One lazy summer afternoon, 8-year-old Greg and a friend wondered down the road from their neighborhood and discovered an excavation site where a new home was being built. The pair successfully jumped into the hole that had been dug for the basement, but getting out was another story. Greg’s friend went first, scurrying up the wall of dirt. As he neared the top, a rock suddenly fell free. Greg was standing just below on a cinder block; his toes were crushed between the rock and the cinder block.
The pain was intense, but the only way out was to climb. When he got to the top, the situation was not good. “I unstrapped my Chuck Taylors, took off my sock, and [my toe] was just hanging there,” Greg explained. “Blood was everywhere.”
His friend ran to the closest house to call for help, and Greg was soon in the emergency room. Greg learned he had lost so much blood that he would need blood transfusions. He did manage, however, to keep all his toes.
It wasn’t until decades later that Greg learned he had contracted Hepatitis C, he believes, from that childhood experience in the 1960’s. The news came at a time when Greg’s employer, a concrete company, provided health insurance benefits. Greg started treatment for the virus right away, but the company soon went out of business. Suddenly Greg didn’t have access to health care.
That was 2001, and Greg hasn’t had access to health care since. “I did tree work after that, and I couldn’t afford to pay for health insurance,” Greg explains. “I hoped for good health,” he says.
At the same time, Greg was battling a life style of alcoholism. “I’ve wanted to stop drinking for the last 23 years,” Greg admits, “but it had become a way of life for me.” His friends, coworkers and family members were heavily involved in drinking, too, leaving few healthy influences in his life.
When he reached the point of homelessness in 2008, Greg knew it was time to change. He enrolled in Water Street Mission’s Men’s Discipleship Center to change his life. It was at the Mission that Greg learned about Water Street Health Services (WSHS), a non-profit organization that’s advancing the kingdom of God by providing Christian health services for individuals without access to health care.
“If I’m getting everything else in perspective, I might as well do this too,” Greg said about his decision to address his health concerns.
The volunteers at WSHS helped him access medicine for high blood pressure, but most importantly, they connected Greg to treatment for Hepatitis C. By conducting blood work and helping him sign up for health insurance, the volunteers helped Greg access the specialized care he needs.
“[WSHS] was a stepping stone,” Greg explained. “They obviously know what they’re doing. I’m thankful they’re there. It’s people giving back to people.”
Greg’s journey to a healthy life is just beginning, but he says it feels good to be on the right track. “I want peacefulness,” he says.