Who is "The Sufferer"

Who is the sufferer? Who can tell?
Ahhhhh, this I've pondered well...
What makes him awake day after day,
And subject his mind to further fray,
How does he deal with the burden worn,
And look in the mirror without feeling scorn.
The sufferer, he is a man of gaul,
Head held high and back to the wall.
His ordeals have taught him how to live,
He knows what to hide and knows what to give.
No more knowledgable men are there,
Than those, who through much dispair
Have given of themselves to learn
The secrets of which others yearn.
Though much pain he has seen and felt,
Shallower men would bend and melt,
But the sufferer laughs and quickly moves on,
For harsher trials he has borne.
By the end of my tales, you may judge him well,
And of your opinion, pray do tell.
So relax while I recite some lore,
Of times past and burdens bore.
For all that I am about to say,
Has come to past or shall one day.
Learn the lessons that they have offered
For I am The Author... and I have suffered.