The Glory Days are gone forever. Two years ago, a stroke robbed me of my ability to use my left arm and hand, and also weakened my left leg. Growing up as an left-handed athlete, this in itself was a devastating blow. I can't run, and I can't throw or catch a ball. My days as a weekend warrior are over.

I'm unemployed? I can walk, and I have adapted to using my right arm and hand to accomplish everyday tasks , including driving. I was even allowed back to work on limited duty for a short time. For some reason, my employer suddenly changed their mind and restricted me from returning to work. I am now getting by on Unemployment Benefits

What now? I have been denied social security disability benefits. The reason I was told was because of my age(47) and my education(bachelor's degree). I was also penalized for returning to work after my stroke. On one hand, my employer is telling me I'm incapable of returning to work, and on the other hand, social security says I should be able to work. I'm sure there are many stroke survivors going through the same thing as me.

I'm so fortunate! To me, the unlucky ones are the survivors who qualify for benefits because their conditions are so bad, that they can't work. I can drive and enjoy the independence that comes along with that. I realize there are others worse off than me, and I know I'm still capable of performing my job.

I'm still fighting! My savings and unemployment will eventually run out. First, I have lawyer working for me to return to work. I'm fortunate she's working on contingency. Hey!, 40% percent of something is still something , right? She must think it's a good case if she's willing to put in all that work, with no guarantees that we will prevail. I'm also appealing the SSDI decision.

Show me the money! With only 7 months left on my unemployment claim, and other two things still up in the air, I figured it was time to look for a back up plan. I was looking at so-called non-physical jobs. Financial planner, real estate agent were some of the occupations I was considering. Training and licensing seemed very expensive and time consuming. Looking for alternatives, I saw several websites touting online sales and marketing. Some wanted lots of money upfront and others were multi-level marketing ,and pyramid scheme-like.

Finally! Have I found my niche? After combing through all these websites. I found one that seemed to make sense. They didn't require any money upfront and promised I would be trained and could have up to 2 websites. I had nothing to lose and everything to gain. I gave it a try. It's not a get rich scheme and takes hard work and perseverance. That's okay with me, a little hard work equals a lot of self-worth for me. I now have my own website that has the potential to make some money and I'm writing articles online. Two things I never dreamed of doing, even before my stroke. Life can still be good!