Eric has had a tough time post-service because of some major health issues. As a result, he's unable to do the things he once did, but he loves gaming, as that's been a major refuge for him.
I am a totally disabled veteran. I served with 1st Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) out of Ft Campbell Kentucky. I deployed several times as direct support for the SF ODA teams, earned my jump wings (and some foreign ones), and served the mission at hand. I came apart from stress while deployed OCONUS in 1998 and was honorably discharged. I have a couple of years I just don’t remember from all of the medications they had me on. I tried working but I just fell apart. My friendly local gaming store brought me back from the brink of suicide at that point, playing classic Traveller, Legend of the Five Rings, and Warhammer 40k. It really helped that the owner was a veteran as were about half of the people here. I used to love painting miniatures until my vision started to go. Picked more than a few best painted armies and individual figures. Believe it or not, I could do eyes with irises and pupils on a 28mm figure. I moved up here to southern Illinois in 2005 after meeting my wife online, tried some local game stores, but between taking care of my father in law (WWII Army vet, liberation of Dachau) and learning to manage the family farm I pulled away from it. He died in 2007. Good man. Also there just aren’t many veteran gamers up here. I got into video games then- it filled the quiet nights and days in between clearing the old house and upkeep on the acreage. Fallout 3 and New Vegas were great escapes. My aunt (a VA nurse) died in 2011. She had bought me the D&D basic set in 1982. My father (Korean War, Navy enlisted, reserve officer for 26 years) died in 2012. Every day between his and her passing in 2019 I called my mother. Also my wife had cataract surgery in 2012 that went wrong, severely impairing her vision. I stopped thinking of going to the comic/gaming shop entirely. I think I played the Dark Souls series in those years. But I was holding the line, keeping the household going on my VA pension. Nose to the grindstone, keep moving. I was having allergy problems since 2011, but I just drove on through it. Then my health went haywire two years ago- multiple unexplained blood clots and the allergies that up till then were a nuisance expanded out to affect almost everything. My skin gets irritated from common tasks (coughing or swallowing too hard triggers a histamine reaction and swelling) or I get roving hives for days all over my body from cracked skin. I am on handfuls of pills (not kidding. Wish I was) four times a day to keep it in check. Antihistamines, anticoagulants, and anti inflammatory meds, and CBD to keep me from coming out of my skin. And a full low-histamine, vegan diet. No alcohol, no coffee, no chocolate- basically if it is fun to eat, I can’t have it. But I’d much, much rather be on it than live with the way it was. I used to keep my wife’s fifth generation family farm looking good (yard work is the best therapy) but now I have enough energy to just keep things together, much less to go out and do anything. I have a ps4 and my “Gaming PC” (Dell Optiplex 9020 with a Gtx 750ti). I unwind at night playing Skyrim. I keep up my ps plus subscription, but that is the annual cap on my spending on games. We need a new truck, and I need to save every penny I can buy a new one to replace our 1995 Silverado. Epic Games weekly giveaways have been a high point of my week for years. Scratches that itch, kinda sorta. I got really good at getting the most out of low spec gear. Kinda proud of that. If I could ask for PS4 games, I would be happy. Elden Ring looks great, but I just can’t budget for it. And if possible, I would also love a ‘new’ gaming pc. Doesn’t have to be fancy and second hand doesn’t bother me at all. I am just lonely and miserable and the games give me an escape. I appreciate your time. Thank you for reading.
We no longer take PC requests but can do a PlayStation 5. Think that'll work? Well, we found out. We shipped out a new console to Eric, and he sent us the following reply:
Hello-
Package received! Thank you so much! Here are the best one of photos my wife took. I put on real pants for the occasion! I realize I look a little scary. Finally got my weight loss under control for the last eight days. Dropped from 190ish to 155 over the last several months. But at least I have it under control and I have the inflammation under control at the same time. And my thoughts are clear. This is the first time I have felt normal in decades. And a new console too! Life is good.
Again, thank everyone there for me and have a wonderful day!
-Eric
Congratulations! We hope things steady out for you, Eric, and we're glad we could provide something to get your mind off your health.
Hapa_Fodder sponsored Eric's Supply Crate. Hapa_Fodder is a fellow Veteran who is also disabled and can relate to the folks our mission benefits. Thanks to Hapa_Fodder for supporting us in supporting other Veterans! Check him out on Twitch.
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