My journey has been marked by the guidance of remarkable individuals who imparted lessons of compassion, mentorship, and professionalism. Six years ago, the opportunity to become Chief presented itself, and I embraced it with an understanding that the role would demand sacrifices. As I navigated the complexities of leadership and stress, they collectively took a toll on my health and happiness. Like many in EMS and Fire, I internalized these challenges, allowing them to manifest in physical form.

At 298 pounds, I stood before the mirror in self-disgust, a reflection of the sacrifices made for the mission. Life, however, had more challenges in store. In 2022, a series of events unfolded — one of my own firefighter's suicide, my father on hospice care due to Parkinson's, and my own health crisis. A sudden attack, with worsening vision and an MRI revealing brain lesions indicative of Multiple Sclerosis, plunged me into a realm of panic and uncertainty. This is when life punched me square in the mouth. Additionally, managing and watching my father suffer in silence while his quality of life slipped away broke my heart and made me feel helpless. There was this gut wrenching sadness. Thinking about all the suffering he must have been going through… It overwhelmed me. The loss of hope and belief left a heartache too heavy to bear.

Ready to depart this world, I was suddenly overtaken by a sense of purpose and love. Whatever one believes in, this world was not yet finished with me.

After personal reflection, I knew we had a large scale crisis occurring in our own homes - suicides. I could no longer sit on the sidelines and watch this happen. However, I had to work on myself first. I knew that all I could do was try to provide as much love as possible during my father’s last days. This was the fuel to feed my fire to make change; reconnect with life, human connection, and redefine my purpose.

At the same time my ensuing neurologist appointment was months away, but with the support of dear friends I secured an earlier consultation. I received a diagnosis that demanded immediate action adding more fuel to the fire. Determined not to let MS dictate my fate, I committed to reclaiming control over my life.

This is what I did:

1. Committed to working out 5 days a week focusing on cardio and strength training.

2. Changed my nutritional diet habits to reflect those of a healthy eating regimen (now stick to the outside aisles of the grocery store — thanks random firefighter who I met in aisle 4 so many years back). Stay away from highly processed foods.

3. Set my days up for success by immediately exposing my mind to positive content in the morning.

4. Read excellent content furthering my knowledge about mind, body, and spirit.

5. Surrounded myself around quality people and eliminated the negative factors in my life.

6. Set goals and committed to a no excuses mentality.

7. Re-affirmed: I am responsible for me and no one else. If I fail, it’s only because I got in my own way.

8. Solidified knowledge of who I am NOT in order to discover who I AM every day. Every day is a new opportunity to pursue greatness.

9. Reminded myself that no one can take away my power to choose and that changing my perspective could be enlightening.

I attribute my success to my fundamental values of hard work, discipline, and consistency. In addition to these, the grit and mental toughness that I've cultivated through an unwavering pursuit of knowledge and the implementation of transformative practices have also played a significant role.

Sharing my story is an honor. It’s a testament to the indomitable human spirit. I hope it also serves as a beacon of inspiration for those seeking motivation to become the best version of themselves.

Fast forward to 2002 as a Paramedic in the suburbs of Detroit. Relishing life's adventures, a fateful incident during a skydiving jump altered the course of my life. Failing to recognize my altitude on my low budget altitude indicator and realizing I’m way too effing low to make a turn I went against my better judgement and took the turn, resulting in a high-speed impact that shattered my legs. The excruciating pain was secondary to the realization that my future in EMS and firefighting was now uncertain.

Helicoptered to surgery, this incident not only foreshadowed my future as a flight paramedic but also presented me with an immense personal challenge. Despite grim predictions from my orthopedic surgeon, I refused to accept the prognosis that I would never return to the field. Determined to defy the odds, I underwent multiple surgeries, refusing to let anyone else dictate the boundaries of my capabilities.

For the next 9 months, I attended physical therapy where I learned to walk again after having my ankle fused together, thus eliminating any extension/flexion movement. In addition to those injuries, I also sustained trauma to my lower spine and neck. I had to find alternate methods to safely navigate the challenges of the tasks associated with emergency services so that my colleagues had full trust in my abilities.