A Van Driver in despair.
Good morning !
I am a van driver, husband of a wonderful woman and father of 3 children. Which right now is not being able to write a word, because my depression and anguish has reached extreme levels.
I had a small transport company, but in October 2023, I lost my Van to the floods in England. This incident triggered a bottomless abyss of many sorrows and difficulties in my life.
The insurance only paid me 30% of the value, I wasn't able to buy another van. I rented one from the enterprise so I could work and fulfill my responsibilities and obligations. But the costs devoured all the capital and all the insurance money. The insurance also hit me, they sold my vehicle to an auction company without my authorization and knowledge, I had to fight for 2 months, to get the van back to my house, it arrived all covered in oil, in the engine, the insurance lied saying it was a problem with oil, to hide that the van had been lost in a flood and be able to auction it off and recover part of the money he was paying me. I didn't have the strength to fight against it in court.
I had no alternatives, as I was unable to buy another van to work because I had negotiated my debts that exploded during the pandemic with a company Payplan, which negotiates the debts on our behalf.
Our whole life turned upside down, bills started piling up, water, electricity, gas, etc. And during the months of December to March, all I thought about was suicide.
So I looked for a doctor and today I take medication. In addition to mediation for liver, high blood pressure and triglycerides and cholesterol.
To help alleviate the pain and emotional exhaustion, I started to see alternatives to entering a university, a teenage dream, to create connections and motivations that would make me want to be here in this world. I entered university in September 2024, the beginning of the dream, today I can't study because I'm so worried.
During these transition periods, I used an old car I had to make food deliveries, even though I was a lot behind on bills, but I thought about university holidays, I work twice as much, so I can pay for all the things. Last week they cut off my universal credit, which helped me pay my rent. So I started working more, even though I was taking assessments at university.
It was then that my work car, at 11:30 pm on Saturday, 23/11/2024, broke the engine.
Now I'm in a bed, paralyzed and despair has taken over me. I tried to contact agencies that sell cars with bad scores, but I was unsuccessful.
I don't know what to do, I have no alternatives, I'm embarrassed to tell friends and people about this. And it's not out of pride, because I know what they do when we're down, but it's easy for a stranger to feel sorry for us or, of course, our family, but they don't live here, they live in Brazil. I have no alternatives or the strength to fight and I can't write a good text or bring a good video, I have to explain everything.
My appeal is that you can buy a new van, and go back to work or find another path or business model, so that I can once again be able to provide a dignified life for my family. That's why I'm here today. I also have Plantar fasciitis and Tennis elbow, which prevents me from working in certain circumstances. Anyone who can and would like to help, I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks everyone
A Van Driver in despair.