I grow up in a home where verbal, emotional, and psychological abuse are the norm. I live every day in fear, and all the while, unable to free my mother from the hell that is her marriage. I find escape in high school where my father can't find me. I also find a love for casino gambling. On a sunny day in September, a fateful football game ends prematurely. "Get up, man. We got the ball." "I can't move." I experience my own horrific adjustment, complete with a body that barely moves, and hallucinations that take over my reality. A month after I leave rehab, Mom dies of a heart attack. I'm suddenly trapped at home with a man I despise. A year later, an angel intercedes on my behalf, and I move 400 miles away to start a new life at a new college. Like a flower in full bloom, I excel academically, athletically, and find a personality I never knew I had. I also discover alcohol. Soon, I become an advocate, a writer, a thespian, a business owner and before long, a husband and the proud papa of a ten-pound dog named Cujo. The Long Journey Home will make you laugh, cry, want to throw things, and ultimately, stand and cheer. It is a story of overcoming abuse, adjustment to a life-altering event, faith in God, and the challenge of forgiveness. Though inspirational, you'll never see this story on the Hallmark channel.