Truck Driver and Convenience in the same sentence, wow you don't see that often as there is not much convenience when it comes to family and OTR truck driving.

I want to nominate my husband Paul. Paul is 37 and we have two girls -one is 16 a junior at Kennedy Catholic High School in Manchester, MO and the other just turned 3. Yes BIG gap and nothing in between.

Last September 29th, I got that dreaded phone call that all truckers' wives fear. Paul was in Denver and admitted into the hospital with a 99% blockage and an 81% blockage in his heart. On that night, Paul received 3 stents, and to date, just 19 days over a year, he now has a total of 7 stents. Paul has not stopped driving, has taken no time off and just keeps pushing day in and day out to provide for his family. He stays out 5-6 weeks at a time, when he comes "home" it is for a 34 hr break and sometimes just long enough to eat dinner, wash clothes throw the baby up and down a few times, ask the oldest what her name is and pat me on the behind(if I'm lucky) and off back to the road again.

Even after each and everytime he was admitted into the hospital they would keep him 24-48 hrs and he was back in the truck. Paul has guilt because of having had to have these things done, always on emergency basis but he feels that because of that we are so far behind in our bills and daughters tuition, so he just won't stop.

Paul will never get anything for himself and when he has to have something like shoes because you can see his toes, he feels that he is taking away from the girls. We are owner operators, therefore as you all know, we pay for EVERYTHING!!!!! Having to carry our own insurance what we did was put all the bells and whisltes on the girls and just basic of the basic on us. At the time I never thought in a million years that at 36 something like 7 stents in a year would ever happen. Needless to say we are stuck because no one will even consider covering him now. So with all of this Paul goes to work every single day, will not buy a thing for himself, puts aside his daily pain just to be able to provide for his family and for this reason, Paul is my Ultimate Driver, my Ultimate Package.

Your Name: Angela Matthews
Truck Driver: Paul Matthews