Success by my definition.

[Vicki Gleitz]

My story will probably not sound even remotely like a success story to most of you, but to me it goes beyond success to near miracle.

I joined Bigger Pockets well over a year ago. And I was so scared  I was receiving chemotherapy for an aggressive form of breast cancer. My husband had been recently diagnosed with heart failure. We had very little money because we had spent hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to find a cure for a horrific disease youngest son suffered constant excruciating pain from. Luckily, in only a few years after we found allevment for my sons condition [ not cured, but SO much better] .we went from a net worth of NEGATIVE $300,000 [ we went all over the world looking for help for my son] to a positive net worth.

Apart from the physical illness, my son Is also Autistic, as am I. My son had always had a dream of buying a home since he was about 8 years old. He worked and saved for that house for a few years but became ill. A couple of years ago he started doing much better. For a short period of time he received social security. most of it came in one lump payment and it equaled about one third of the amount that he needed to purchase a small fixer upper with the money he had saved since 8 or 9 paying for the rest.

it has always been a worry as far as how my son will do after we are dead. The house was a start. Building an Autistic community in his neighborhood became part of the plan.

So, my husband became too ill to work. I went to the retirement forums where I discovered that we did not have enough money for anything but destitution in a short period of time. When I was tested as having an IQ of 55 [ that is LOW} I refused to believe that I was mentally retarded and hopeless. I chose to believe that despite what the experts say that we were not heading for extreme poverty.

We took the little bit of money after selling the business and bought 2 houses [cash] and just yesterday we put in a bid on a house that we will probably get. [also cash] and pretty soon will get that autistic community going. I was interviewed for an article in Atlantic Online magazine and received many e-mails from people ho want to move their Autistic families to Pueblo as soon as they see progress being made, and they are starting to see it.

I have hope for my son after my husband and I are gone.

My husband built me a chicken coop in the backyard of our adorable little 700 sq foot house and I am so excited to get my bee hives in the spring.  I am making jewelry, and am in remission. My husband is hanging in there, and my son wants to work with me on the intentional community and be a shared faccilitaor at the GRASP Autistic support group that will have its' first meeting January 2nd,

Anyway, this is my BP success story. Thank you to all who have helped us reach this far

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