Now this post was a few weeks in making and it really will make me look bad but I know it's helped 1 boy I hope for the rest of his life.

Every once in a while I get people (Mostly customers) telling me problems from home. I am always willing to listen and even give advice if I can. One problem I hear all to often is someone saying their son or daughter is going down the wrong path and taking to drugs or even going as far as being a dealer.

One morning I will call her Jane bought a magazine and all of a sudden crying while telling me her son started dealing drugs. All I could do is try giving her comforting words and let her know it may be a phase and he will grow out of it. I was feeling bad when my mouth worked before the brain started and said " Can you bring him into the city? I will make out I use drugs in a big way and put across I lost my leg because of a hotshot (A bad dose of drugs).

The words came from my mouth before thinking and then I really was thinking I knew very little of anything about drugs only what people had told me. Sometime homeless would talk to me about drugs and mostly wanting to get off them. But I knew how drug addicts acted from seeing people like that.

She said she could bring her son into the city tomorrow if I wanted to talk to him. I told her I would scare the boy and hope to put on the right path. My plan was to pretend to be a drug addict and show how things can really turn bad. So we set a time and place and I told her I would be there and what to expect from me in a way to help.

All day while selling my Big Issue mags I was thinking what I would say and do but mostly thinking if it didn't work or he didn't believe me then maybe push him more towards that path because at the young age of doing everything against advice and thinking he knows it all. You know what I mean haha

The next morning came and I must say I was nervous, I am not very good at acting and always prefer to me. I had made a sale when I looked up from putting money away I seen (I will call her Susie) when Susie comes I always put my mags down and roll towards the bins where we can have a smoke and chat away from other people. I have a lot of time for Susie because she is a good girl at heart and almost every time we talk she says about getting back on her feet and going to rehab to get off the drugs which I always am positive about people getting back on their feet and stepping up in the world again.

I told Susie I had a chance to help a boy before he gets in too deep with drugs and before I could mention much more she said she would come and help because helping the boy would remind her why she's wants to give up and it was true she had expertise I didn't so I agreed. I felt bad because in a way I felt I was using Susie to help because I was a coward to do it myself because of fear of failing. 

The time came all four turned up and started sitting around a table for a good 5 minutes when Susie grabbed the young guys arm and said they were having a chat at a different table. I went towards the 2 of them 3 times when Susie put her hand out as if to stay away while they talked.

I don't really know what Susie said but I could see a tear building up as if he was about to cry as they walked back and he hugged his mum saying no more doing drugs and he was sorry to put through all this. Jane and her son left and I asked Susie what she said "Simple I said the truth and you owe me lunch." with a feeling good proud smile. We went to a food court and we started talking about how she was going to give up the drugs.

3 Days later Jane walked up to me and was excited her son was not taking drugs and I said they were off to a great start and really in my heart was excited for them both. I have seen Susie a few times since then and we have a smoke together and she still talks about one day going to rehab but today was not going to be the day. I will always be there as a friend and encourage her but at the end of it she needs to make the decision to do it. 

I did change the names out of respect to the people I write about.
Thank you for reading my story and I hope you have a good day. 
Grant the Polite Guy
Grant Richards
grantthepoliteguy@gmail.com 

 Here we go again:

Well I have to say I knew I had to write this post but been putting it off because in a way writing about it makes it more real in my mind and to be honest I can't believe I am back here with my life. 

As a lot of you knew me before or you can read past posts I had an accident and spent 9 months in hospital then became homeless which while working selling Big Issue I was helping many people along the way.

I joined together with Bernie and others to build an amazing charity which is still going today helping thousands of people every year. Signal Flare 

I got on my feet with getting accommodations and getting work as a Traffic controller. I will be honest I couldn't be more prouder. I had done it. I never knocked back extra shifts I always turned up early for work I was a good employee. I was so good I got offered work up at the mines which has same pay rate but many more hours so the money was good. 

I would do 14hrs days, 21 days straight and then 5 days off. Yes that was hard to do but they looked after us well with food and units.

If I could finish the post right here I would be very happy but there is more to the story.

(This part I will lightly write about because I still get nightmares about it)

Having a head on incident with a Road train I was flown back to Brisbane and had PDST with nightmares and being a nervous wreck with shakes all the time.

I didn't work for about 8 months when one of my ex work mates called and told me about a great job in Perth and I had now gain more then enough experience to get the job. All I had to do was a 3 day course because WA road laws are different then apply.

I was unsure because I knew I wasn't really recovered but I thought at least having a go was a great start.

I paid for my flight, course and hotel for the 4 days I would be there. I was trying to be positive thinking getting out and back to work might even help me get stronger faster.

Day 1 I went to the course and I have to say I Ace'd it. I didn't want to just pass this course I wanted to know everything it had to offer so I could use it at work.

I left after the first day beaming with a smile. In my way it was me taking back control of my life and not sitting at home thinking of road trains. I went to the local pub for dinner as the motel not do food. I had curry chicken and rice feeling good about myself

Now I didn't know this at the time but when I was eating a piece of chicken had clung to my esophagus wall (food pipe) and as I was eating more it pushed the chicken down and tore a hole in the wall causing internal bleeding.

I felt fine and went home. About 1 hour later I felt a bit sick like I had a flu or something so I layed down on bed to rest and fell asleep. I woke with blood all over the bed and quickly went to the bathroom for a shower. Blood coming from mouth and other end as I pasted out 2 times in shower. I had tried to stand but fell every time I had no energy so I dragged myself on my belly to the door and tried in a very weak voice to call for help.

I did passed out at the door and woke when ambulance arrived, to be honest I was in and out of consciousness a lot I not remember. I know I was code 1 on the way to hospital and died for 2 minutes at some point.

I woke the next day missing a leg and told what had happened. I had lost so much blood there was no blood flow to my leg so I lost it. They put that down to the fact I have polycythaemia rubra vera which is a strand of Leukemia.

I am sorry if that was hard to read I can say writing it was so much harder

I spent 5 months in hospital in there rehabilitation ward.

Now here I am again selling Big Issue magazines.

All the injuries and losing a leg while having leukemia is going to slow me down but I know I will work hard selling Big Issue and I will bounce back. 

Thank you very much for reading my blog and I hope you have a great day.
I have a donation button if you would like.

Grant the Polite Guy
0476 796 708
grantthepoliteguy@gmail.com