I got sober on January 28, 2023. My last drink. My dad's birthday. Before I went in, he hugged me. He never did that. He said, "You're stronger than it."
At the first hospital, doctors told us I had about two weeks to live. They gave me roughly a 4% chance. I was still jaundiced in the hospital when I used I Am Sober. I needed a small way to hold on.
April 20, 2023. My dad walked me into my transplant evaluation.
May 2, 2023. A new liver from a deceased donor at UMass. Dialysis three times a week came after. On May 16, only days after leaving for rehab, a colon complication meant more surgery. I wore an ileostomy bag for months.
September 2023. Still on dialysis. Still with an ostomy bag. I went to Newport with friends. Sober. The bag was reversed in November 2023.
January 2024. I lost my dad. I didn't drink. I walked three miles a day with Lila that month. It's not magic. It's motion.
March 15, 2024. A new kidney. A week later, I made a video memorial for my dad.
After the transplants, there were scares and setbacks, and I still heard the voice telling me to drink. In my first transplant therapy visit, I said, "I need to make sure that I stay sober. My health depends on it." I wanted a life "as close to the one before all the sickness."
Today I'm an LADC. I taught in Boston for 14 years. I host The Willpower Podcast every Friday. I'm here with my wife, Mayza, and our rescue mutt, Lila. I've given free 30-minute mentoring to over 100 people.
Declined, then delivered, then still here. If you're scared tonight, you don't have to figure out your whole life. Take one small step.
