Lucas Busbee @hatfortheass.bsky.social
I was born on a waterbed in Clifty, Arkansas, and my early life was one of isolation. My parents didn’t even apply for a Social Security Number for me until I was 7. Homeschooled to 4th grade with secondhand materials, I spent most of ages 8-10 completely alone in VERY rural AR.
At 10, I lived alone in the middle of nowhere until a wood stove accident left both my hands severely burned. My mother finally decided it wasn’t safe, 45 miles from the nearest hospital. From there, I lived with her and her boyfriend briefly before moving in with my sister at 12.
I spent my teen years and early adulthood acting as a live-in nanny for my sister’s four kids. I wasn’t enrolled in school and received no further education. At 24, I left after standing up to her (4th or 5th) husband abusing his kid brother—a 'trespass' that couldn’t be tolerated.
Growing up, my family faced generational issues of abuse and neglect. Weight problems ran rampant; I weighed 200lbs by 12, my brother over 350 in high school. Nothing was ever done to address the broken environment we grew up in. It left lasting scars on us all.
When I left my sister’s home, I moved in with co-workers and started a decade-long relationship. Isolated by my upbringing, I fell into another toxic environment. Abuse, neglect, and a lack of self-worth defined those years until I became a shell of myself.
At my lowest, the pandemic brought something life-changing: A catastrophic health emergency, but also: government-sponsored healthcare. For the first time, I got the diagnosis, medication, and support I needed. I weighed 629lbs at my heaviest. Today, I’m under 400 and still rapidly improving.
Healthcare transformed my life. It didn’t just give me a second chance—it turned my world upside down in the best way. Now I have routines, resources, and a clean, safe home. I can finally live with dignity, something I never thought possible.
Having healthcare records also helped me apply for SSI. I learned there were only about 20,000 jobs in the whole country I might physically be able to handle. That’s how far I had fallen as a victim of isolation and undereducation.
The safety nets taxpayers fund literally saved my life. They’ve taken me from a broken husk of a person to someone filled with purpose. It’s turned a flicker of patriotism into an inferno. I owe my life to the taxpayers, and I intend to repay them.
This isn’t just my story—it’s a testament to what government programs can do when properly funded and accessible. They don’t just save lives; they create opportunities and turn despair into hope. It’s proof of what a compassionate society can achieve.
My life has been saved by systems and safety nets I once thought non-existent. Now I’m dedicating myself to fighting tooth and nail for the taxpayers who made this possible. My mission: to ensure every American gets the chance to thrive. I’m dedicating my life to reforming the political system. It’s not enough for these programs to exist—they need to be accessible, equitable, and supportive of every person in need. No one should have to reach rock bottom to get the help they deserve.
The systems that saved my life could save countless others. We must fight against greed, corruption, and neglect to build a society where safety nets catch everyone—not just a lucky few. This is the America I’ll spend my life fighting for.
Boy, that was a mouthful! But it needs to be said—and not just by me. Let’s all start speaking up and demanding the change we deserve! We are the wealthiest and most powerful country in the world. The programs that saved me should be the baseline the citizenry should expect.
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I appreciate you highlighting my story here! I hope it can help people realize that we are losing a lot of good people to societal neglect, apathy and the greed that so thickly permeates the upper echelons of our civilization. I don't know how things might have turned out if these systems had found me sooner, but I bet It would have been profound. I hope more than anything that we can not only ensure the continued existence of these systems, but see to their expansion! Imagine how many brilliant ideas, wonderous pieces of art or scientific breakthroughs we lose as a species because the minds that would have brought them to life are lost. Allowed to slip through the cracks…
Poignant, touching story that should remind us all what we are fighting for. All the programs that helped Lucas rise above his circumstances are potentially on the chopping block under the Trump regime. We must FIGHT!