2 YEARS AND COUNTING.....

My personal Peak to climb.

....since I last had a drink.
I write about this,not as a personal accolade to myself,but because there were two people without whose help and foresight I would not be here,and they derserve to be thanked and acknowledged for this feat.
The first is my friend Michele Desoer,who dropped everything at a moments notice,literally,and left work at two in the afternoon and listened to my drunken drivel(yea,I was drunk when I went in...shocking) as she drove me out to rehab two years and one day ago.She deserves A Golden Globe IMO.She now calls CA home,but at the time she resided in Florida.
Thank you Michele.

The second person who helped me out of that horrible dark and depressing place that I was in is my friend Mandy Miller.
I guess that unbeknownst to me,Mandy and Michele saw this coming,and had already made a call months prior to an intermediary friend,a placement specialist,who upon recieving said "SOS" call,was able to whisk me into a facility the same day.Lucky for me they did,as my potassium levels in my liver were off the charts,according to the NOD(Nurse On Duty),and every hour on the hour for the next two days,took my vitals,regardless of whether I was sleeping,on the can,anywhere.
As it turned out,the first two days were lying in bed,just full of brutal withdrawl symptoms,made a little easier with medication but still not something I wish to re-live ever again.
I asked the nurse out of curiousity if I had kept up the consumption at the rate I was drinking,how many weeks would it have been before I would have collapsed.At which she looked at me with a very tender and caring look in her eyes,and replied with a tinge of sadness in her voice,"Weeks?,you were one or two days from a wooden box at most,in fact we didn`t think you`d make it.Thats why we took your vitals every hour.We had one finger on your pulse,the other on the 911 button on the phone".
I still shiver at how close I came to turning out the lights for good.

It`s good to have friends like Michele and Mandy.Thank you both for helping me save whats left of the rest of my life.

Mandy was originally born in Scotland,and now calls Fort lauderdale home.

Mandy Miller

Ultras 4 Mortals

An attorney by day,and a damn good one at that,she is also,along with her husband Andy an accomplished Triathlete,with some really impressive races in her resume.Too many to list here,seriously,but to name a few,the six day,151 mile(243 km) Marathon des Sables across the Sahara Desert should give you an idea that she`s no wimp.She also completed the Death Valley Badwater Ultramarathon,135 miles of grueling running through the hottest place on earth.
8 Ironmans and more marathons than she can remember,the Keys 50 in 2009(3rd female overall),the Peanut Island 2011 6 hour where she got First Female Overall.
No,our Scottish lass is no pushover,so if you ever,EVER tangle with her in or out of the courtroom,be sure to bring plenty of reinforcements.
Don`t let the long sun bleached locks of flowing blonde hair fool ya people.
This woman has more inner strength than any man I know.

If you have any designs on running or training for an endurance event,Mandy is the person to talk to.Go to her website,Ultras 4 Mortals,and see for yourself.
She is certified in coaching by the Road Runners Club of America and USA Triathlon.

To Michele and Mandy,on this day,I owe you both a tremendous debt.

Murph