PLATTSBURGH — Steve Nadeau still remembers the comfortable lifestyle he used to have — dinners at nice restaurants, seasonal trips to professional football games and pricey vacations.

But those are now distant memories in a life that’s taken on new meaning and hardship.

Years ago, the 51-year-old Plattsburgh man went from being a high-school dropout to a three-time college graduate with a master’s degree.

He survived a bout of cancer that doctors thought might kill him, became a youth counselor and then dabbled in advertising.

But when a heart attack landed him in the hospital a few years ago, his life took a sudden turn and has been spiraling downward ever since.

HEALTH ISSUES

After his heart weakened, his eyesight deteriorated to the point of legal blindness. On top of that, doctors found that muscular dystrophy was to blame for the body pain that has plagued him since childhood.

The accumulating health issues, including diabetes, made it impossible for Nadeau to work, and he found himself trying to survive on dwindling savings and a fixed monthly income of Social Security disability benefits.

“I went from making like $35,000 a year to about $8,000,” he admitted.

He now gets $740 a month.

“It’s challenging to make ends meet.”

HOMELESS

This fall, after breaking up with his girlfriend, Nadeau found himself homeless, living at state parks and occasionally staying with friends.