Stroke Leaves Couple Fighting Foreclosure

POINCIANA | In the twilight of his career as a long-distance trucker, GeorgeMcFall was fortunate enough to survive a stroke that left little if any lasting damage, at least physically.

However, he and his wife, Carolyn, have been devastated financially.

Their new home - purchased just three years ago - is on the market at a drastic discount at the direction of their mortgage lender, which is hoping to avoid foreclosure.

McFall, 59, hasn't worked since his stroke in October. Federal Department of Transportation regulations require that he stay off the roads a minimum of one year, this despite the fact that his physician has given him a clean bill of health.

Healthy or not, the DOT insists that McFall wait the requisite year and then pass the scrutiny of its own hand-picked physicians before allowing him to climb back into the cab of an 18-wheeler, or any commercial vehicle.

It is hard to fault such restrictions, which, after all, help keep the highways safe for everyone, including George McFall, who now finds himself sidelined from his profession and checking the help-wanted ads on a daily basis.

That goes for his wife as well, who, at age 65, hasn't worked in roughly 10 years. She hasn't really had to, because her husband brought home a good paycheck. Now, her monthly Social Security check of $219 is all the income they have - that and $298 in food stamps.

It is not enough. What little savings they had has evaporated. And, should they be lucky enough to find a buyer for their tidy, immaculate home, then what?

"You can't plan," Carolyn McFall said, "when you don't have any money."

Out of despair, the McFalls turned to The Ledger's Newspaper with a Heart program for assistance with some of their most pressing needs, such as maintaining insurance for their car, which they now rely on more than ever, especially in the sprawling but remote community of Poinciana on the eastern fringe of Polk County.

With their story, the Heart program concludes its 39th year of assisting people who find themselves in a financial bind because of sickness, injury or loss of job. A wrap-up story on this year's program is upcoming.

The McFalls and many others whose stories have appeared in The Ledger since the seasonal kickoff in November are but a small sampling of the dozens and dozens of families and individuals helped by the contributors who make the Heart program possible.

Contributions, which are tax deductible, will continue to help these and many other families in coming months, as the program and its committee operate throughout the year on an abbreviated basis.

A former custodial worker for his native city of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, McFall fell in love with the open road, beginning in 1991 when he went to work for Allied Van Lines in Orlando. At the time his wife worked in the deli department of a Winn-Dixie.

"You're your own boss," George McFall said of trucking. "I've had a few speeding tickets but no accidents."

In October, under the employ of C. Hayne Herndon and Co. in Davenport, McFall made a delivery in St. Louis. He spent the night in his cab, prepared to begin the long drive home the morning of Oct. 10.

But when he awoke he didn't feel right. "I was kind of tired and the left side of my mouth was drooling," he said. "It was weird, and my balance was off."

It wasn't the first time he'd experienced those symptoms. McFall said he'd had a mild stroke years earlier, in 1986 or 1987. And while he was surprised it happened again, he knew instinctively what was wrong.

A few hours later, feeling much better, McFall made the journey home. Days later his doctor confirmed that he'd had another mild stroke. Prescribed blood pressure medications and six weeks of rest, McFall assumed all he'd have to do to get back on the road is pass a physical.

He hadn't bargained on the federal restriction, forcing him to wait a year.

Nor did he anticipate how difficult it would be to find an interim job at his age.

"They say they don't discriminate against age, but they do in a roundabout way," he said. "I just want to get back to work (driving a truck)."

[ Eric Pera can be reached ateric.pera@theledger.com or863-802-7528. ]