YOUNGSTOWN — Doug Fuller has had his share of challenges but what keeps him going is being present for his 6-year-old son, Tyler.

“He’s a soldier,” Fuller said. “He’s a ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ kid. I was raised in a family of love and respect and he’s got it. I owe that to my parents.”

Fuller grew up in Broadview Heights. His father died in 1987 when he was 13.

“I was the one child who was able to miss school to work with my dad and push him in his wheelchair,” he recalled.

As a teenager, he didn’t get that “father butt-whooping” and he became rebellious. He drank and used drugs.

“The football coach said not to ride a motorcycle, so I’d ride it and park it on the sidewalk,” Fuller said.

He graduated in 1996 from Brecksville High School.

“I tried college for a week. They left the door open for stragglers. As soon as the professor closed the door, I decided I couldn’t do it and I’m going to work for the rest of my life,” Fuller said.

He became an apprentice in the Roofers and Waterproofers Local 44.

“On Sept. 11, 2001, we were listening to Howard Stern on the roof of a new federal courthouse and we saw all these airplanes and they sounded the alarm and shut us down,” Fuller said.

He was struck not only by the number of planes, but also that all except one were traveling in the same direction. He said he believes the exception was Flight 93, which crashed in Shanksville, Pa.

After three years, he decided roofing was not the profession he wanted, so he obtained his commercial driver’s license. He worked almost seven years for the city of Broadview Heights driving a six-axle dump truck. However, his career hit a roadblock when he was diagnosed with Type I diabetes, which ended his ability to drive commercially.

Then his mother became ill.

“I didn’t have a kid at the time or a mortgage and somebody had to take care of Mom. I was the one child who was with both parents at the end of their lives. What an honor,” Fuller said.

He was her caretaker for 10 years.

In 2022, his mother died. Because they could not find a deed or a will, the house was auctioned in a sheriff’s sale. Fuller now had a young son and no place to live.

He contacted every shelter he knew in the Cleveland area and could not locate one for a single father. Finally, after calling 211, he discovered the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley would take them, so he and Tyler packed up their belongings and moved to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Youngstown.

Fuller found a job, as well as a girlfriend with three children of her own. They rented an apartment on Ohio Avenue on the North Side of Youngstown, near St. Edward Catholic Church. He started attending services there and is still involved with the church.

The relationship with his girlfriend didn’t last. It ended amicably, but left Fuller with a lease he couldn’t afford on his own. The landlord allowed him to stay two months, until last November, and then, with nowhere else to go, he and Tyler returned to the Rescue Mission. Because he had departed on good terms, “I put myself in the position where Tyler and I were welcomed back with open arms.”

Unlike many residents, he does not need intervention such as substance abuse counseling or GED classes.

“I’m not coming here to stay or get comfortable. I just need a place for me and my son. If you use the mission to your advantage, they will help you every step of the way. I’m thankful to be here.”

He and Tyler are up before 5:30 each morning. Fuller takes his insulin and they clean their room. Tyler then gets on the bus for school, and Fuller spends much of his day making phone calls to identify available resources. He has a car, which allows them to do necessary shopping after school.

They are preparing for another transition. They were approved for an apartment in Niles through Trumbull Metropolitan Housing Authority and are scheduled to move in March. Fuller collects Social Security Disability Insurance and works when he can to cover additional expenses.

“I do odds and ends — jack of all trades, master of none.”

In the meantime, Fuller makes the most of his stay at the Mission. He can be seen offering encouragement or a sympathetic ear to other residents.

“Everybody here is going through some stuff. My mother and father instilled in me that people deserve to be loved no matter where they come from,” he said.

After the Fullers get settled into a new home, what comes next is uncertain. He knows to take one step at a time.

“Sometimes I got a little sidetracked and didn’t think I could do it,” he said.

But he said his faith in God has kept him going. “Everything happens for a reason. If you remain teachable, the lessons are there to be learned.”

Fuller said what matters most of all is his commitment to Tyler.

“He’s my heart and soul. I was with him at his first breath, and I’ll be with him at my last breath,” Fuller said.

To suggest a Saturday profile, contact Metro Editor Marly Reichert at mreichert@tribtoday.com or Features Editor Ashley Fox at afox@tribtoday.com.