States Marine Corps. I'll start by telling you a bit about him. Robert would give (and has given) the very shirt off of his back to help someone in need. He is the kindest person I have ever met and is a shining example of everything one could hope to be. He's the kind of person to give you his last dollar even if it means he has to go without. He is loving, compassionate, helpful, selfless, charitable, non-judgmental and so much more. Robert graduated High School with honors June 26, 2009 and left for Marine Corps Boot Camp on Parris Island just three days later. He was given around $17,000 to be collected upon graduation from the Marine Corps but instead, knowing our severely disabled mother(Kelly) and 4 year old little brother(Ryan) were in fear of losing their house and everything else they owned, he asked the Marine Corps to allow our mother access to this money to keep her and Ryan from losing the house. They granted his request but by the time Robert graduated, he was left with a mere few hundred dollars. Our mother felt horrible and would spend days crying over how it was her fault that he was penniless. Instead of being mad he simply hugged our mom and said "You're my mother, I'll always take care of you, just like you did for me all those years." Robert spent the next 5 years moving up through the ranks, receiving medals and awards of all calibers, whilst serving 3 voluntary tours in Afghanistan where he lost many brothers and sisters. One of which hit him the hardest, his best friend and mentor SGT. Joseph Bovia was killed in combat weeks before they were due to come home. Even through this he kept his head up and his faith strong and did everything he could to ease his fellow Marines sorrow. Almost every dollar he's made has gone to taking care of his family, including his hard earned hazard pay while deployed in combat. He takes care of our mother, our eldest brother(Ricky),  our youngest brother Ryan, and myself,  caring for and supporting me after suffering from a traumatic brain injury which has taken me years to recover from. Robert has even offered his last dollars to help out fellow Marines who are struggling in one way or another. More often than not, Roberts generousity has left himself without food, with his own bills piling up, having to continously take out loans and acruing thousands upon thousands of dollars worth of debt. Not to mention the enormous stress it had on him not only phsyically, but mentally and emotionally as well. Eventually he was unable to stretch himself(or his money) any further and had to move our mother and little brother in with him to try and cut costs. Sadly, this has done little to help and to add to it all,  Robert recently found out he has to have back surgery. Now because of all of the kindness and generosity, all of the help and money, all of the selflessness he exhibited, all that he has given to those in need, he is now-himself-in need. He payed every cent it took for me to finally graduate years after my accident, he allowed our mother to keep their house and even helped pay our brother's exspenses while he was going through Workers Comp. He fixed a fellow Marines truck after it was vandalized and was unable to get to work. He'll never say it aloud or let anyone see him stumble but he's sinking fast and this will be a huge help to keep his head above water. He has given greatly to those he never knew existed and has never asked for a thing in return. Honestly, I think it's about time someone showed him the same kindness, love and selflessness he has shown all of these years. The money I am trying to raise will go towards paying off his debt and allowing him to catch up and stay caught up (including but not limited to; repairs to his truck, helping paying for my little brothers heart medication (Ryan developed Kowasaki's at age 5), paying off past due bill and loans, ect) . My brother is my hero and has been there for me my entire life, now it's my turn to be there for him. So please, help me show a dedicated Marine, brother, son, friend and all around amazing person just how much we appreciate his sacrifice in and out of uniform. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and whether you donate or not, God Bless every single one of you.