This is a story of survival; yet, perhaps too soon to claim 'of the fittest'. At times, this story will make you laugh, because humor is a handy thing when it comes to surviving anguish and despair. There's also amusing and endearing nostalgia that helps to ease the darkest of memories. But, be forewarned, some parts will make you cry and some will surprise you - even shock you. This story will cause you to question what you believe is possible and challenge what you have accepted as fact. It will bend your senses and open your mind to greater meaning and discovery. It begins with paralyzing tragedy, alcoholism, abuse, poverty, and more insurmountable obstacles. Nevertheless, when one refuses to give up, by seeking and searching for any rope to grab hold of, life becomes very interesting and thrilling. When life begins so abnormally, so unacceptably, and one finds ways to survive and escape, the gained perspective on what is possible and impossible goes off of the chart. The result is passage to a new reality, a new level of functioning, and a new frontier of potential. This new reality is a place where the wheel of change is not controlled by what man has come to define as 'fact'. This is also the story of the people who saved me - particularly my brother Moses...I mean, Rip (cord).