Ron Cain doesn't pull any punches in discussing the pain he was in just eight years ago when he was diagnosed with severe Rheumatoid arthritis.

"If I didn't have kids to care for when this all started, I wouldn't be here right now," he said.

Cain is just one of the 18,000 Ohio Valley residents who have received help from Wheeling Health Right, an organization that provides health care and prescriptions for little or no cost to patients who would not otherwise be able to afford it. Cain's arthritis eventually became so bad that the drugs he needed would cost him $7,000 every 10 weeks, a price he said would have been impossible for him to pay.

"There is no way I could pay that,"he said. "I was pretty much unable to work because the pain was so bad."

Not only did the pain limit his ability to work, it also took a toll on other aspects of Cain's life, causing him to deal with high blood pressure and cholesterol and forcing him to walk with a cane.

"I was unable to stand straight up, and walking was incredibly difficult," he said.

Unsure of what to do to pay for the treatment, Cain got in contact with Health Right through his doctor. Health Right not only found a way to pay for his medication, but to also make Cain's life a bit easier to manage.

"I still get really tired," said Cain, who is now working as a delivery driver for Domino's Pizza. "I put in a seven-hour day and all I can do when I come home is sit in the chair, but the fact that I can put that time in and make a living is the best feeling in the world."

And according to employees of Health Right, helping their patients get back to having a normal life is exactly what it is all about.

"We take pride in helping these people," said Terri Phillips, marketing director for Health Right.

She said that in addition to the 18,000 individuals who have been aided by Health Right this year, more than 135,000 prescriptions have been filled. Though she said the appreciation is just an added bonus to doing the job, patients like Cain make it a point to let those at Health Right know how much it means to them.

"Every time I go in there I thank them immensely because I really don't know where I would be right now if it weren't for their help," said Cain, who just saw his daughter graduate from Wheeling Jesuit University and will watch his son accept his diploma from Wheeling Park High School next June. "They really gave me my life back."

Phillips said that Health Right is always accepting donations, which the organization depends upon to continue providing service to Brooke, Ohio, Marshall, Wetzel and Belmont counties.

Those wishing to make a donation or volunteer their time to the organization - a United Way member agency - can do so by contacting the staff at 304-233-3869 or sending donations to 61 29th St., Wheeling, WV. 26003.