09/02/2026
I haven’t really known how to explain why this page has been so quiet. The truth is, the last couple of years nearly broke me. Many of you followed what was happening with my dad at the Mississippi State Veterans Home in Collins. We watched him go back and forth to the hospital with infections, UTIs and severe dehydration. Then, in April 2024, we learned he had a Stage 4 pressure ulcer on his lower back that went all the way to his spine. I spent a lot of time fighting for him and trying to get answers. I still don’t understand how the people responsible for his care allowed that to happen, or how the State of Mississippi could simply look the other way.
While all of that was unfolding, my brother Rob started getting sick in December 2024. At first, the doctors treated it like the flu. By February, we learned it was lung cancer and severe COPD. He got to where simply walking around left him struggling to breathe. Rob wasn’t just my brother. He was my partner in M&M Chassis. Most of the work we do takes two people, and he had always been the one working beside me. When he became too sick to come into the shop, I was suddenly trying to take care of him, keep the business running and figure out how to do alone what we had always done together.
We lost Rob in March 2025. A month later, I lost one of my dogs. Then, in August, we lost my dad. There were other personal things happening too that I’m not ready to talk about publicly. Everything just kept piling up, and I never really had time to process one loss before the next one hit.
I’ve always been the one who makes sure everybody else is okay while ignoring whether I’m okay. I kept trying to push through instead of admitting how bad the depression and anxiety had gotten. Eventually, the sleepless nights stretched into months. I couldn’t think clearly, couldn’t concentrate and couldn’t get anything done. That only fed the depression and anxiety even more. I ended up on numerous medications trying to manage it, but the side effects became worse than what I was already dealing with. I didn’t feel like myself. I felt disconnected from everything around me, and there are parts of that time when I don’t feel like I was fully present.
All of it took a toll on the shop. I fell behind on work, and the further behind I got, the harder it became to face the backlog. The stress of being behind made everything worse. That backlog is the hole I’ve been trying to crawl out of. This page didn’t go quiet because I stopped caring about M&M Chassis. I was dealing with more than I knew how to carry, and what little focus I had left went toward trying to get myself and the work back under control.
I’ve been back in the shop working through the jobs I got behind on and trying to get everything where it needs to be. I’m not completely caught up yet, but I’m working on it every day. Being back hasn’t been easy. Rob was always part of this place. It’s quiet in a way it never used to be, and I’m still learning how to work here without him.
I also want to thank everyone who called, messaged or checked on me. You really don’t know how much that meant. Even on the days I didn’t answer or didn’t know what to say, I noticed. It mattered more than you probably realized. If you knew Rob, worked with us, or have pictures of anything we built together, I’d love for you to share them in the comments. Seeing those memories would mean a lot right now.
I’m not going to pretend everything is back to normal, because it isn’t. I’m still dealing with the depression and anxiety without medication, but I’m getting better. I’m still catching up on work and learning how to run this shop without my brother beside me. But I’m still here. I’m still working. And I’m not giving up.
