My Brother Paul Zeck

Hi, My name is Tara, and I am Pauls's sister. It has been a little over two years since this crazy situation started. It all began when Covid became a thing and was early enough on when it was extremely difficult even to get tested. Paul got sick, and as with everyone at that time, you just told yourself and hoped you were just sick and didn't catch this crazy covid thing. He knew he was sick in a way that was different. His breathing was very affected at that time, and getting winded came fast for him. He tried getting tested for covid multiple times, but since he hadn't ran a fever with it, he was refused at every clinic he tried, even being a delivery person where you came in contact with others all day didn't matter, still was told No repeatedly. As anyone who knew Paul leading up to then knew how fit he was, he was a very active adult who worked out on a regular basis. He would work all day and still come home and workout. He has always been a picky eater, and has chosen a healthy lifestyle. He enjoyed the outdoors, hanging out at the pool, kayaking with friends, playing disc golf, going to the gym, and riding bike around town versus driving. I could go on and on about his active lifestyle that once was. He continued to go about his daily life, which at that time was working crazy hours at UPS, delivering all the things everyone was at that point to scared to go out and buy themselves, in fear of catching Covid. But he was out there every day, rain, snow, heat, you name it, and hours were crazy, he would be gone from morning until late evening most nights. Fast forward a year and he went in, because his breathing never fully got better. Eventualy he was told that he has a rare disorder that he was born with, and for 42 years of his life, never knew. He was born with Alpha 1 Antitrypsin deficiency. it's a disorder that affects your lungs and causes early lung diease. He reciecevs once a week plasma injections, which will continue for the rest of his life. There is No cure for this. I have watched my once very active brother decline and now gets winded just walking up a set of stairs. He continued working day in and day out for UPS, until he said he went from getting through just the day to telling himself he had to just get through the next stop until he couldn't do that anymore and had to stop driving and delivering. It was a very hard decision for him to make, it was either keep going til he collapsed one day, or step away, thinking he would be ok. He went from a strong man to a frail man, and it's hard to see. This world is crazy, and things have gotten extremely expensive; everybody is raising prices, including rent, car insurance, food, daily living essentials, and the list goes on and on. I watch him struggle to just make sure he still has a roof over his head. It's absolutely mind-blowing how companies can think their employees could actually survive on the funds they give for short term. Paul has been on short-term disability for longer than what seems ok to qualify for short-term, making a fraction of what he used to make; a teenager living at home couldn't make it on his wages. My brother is not one to ask for help, so I'm asking for him. I want my happy brother back, and he needs help getting there. He is a single man with his best fur Buddy with him! I hope this reaches the people who have known him and know what a caring, helping person he is, and help him get through these tough months ahead of him, help me put a genuine smile back on my brothers face.