Mike is a Midwestern, working-class single father whose gruff exterior masked an inner complexity as a closeted gay man who held tightly to his Catholic faith. Proud, opinionated, and often brash, he’s also as warm — the kind of presence that commands a room by being unapologetically himself. Mike’s a person we all know. He’s a friend. A neighbor. The wacky uncle who might’ve taught you your first four-letter word, then showed up when it mattered.

He wears self-sufficiency like a badge of honor, until asking for help becomes unavoidable. A growing burden of pain eventually demanded support and set the stage for a fight that would define his final years.

People like Mike are not typically represented in film. In fact, the film is firmly rooted in struggling middle America: a community of the borderline poor and forgotten who are neither blue nor red but just trying to get by. Mike’s story reflects their shared frustration with a broken healthcare system that makes compassionate care nearly impossible to access for people who play by the rules and still fall through the cracks.

His story is just one of many.