A BIG ASK! 💙💙 I have a small favor to ask, and I hope it comes across in the spirit it’s intended — not as desperation, but honesty. Yesterday I had a long conversation with my publisher about the slow sales of THE FAIRWAYS OF WISDOM. In the past four days, only eight copies sold. He was kind, but direct. The truth is, when my account was hacked the night after Rebecca died, I lost more than 30,000+ followers overnight — an audience that took nearly eight years to build. Sure, some were probably bots or trolls. But many thousands were real people. Compassionate people. Loyal readers. Friends who walked beside me through some of the hardest years of my life. My old account averaged nearly 500,000-750,000 impressions a week, with close to a 65% engagement. My new page — Michael & Rebecca @Michaeljos92972 — has fewer than 5,000 followers and reaches only a fraction of the people it once did. The engagement is down dramatically. In simple terms, most people simply are not seeing what I write anymore. It's all about ALGORITHMS! And that hurts. For years, I’ve tried to write honestly. I brought all of you inside the Whelan family through cancer, COVID, job loss, Bella’s broken back, and most painfully, Rebecca’s long battle with Parkinson’s. Many of you were there with me on March 5th when she passed away. You watched our lives unfold in real time — the beauty, the heartbreak, the exhaustion, the love. Writing has never been about fame for me. It’s been about connection. About advocacy. About trying to make people feel less alone. I still want to do that. I still want to write books. Essays. Stories. I still want to fight for caregivers, patients, animal rescues, and the people who feel unseen in this world. But in today’s social media landscape, if people can’t see your words, it becomes almost impossible to keep going. So far I have written almost two million words. That takes a lot of time, thought and love. So here’s my ask: If my writing has ever meant something to you… if one essay ever made you feel understood… if Rebecca’s story touched your heart… if Bella ever made you smile or shed a tear please consider recommending my page to a few people you trust. Maybe 3. Maybe 7. Maybe 10. As many as you can. And I've learned that when you ask people a favor YOU must explain the WHY. That simple act could help rebuild what was lost. It could push the algorithms enough so these stories start reaching people again instead of disappearing into the noise. And if my work isn’t for you, that’s completely okay too. No hard feelings. Just quietly scroll on and let others decide for themselves. I know this is a big ask. Asking for help has never been easy for me. But I also know something else: The kindest communities are built one human being at a time. Thank you for reading me. Thank you for carrying Rebecca’s memory forward with me. Thank you for allowing me into your lives all these years. And if you choose to help, please know this — you are not just helping an author. You are helping a grieving husband keep his voice alive. With love and gratitude always, Michael
