Hello everyone. My name is Thomas L. Franklin. I am 52 years old, married, and a proud father of 2 girls ages 8 and 12. I was born in Leonia, New Jersey, to a family of 6 consisting of my mother, father, and 3 older sisters. I mostly grew up in Hackensack, New Jersey, and graduated from high school there. Sometime in my early 20s, I discovered anime, and it started with DragonBall Z, then Fist of the North Star, then Ninja Scroll, and on and on.
As I grew older, I became aware that the cost of living was becoming tougher, and I had to make some life changes. My oldest sister, Sherri, lived in Kentucky at the time and told me to move in with her to start over and get my life in the right direction, so I made the move. Since arriving in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1997, I have gotten my life together. My sister has left and moved back to New Jersey, but in exchange, my now 84-year-old retired mom has moved to Kentucky to live where it's less expensive.
It's been rough for a while since moving from a 2 to 3 bedroom home to accommodate my family's growth from 1 to 2 children, and now my mom has less mobility due to breaking her hip back in 2024. My oldest sister, Sherri, who has been the support system for our entire family, has come back to Kentucky to help with the well-being of our mom and support me mentally. Before leaving, she informed me that she was planning a trip to Ireland and she wanted all of the siblings to attend. Me being financially unable to come up with that kind of money, I sadly declined the offer.
We continued our conversation, and I mentioned that if I ever had a chance to go somewhere, it would be Tokyo, Japan. Sherri responded with "let's do that then." She knows that I LOVE anime and everything Asian and then instructed me to save as much as I could by March 24th, 2026. It seems impossible because I'm a regular blue-collar worker that gets paid just enough biweekly to make ends meet. I hope there are a few people reading this that can relate to seeing someone having a chance to do something that is once in a lifetime and choose to help. I have a nervous stomach sitting here at 4 AM typing this asking for help, but maybe by the grace of God and faith of others, I might be able to share this upcoming incredible opportunity and experience with the rest of my family. Thank you for your viewing.
