Joel Davis, 23, believes his upbringing in the church is what is responsible for keeping him stable throughout the low periods of his life.
“I never felt this way before,” Davis said.
“My heart was just feeling heavy.”
Davis shared some of those trying times on his social media page, not expecting the response he got.
“I just wanted to inspire someone, anyone,” he said.
His post was shared over 5,000 times in less than three days, people praised him for his message and congratulated him for his faith and strength.
“It was overwhelming that others came forward and admitted that they were exposed to the exact same thing,” he said.
In the post Davis highlighted how it took him approximately one year to get a job after he was laid off in 2018.
“Within that year, that was when I felt at my lowest, I felt really depressed.”
“I sent applications all over and no one called,” he continued.
However when he finally got a call back from an employer it wasn’t for a company he was eager to work for.
“I said KFC boy,” he giggled.
Davis said he accepted the job because it was the only positive feedback he got in 365 days but even as an employee at KFC Independence Square he hid from familiar faces.
According to Davis who hails from Wallerfield, even though it seemed like the end of his struggles at least for a while, it wasn’t.
He was born with a condition called Scoliosis which occurs when the spine curves or twists to the side.
This condition can be painful and according to Davis who said he was unaware of his condition the pain affected his work performance at KFC.
He said while working at the fast food restaurant he applied himself extra to the job and sometimes he would work double and triple shifts.
But the job he was assigned to became difficult.
“I was breading chicken on a very low table,” he said.
Davis said he applied for a transfer and it was given to him however that did not last.
“They told me that you would not be able to come to work until you bring documentation.”
But he never returned to work and he was again on the unemployment line.
“I sat on that chair and I started to cry,” he said
“They say big man doh cry eh but I started to cry and ask God what to do,” he continued.
The former KFC employee said he did create the post to complain about his life but to let others know that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
He said he currently has a job that doesn’t require putting a strain in his back and he is happy.
When we asked him what was his message to those who may be struggling currently he recited Psalm Chapter 30 verse five that said, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”
