Everything Falls Apart - The True Netizen Heroes in My Life

I spent much of my day in tears.

My parents have been hit so hard by this oil crisis.  They are both in their 70's and have serious health problems.  My mom is suffering from systamatic Lupus that has ate away the lining of heart and while she was on a heart transplant waiting list for a while, she decided to take herself off because she couldn't bear the idea of taking a heart that could go to someone who still had a long life again.  My dad has Mystenia Gravis, a very rare disease that wears away the muscles. 

God, I'm crying again.

Anyway. My parents live in a semi-rural, semi-suburb area about 45 minutes outside of Chicago.  They live on a street in the middle of a corn field with about 10 other houses.  It's about 5 mile trip to nearest store, and that's just a small town grocery store.  They're about a good 15 miles from the nearest pharmacy. 

Maybe you see where I'm going with this? 

They live on S.S. and up until my mom's last stroke a few months ago, she still worked at the local pizza parlor in town as a hostess.  That same pizza place was another one of the small town business that bit the dust during these tough times.

Sigh. So to make a long story, semi-short. My parents are poor, have to travel long distances for medication and doctors. Without oil, without gas, they die.  There's no other way to put it. No sugar coating here.  In fact, I'm crying so hard, I can hardly see what I'm typing on this screen.

The only plus, is that they do have about 1 1/2 acres of land and some wonderful neighbors.  In the years past my mom would fill almost every free space of back yard with some kind of fruit or vegetable or flower.  This year, she can hardly kneel and loses her breath every few steps. But. She still planted, not nearly as much, a few tomato plants, some rhubarb, some pumpkins, some sun flower seeds, some hot peppers, some carrots.  Everything that she planted in the ground took every bit of energy she had. 

In my eyes, she is the true Netizen Hero. 

My dad, he used to fix cars, he could fix anything. He'd be the one everyone in the neighborhood came to when they had a car problem. When my dad saw a nice car at a good price, he'd buy it up and sell it at cost to someone who needed it. 

With the gas shortage, he can no longer buy cars, he can't afford to and no one is buying cars anyway.  His hands shake and his eyes are weak but he still goes out everyday and spends hours tweaking neighbors cars so they can eek out just a little more gas mileage.  He has an air-compressor and he makes sure everyone's tires are always full so they get better gas mileage.  

He is also a true Netizen Hero.

It's getting to the point where they can no longer afford gas in their car to drive to doctors and get their medications.  If they got sick, would the reduced 911 coverage even make it to them in time?  I've been hoarding gas for them. Whenever I see a gas station with gas, I take the little extra money that I have and I fill my gas cans for them.  Me, my butt can walk, it needs to get a bit flatter anyway.  They've given me everything, I am who I am today because of the love and kindness they have constantly shown me.  The least I can do is promise myself that I would give up everything in order for them to live out their last years.  

I'm going to call my mom tomorrow so you all can meet her.  If I can find some gas, I might even go and visit her. She's beautiful and I love her.  She doesn't deserve this.  If I had only known, if I'd only had some clue of what I could of done years ago to help America become less dependent on gas, if only I had educated myself, if only I realized that my selfish American lifestyle would eventually one day kill my parents.

I can't type any more. I'm going to be sick.