Bob and I became friends after someone convinced me to join the APDF’s BOD, some 4-5 yrs ago. Bob has very good intentions. Like many other chronic painers who are also advocates, many practitioners have built-in biases about taking advice about pain management from someone who does not have a medical background. Often they are viewed as supporting prescribing a controlled substance and/or advocating against some of the medications that are prescribed off-label for pain. While Bob’s batting average is not a 1000 on advocating for chronic pain pts, no one’s is. Because of Bob, there is a large number of end-stage pediatric cancer pts who had a less painful last few days/weeks/months of their life and parents who did not have to see their kids live in agony the last days/weeks/months and they had many “extra days” with their kid.
Everyone always talks quietly about so here it is 
Several years ago several great advocates helped me at my lowest point in life! I had a medtronics pain pump before they were popular out of pure pure desperation! A man named Steve Ariens & a other wonderful lady named Maria Higginbotham didn’t judge me … Didn’t tell me what a POS I was and offered to help me! I watched Maria on nightline with Lester Holt and Kate Snow and was in awe of this brave lady dumping her surgical parts on the table infront of the world on live TV.. I spent my and my family’s life saving on lawyers and courts! I won and lost the case 5 times! I was sentenced to 109 weeks in county jail for driving with a pain pump even know Medtronics admitted pump recalls and failures! I did 12 weeks and the appeals court redid my sentence to 0 jail time and the supreme court of KY ruled “NO Tolerance!” The local judge took pity on me and didn’t make me serve the rest of the time on my sentences! The pump was replaced and they made me go to 1 year of alcohol classes even know I didn’t drink and I didn’t take oral medications at the time and frustration was not the word I’d use! Everytime I was booked in the county jail Friday I was released on Sunday at 6pm ! Hints the 50 mugshots ! I never really talked about it before except with family and friends. All the charges have been expunged and my license has been restored and my insurance is again affordable! Life changing to say the least and I’ve never felt so damn alone! I had doctors and a great pharmacist in my corner with a really expensive lawyer ! So when it was all said and done I brushed myself off and opened the pumpsters on Yahoo with other advocates to help others that needed help! Later the pain pump support group Medtronics and Flowonix. Later burned my hand cooking catfish and met a little girl named Kaylee at the 11th floor @ Vanderbilt burn Center in Nashville who was severely burned who changed my life! Her daddy sprayed charcoal starter fluid on the burn pile and lite them both up.. Dad was having a few beers on his mower and they both caught fire and dad was arrested! Mom was by herself while they were stripping skin to get burn medication on her burn. The child was screaming and I through a damn fit! Sheesh I burnt my hand and it hurt like a summabitch and I couldn’t imagine the burn on my chest and thighs like little Kaylee 
! My mom and daughter had to sit in the car because no one was allowed in Vanderbilt because of covid! Anyways long story short my fit turned into a passion to help kids in pain and I figured I owed a little because of the advocates that helped me! Her dad was sentenced to 2 years in prison and the lawyer we paid at APDF paid off the house with the money that was awarded to the momma for settlement for not treating Kaylee while treating her for burns! So never the less I’m far from a Saint ! Not even a little bit! Matter of fact I’m a good friend to many but kind of an asshole as well ! I started out being ashamed and embarrassed and many advocates stepped up for me! So no I didn’t start the program it kinda started me and my advocacy! Today I deal with blood cancer and back surgeries, knees, shoulder, and have wonderful advocates that I call my family and would do anything for! I don’t condone drunk anything and even advocated for several inmates as yall who followed me can see !What I do know is not everyone who gets in trouble isnt a bad guy! I do know that today’s pain world makes us all a little criminal and it’s definitely because of the goverments actions and real advocates & Doctors know exactly what I mean! Although I didn’t deserve the sentence I received I took it as a learning process and I’ve never hid it from anyone who asked and even asked a big advocate for help who posted my mug shot all over the internet ! I take responsibility for everything in my life failures and big wins! They say things happen for a reason and what happened to me lead to alot of damn people getting the help that they need.. I don’t always win and can’t help everyone but I have always done my best! That’s my story and I’m sticking to it Anyways I have heard alot of rumors and I sometimes wish they weren’t true but most are! Today I’m proud of my past and what I plan for the future! The only apologies I owed was to my family for not listening when they said I was acting funny on new pump medication while my pump was starting and stopping at its convenience! It has never bothered me until recently when I hear folks say stuff like don’t trust that guy because he’s a jail bird & those kids are probably made up ! I rather them thank Steve Ariens or Maria Higginbotham for getting me pissed off enough to do something about it! 
I’m sure most don’t know my story or really know me at all! I’m just a farm owner from Cerritos, California Via KY with 4 kids 35b 32g 16g 13g and several grandkids that make me happy! I do travel alot and go where I’m needed thanks to APDF and the awesome staff that helped me survive and asked me to help the charity! Anyways I hope I put the rumors to bed finally and I’ve hoped I’ve earned trust and respect for doing what I love to do! Total income from APDF Charity $0.00 in 5 long years and many many kids and adults!
and I didn’t take oral medications at the time and frustration was not the word I’d use! Everytime I was booked in the county jail Friday I was released on Sunday at 6pm ! Hints the 50 mugshots ! I never really talked about it before except with family and friends. All the charges have been expunged and my license has been restored and my insurance is again affordable! Life changing to say the least and I’ve never felt so damn alone! I had doctors and a great pharmacist in my corner with a really expensive lawyer ! So when it was all said and done I brushed myself off and opened the pumpsters on Yahoo with other advocates to help others that needed help! Later the pain pump support group Medtronics and Flowonix. Later burned my hand cooking catfish and met a little girl named Kaylee at the 11th floor @ Vanderbilt burn Center in Nashville who was severely burned who changed my life! Her daddy sprayed charcoal starter fluid on the burn pile and lite them both up.. Dad was having a few beers on his mower and they both caught fire and dad was arrested! Mom was by herself while they were stripping skin to get burn medication on her burn. The child was screaming and I through a damn fit! Sheesh I burnt my hand and it hurt like a summabitch and I couldn’t imagine the burn on my chest and thighs like little Kaylee ! My mom and daughter had to sit in the car because no one was allowed in Vanderbilt because of covid! Anyways long story short my fit turned into a passion to help kids in pain and I figured I owed a little because of the advocates that helped me! Her dad was sentenced to 2 years in prison and the lawyer we paid at APDF paid off the house with the money that was awarded to the momma for settlement for not treating Kaylee while treating her for burns! So never the less I’m far from a Saint ! Not even a little bit! Matter of fact I’m a good friend to many but kind of an asshole as well ! I started out being ashamed and embarrassed and many advocates stepped up for me! So no I didn’t start the program it kinda started me and my advocacy! Today I deal with blood cancer and back surgeries, knees, shoulder, and have wonderful advocates that I call my family and would do anything for! I don’t condone drunk anything and even advocated for several inmates as yall who followed me can see !What I do know is not everyone who gets in trouble isnt a bad guy! I do know that today’s pain world makes us all a little criminal and it’s definitely because of the goverments actions and real advocates & Doctors know exactly what I mean! Although I didn’t deserve the sentence I received I took it as a learning process and I’ve never hid it from anyone who asked and even asked a big advocate for help who posted my mug shot all over the internet ! I take responsibility for everything in my life failures and big wins! They say things happen for a reason and what happened to me lead to alot of damn people getting the help that they need.. I don’t always win and can’t help everyone but I have always done my best! That’s my story and I’m sticking to it Anyways I have heard alot of rumors and I sometimes wish they weren’t true but most are! Today I’m proud of my past and what I plan for the future! The only apologies I owed was to my family for not listening when they said I was acting funny on new pump medication while my pump was starting and stopping at its convenience! It has never bothered me until recently when I hear folks say stuff like don’t trust that guy because he’s a jail bird & those kids are probably made up ! I rather them thank Steve Ariens or Maria Higginbotham for getting me pissed off enough to do something about it! I’m sure most don’t know my story or really know me at all! I’m just a farm owner from Cerritos, California Via KY with 4 kids 35b 32g 16g 13g and several grandkids that make me happy! I do travel alot and go where I’m needed thanks to APDF and the awesome staff that helped me survive and asked me to help the charity! Anyways I hope I put the rumors to bed finally and I’ve hoped I’ve earned trust and respect for doing what I love to do! Total income from APDF Charity $0.00 in 5 long years and many many kids and adults!Filed under: General Problems
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