Hello, my name is Michael.

Asking for help has never come easy to me. In fact, this is one of the hardest things I've ever written.

For the past 37 years, I owned and operated my own painting business. I took great pride in providing for my family through hard work, long days, and honest service. I never imagined that one day I would be in a position where I would need to ask others for help.

Over the past several years, life has changed dramatically for our family.

My health has made it impossible for me to continue operating my painting business the way I once did. At the same time, my wife has faced serious medical issues. She recently underwent foot surgery and has another major surgery ahead to repair three hernias. Her recovery will require months of lifting restrictions, which means I'm caring for her while also taking care of our home and family.

We've been married for 37 years, raised seven children together, and are now fostering three children until they become adults. One of the children is autistic and requires extra care and attention. Our home stays busy, and right now my priority is making sure everyone is cared for while my wife recovers.

Even with all of these challenges, I haven't stopped working toward a better future.

Instead of giving up, I decided to build something new.

Over the past several months, I taught myself how to build a professional news website and launched Newport Journal, a free local news publication dedicated to serving Newport and Cocke County, Tennessee. My goal is simple: provide honest, timely local news without putting it behind a subscription or paywall.

Every day I'm covering community events, local government, road closures, emergencies, obituaries, school activities, and stories that matter to our neighbors. I've built the website myself, created the social media pages, designed the advertising materials, and I'm now working to build relationships with local businesses so the publication can become self-supporting through advertising.

I truly believe Newport Journal can become a long-term business that supports my family for many years to come.

I'm also building YouTube channels and continuing to learn new skills that will help create additional income in the future. I'm not waiting for someone else to solve my problems—I'm doing everything I can to build a new life after having to leave the career I spent nearly four decades building.

Unfortunately, while I'm working to make that happen, we've fallen behind.

We're asking for help raising $5,000 to help us catch up on past-due bills, make necessary repairs to our truck, cover essential household expenses, and give us enough breathing room to continue building these new businesses without losing the stability our family depends on.

Every dollar will go toward helping our family through this transition.

Whether you're able to donate, share this campaign, or simply keep our family in your prayers, we are truly grateful.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story.

God has carried us through many difficult seasons over the years, and we continue to trust Him as we work toward a better future.

With sincere gratitude,

Michael