One year ago, I was in deep trouble. Not only was I almost $100,000 in debt, but I was suffering nonstop with debilitating heart symptoms, in and out of the hospital emergency room. I just about died, leaving my crippled wife alone with our 2 young children... and not much else. I had a dream and a plan to get myself sorted out, but it was a long shot. Really long. But... well.... I did it!!
(Nah, I'm not here to tell the whole story, not tonight. But I do feel the need to blurt something out, so here it is. Maybe nobody will read it, maybe a few will read it but nobody will care, or maybe a few will care... but this is mainly for me. Might not even make sense. No supporting links or photos included. Deal with it.)
Here's a shortened version, adapted for blog format.
More than 10 years ago, I was doing Bitcoin price analysis videos on YouTube. I was the best around at that time (and continued being the best for several more years). I knew what the price would do next, especially over medium and long term timeframes. I'm not a trader, so I stayed out of playing the market for profits, although many of my subscribers got quite rich.
In 2016 or so, becoming chronically ill after being healthy my first 40 years, I managed to get myself a wallet. I didn't buy anything, just wanted to know how to use it, so I messed around with a few crumbs until I got the general hang of it. I also continued helping other people learn about Bitcoin, and in some cases, make a lot of money trading on my analysis.
In 2021 (which is when the heart problems started), a friend of mine who had done very well in Bitcoin was dying of cancer. He used his profits to extend his life and enjoy himself, but ultimately it didn't cure him. He told me he wanted to give me some of his BTC in exchange for all the great advice I'd given him, and a token of our friendship. I told him to spend it on himself, but he insisted that if there was anything left, I'd get a portion. I told him my wallet address and thought nothing of it for a time.
Well, he died later that year, and sure enough, my wallet was credited with a very generous gift. I wasn't in the habit of checking regularly, so it went unnoticed for a time. Eventually, as the price rose, I discovered my excellent fortune! And began planning how I would convert it to fiat currency.
Keep in mind, I was very ill with heart failure, arrhythmia, nerve problems, chronic pain, and more. I'm fit and active, but my heart was just totally falling apart for no known reason. I was in the ER three times at the start of 2024. Then, I was put on a waiting list for heart surgery called ablation. The surgery happened in August, and recovery was a bit slow. But by October, I was back on my feet, feeling better than I had in a few years, and ready to get my life back on track.
When Trump won in November and the BTC price surged to $100k (about $150k CAD) it was clearly time to pull the trigger. That amount was enough to pay off my debt, and leave me with enough to cover costs, pay the capital gains taxes, and have a few bucks left in my pocket. Good enough! Trigger pulled.
But coming up with the actual exit plan was harder than you'd think. I recommend anyone in a similar position: GET YOUR EXIT PLAN SORTED OUT NOW! Like immediately. Do not delay. Find out how you're going to do it, and then test it out and make sure it works. Maybe more than once. Get familiar with it. Practice it regularly. This is CRITICAL! I'll skip the details of my own story, but suffice to say, it was a nightmare. Especially because I refuse to own smart devices, on principle. And because when you're in debt in Canada, they take away your driver's license, passport, bank accounts, credit cards, businesses, property, and so on. You basically become a non-person. It's literally like being in prison, except your physical body isn't in prison. Just everything about you, your finances, your social standing, your ability to move around, your ability to conduct business, your ability to participate in the world. If you think you could get by without those things, I dare you, try it for a week. It's really hard to do anything, let alone make an extra hundred grand to get yourself out of the neverending pit.
At what turned out to be an excellent moment to do it, I converted a decent portion of my Bitcoin into gold. I'll do future content on exactly how (and show off the coins!), but in short, there are many bullion dealers who have websites that accept BTC. I did have to get a "burner" smart phone (which I'll ditch when this has finished wrapping up) to get verified to make such a large purchase. Fair enough - it sucked but that's just the way the world is going lately. Once that was sorted, the gold arrived, and I started planning the next leg of the adventure.
That meant a trip down to a bullion dealer in Vancouver (I live in Northern BC, Vancouver is in Southern BC) by plane. At just the right moment on the gold chart, to get the best price. Think about that. The gold price is moving all over the place, all hours of the clock, for 5.5 days of every week. How do you time a sale when you're a thousand miles away and the price is always changing? When the price ended up (at all-time high) on Friday, I booked a flight the next day (expensive like that but oh well), visited the bullion dealer, turned my gold coins into a cheque, and went back to the airport. I left home in the early morning hours, and returned home about midnight. Mission accomplished!
It felt sad to not have my gold anymore. But hey, it served its purpose! That's why I got it, to be converted to fiat dollars. And I can't really complain, it appreciated while I was holding it, so that's nice! And I got some good photos and videos with it. Definitely felt right holding those heavy coins, clinking them together, stacking them up. That's real money. You can feel it, you can see it, your heart knows it just by being near it. I don't worship money, I don't even crave it. I see it as a tool. But even so, I admire gold for being such a very, very good tool. It's the best at what it does. (No offense to silver!)
I haven't banked in 15 years, so it was a learning experience. I found that you need a smart device to use most features of bank accounts now. But I didn't do so, just walked into a local branch. It took them quite a while to cash the cheque, with many questions about where it came from, and how a loser like me could have such good luck, but eventually they admitted defeat and allowed me access to my own funds. ("Gee, thanks...")
From there, it wasn't long before it got to my ex, and the government released its hold on my testes. I'm free! I can now travel again (hello to all my contacts who at various times have offered to host me in their countries!)... I can use bank accounts and credit cards again... I can book hotel rooms, I can rent things, I can drive, I can... I'm back in the rat race, baby!! (LOL woohoo!)
So I'm out of debt, and I have a little BTC and gold in my savings. My heart is 90% better than it was a year ago, thanks to the surgery 6 months ago, like night and day. I got my life back! I literally made my dreams come true - this was only a dream 12 months ago. In fact, even just recently, I still didn't know I was going to be able to pull it off. So much was working against me (many details have been left out here), and I was quite alone (no friends/family to confide in or get advice from). I managed it on my own, and did it my way. I'm not rich, and I still have health issues, but I'm SO much better off now than a year ago, in SO many ways!
I couldn't possible say all this without also saying thank you to God for not squashing me like the silly creature that I am, and giving me another chance at this wonderful experience called life. And my wife @MediKatie, best a guy could ever ask for, standing by me through it all. Also to all those who believed in me, supported me, encouraged me, and helped me in some way... thank you! I hope I've made you proud. I know I'm proud of myself. I've overcome some pretty incredible odds, both with my health turnaround and my financial recovery. Most who knew me didn't think either was possible, and some had given up on me. But I did it, thanks to those mentioned above... and thanks to Bitcoin and gold!
I have to apply (like a 16-year-old) for a learner's permit tomorrow. I don't know how it works elsewhere, but here in BC you have to start over from scratch if you haven't driven for a few years. But I think I get to skip the 1 year wait before taking the road test to get my full license, which makes sense. I haven't forgotten how to drive, I just might need to brush up on some road signs or something. I drove (at times professionally) without problems for 23 years before losing my license for punitive reasons, so feel pretty confident about getting back on the road. Not sure what I'll drive... but let's worry about that problem when we get there! : P
Thanks for reading, and for being happy for me. I hope your dream comes true, too.
DRutter
