marinadock.org

My Fellow Marina Dockers:

Thank you one and all for your ongoing financial support, January was an extremely busy month at the Marina Dock, with record numbers of new faces showing up looking for help. The good news is with your generous donations over the holidays we were ready for them and made them feel quite at home. Your monthly memberships and individual contributions are the heart and soul of our continued success. February is traditionally a slow month for business in general and we of course are no exception.

Then there is the deepening recession and the consequential financial turmoil in the global economy, which in turn raises the collective level of fear and anxiety in all of us. The last time we went through one of these economic downturns was the 2001-2004 recession and we decided then the best defense was to go on the offensive. It looks like we might be in a position to do something similar this time around too.

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Clean House, Trust God and Help Others

We are thinking, with your support, of making some upgrades to our social area and bathrooms. A new carpet perhaps and some serious bathroom remodeling are definitely in order. The bathrooms have been a thorn in our side from day one, the plumbing dates back to the reign of Marcus Aurelius. We are also considering and automatic door mechanism for our front door entrance to make it more amenable to persons with disabilities.

These are just some of the projects in the pipeline; there are others on the list depending on the availability of funds. We have already found one donor foundation who has offered a contribution towards this project, but we would like some others to come forward and help us out if you can. Just to keep everyone in the picture, our lease is up for renewal at the end of this year 2008 and it would be nice to show the building owners that we take pride in our tenancy, by making some significant improvements to the rental space we occupy. At this time we are trust our lease will be renewed, as we have not heard anything to the contrary. Our business relationship with the new owners has so far been a good one and we do not anticipate any changes or problems in that department.

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Nonprofit Mailing

This month we have our new bulk-mailing rate in place so the February newsletter may show up a little later than usual and will have a different look about the envelope. We finally got our application for nonprofit mailing off the ground thanks to the grit and determination of Harry Mc. Harry actually came with me to Evans Street Post Office and gently coaxed me through the numerous bureaucratic hoops to accomplish this feat. We are temporarily granted bulk mailing status until our nonprofit application is approved and once that happens we will save around $300 a month on our mailing expense. We will have to get the newsletter out earlier however as the nonprofit mailing can take a week to 10 days to deliver. Anyway I am sure it will all work out, if there is a problem with delivery let us know. Now we are back to sending out the newsletter to as many people who would like to be on the mailing list. If you want to be on the list please let us know and we will be happy to accommodate.

I try to strike a balance with the newsletter between asking people to contribute to the Marina Dock and inserting information on recovery related issues and keeping old timers and new comers alike informed and connected on what is happening in the world of friends and family in recovery. We are after all, despite our differences, family.

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Bill H 1925-2007

Bill passed away on December 7th we had a memorial service for him on January the 5th at the Marina Dock. It was a moving and fitting tribute to Bill with all his family and friends in attendance. Bill was originally from Mitchell, South Dakota. Many old timers would remember Bill from the seventies and eighties, when he lived in the bay area and attended meetings with his soul mate and companion of forty-four years Sigrid. Sigrid died in 2002. Rarely have two individuals ever loved, cherished and respected one another as these two. Bill was a very close friend of Frank B's going back to the days of The Seven Seas on Mission St. On more than one occasions Bill regaled me with stories of Frank and his legendary escapades over the years:

"Bill was a veteran who served in both WWII and Korea as a U.S. Navy Corpsman. He was assigned to the 1st Marine division in the "Tragic Triumph at Peleliu" and that had a major impact on him for the rest of his life. Most of Bills life was spent sharing his recovery and helping others with theirs. He helped Bill Sands launch the renowned 7th Step Foundation, a prison program that assisted convicts become successful ex-cons. He is and was loved by ex-cons, alcoholics, addicts, those in recovery as well as those still trying to find their way, church members, friends and family. He died with 46 years of sobriety after a rocky 11 years of white chipping. He lived most of his adult life in the Bay Area and that is also where he died. He will be missed but always remembered".

B.H. Simi Valley

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Hi Tony:

Happy New Year to you and thanks for your help in tracking down Frank Carey. Unfortunately, I learned that he died in 2006, but I was able to be in touch with some people who also loved him and knew him well, so thanks for your help.

Sincerely,

Pat L

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Courage in the Cotswolds

Dear Marina Dockers, attached is a short story of the last 5 years of my life; I named it "life on life's terms":

Hi Tony,

It was interesting to read in one of your newsletters your reference to life on life's terms, because close friends keep telling me I should write a book about the last 5 years of my life. Also doctors and the UK Parkinson's society keep asking me to talk to other Parkinson's sufferers and drug addicts about my experiences. They want me to talk about my life as a top business executive and the impact of being diagnosed with Parkinson's at only
43 years of age. Followed by what happened with my Parkinson's medication leading to pathological gambling and other addictions, finally becoming homeless. Then my road to recovery from the gutter along with how I helped other victims who had there lives destroyed. Also the more recent health setbacks and how as you called it I have understood to deal with 'life on life's terms'.

I am happy to write you a short story about my experiences for the Newsletter. You can go ahead and use my real name because I have nothing to hide behind or be ashamed about. I am a better human being now following my experiences than I ever was before. Give me 48 hours and I shall send you a draft short story and then you can decide how you want to use it. Thank you for your kind words I must admit some days are hard and I have to draw of all my will power to stay positive. The worse thing is not the pain or shaking or living with cancer, nor is it the many side effects of the medication I'm taking. No the worse thing is asking God 'why me' and never getting an answer I know there are many people worse of than me and I have started to focus my time on taking my negative feelings and turning them in to positive actions to help others in this world who have never been given a chance in life. One of my latest mini projects is; I have started sponsoring a young child in Zimbabwe, I pay for his food, water and medication along with providing funds to school him. His name is Kudakwashe and although he is only 6 years old is Football mad. I also provide help to older people in the UK to get the Government benefits they are entitled to, but don't know how to go about claiming them. There are over one million pensioners in the UK not claiming benefits they are entitled to. Guess I'm a bit like a modern day Robin Hood stealing from a rich Government to give to the poor....ha ha.

The cancer tumor I had removed was called a Medullary Carcinoma of the Thyroid. It is a very rare form of Thyroid cancer, on average there are only around 100 cases confirmed in the UK each year. It is not a 'lifestyle cancer' caused by smoking, drinking, food intake or anything else. It is inherited through a defective gene. The doctors said I was born with this defective Thyroid gene, which harbored the cancer. It is very slow growing and can lie dormant for decades; sometimes a person can live a full life without the cancer ever kicking off. However in Males the most common age for it to kick in is between 45 and 55, I'm 48 almost bang in the middle. The specialist said this defective gene becoming a cancer can skip a generation, therefore it could have been passed from either of my parents or indeed my grandparents. I believe two of my four Grandparents died of cancer. While they may not been diagnosed with Medullary cancer, it is possible that this is the cancer started from. Quite often people mistake Medullary and other forms of Thyroid cancer with an over/under active Thyroid. Once Medullary cancer kicks in and starts growing it quickly spreads to other vital parts of the body such as kidneys and the chest, they call these 'regional metastase's in medical terms. My 12-hour operation was deemed to be successful by the surgeon's. Like most cancers there is a risk of it returning. However the specialist has put my 10-year survival rate at around 70%. The support of friends and family has kept my spirits up over these years of loss and disappointment. My greatest source of spiritual strength comes however from the prayer and meditation of the 11th step, this daily practice has brought me peace and serenity over these difficult and challenging years.

"Perhaps one of the greatest rewards of meditation and prayer is the sense of belonging that comes to us. We no longer live in a completely hostile world. We are no longer lost and rightened and purposeless. The moment we catch even a glimpse of God's will , the moment we begin to see truth, justice, and as the real and eternal things in life , we are no longer deeply disturbed by all the seeming evidence to the contrary that surrounds us in purely human affairs. We know that God lovingly watches over us. We know that when we turn to him, all will be well with us, here and hereafter".

(P.105, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions)

Take care of yourself and I hope one day to visit you all at the Marina Dock in San Francisco.

Stephen, Morton In Marsh

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The solution is love,

"Irish Tony"