Rally for Paulie: A Good Neighbor in Need

My name is John James. I live in Orange, CA, and I’m 55 years old. I’m not in the best health and I don’t get around as well as I used to, but this GoFundMe is not for me. It’s for my neighbor, Paul McKinney. He is probably the kindest man you can meet. I’ve had a few home projects that needed attention that I couldn’t do on my own, and he has helped me with those projects, asking for nothing in return. He is a handyman and custom cabinet builder but has knowledge of all types of construction. He helps out all the neighbors, and not just the ones on our street; I mean all our neighbors for blocks. He greets everyone with a smile even when it’s hard for him. He’s that guy that knows your whole family, and they know and love him. He has helped all of us with one thing or another, from lending tools to building a new kitchen to stopping a water leak behind a wall. He has helped everyone and never asked for anything in return.

He has had a rough couple of years but recently suffered from some kind of bone mass growing on his hand, and it started becoming sore and hard to use. He recently had surgery on it, and then his wife had a brain aneurysm and needed emergency surgery, which left him a wreck. Shortly after that, the surgery he had got infected to the point he was hospitalized and required more surgeries and cannot use his hand at all. Prior to all that, he had surgery on his neck that still gives him trouble. He and his wife are on social security, and as we all know, you can’t live off of that. He has lost so much work from the surgeries and not having the use of his hand that he is not able to pay his bills. He has worked hard his entire life to provide for his family, and just like that, his income is gone. He doesn’t know what to do in this situation because he doesn’t have any work to do until he has healed. He and his wife are good people and shouldn’t have to live wondering if they’re going to have enough money to survive this month or be able to get groceries. They are the kindest people, and they care so much about everybody. It doesn’t seem fair that they have to go through this hardship.

He keeps smiling every day, greeting neighbors as they walk and drive by, stopping to see how he and his wife are doing, and he tells them all they’re doing okay. It’s rough right now, but everything will work out. I try to help him as much as possible, but I am limited to what I can do, so my daughters try and help, but he is a proud man. I can hear the fear in his voice when he tells me he doesn’t know what’s going to happen if he doesn’t get any work, and he worries if anything happens to him or his wife, what would happen to the other. He doesn’t want handouts; he doesn’t want to ask for help. It would just be nice to see something come his way that can help him like he has done for so many people. He has suffered so much and still holds his head up and smiles every day. It would be nice to see his kindness be returned to him. I can’t think of anyone who has done so much for so many and not asked for anything. He is the kindest guy you can ever meet or never knew.