Good try.
No one gets through life without tragedy and everyone is responsible for their own happiness or at least their own perspective on their life. Not looking for him to 'contribute' and not even looking for him to be 'happy', but hope he can use his inner strength to break his cycle of negativity. His 'glory' days may be behind him, but that's just ego, he has to start appreciating what is good in his life - no matter how small - especially that his 'sacrifice' will allow some of his children a better opportunity than if they were back in the old country - and that has to be something to be positive about.