Stay tuned to meet a man
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who decided to work
with troubled youths
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because he was once one of them.
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My name is Yvonne Lewis
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and you're
watching Urban Report.
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Hello and
welcome to Urban Report.
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Today, my guest is
Dr. Hollis McEachrane,
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chaplain/youth
intervention specialist
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and founder/director of
Straight-Up Youth Ministries.
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He is a man
with a special burden
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for our young men.
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Welcome to Urban Report.
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Thank you for having me.
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Well, Dr. McEachrane,
you have an amazing journey.
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I want you to
share with us just,
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like, let's talk
about your youth,
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let's talk about the kind
of family you were born into
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and all of that.
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Let's our viewers
know where you come from?
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Well, I was born in
Trinidad, West Indies.
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And I grew up there
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for the first five years of
my life and then my parents,
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they have moved to
Brooklyn, New York.
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Yeah, I hear the
little Brooklyn/Trinidad mix
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in the accent.
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Yeah, yeah, yeah.
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So you grew up,
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you were born in Trinidad
but you went to Brooklyn?
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Yes. What part of Brooklyn?
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Originally it was East New York
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and we stayed
there for several years,
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then we moved to
Bedford-Stuyvesant
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and then we moved to
Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
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What kind of
family did you have?
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I grew up in a Christian
Seventh-day Adventist family.
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I grew up with
four sisters, my father,
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mother was also in the house.
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And it was a very
healthy supportive family life
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that I experienced.
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And so, did you...
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Were you in public
school or you in private school,
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what kind of
schooling did you have?
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I went to public school.
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And then to junior high school
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and I didn't quite
make it to high school.
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What happened?
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While in junior high school,
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and I went to Lafayette
Senior High School in Brooklyn.
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While there...
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When I got to the eighth grade,
I lost interest in school.
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I made some bad choices and,
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but eventually I
graduated to the ninth grade.
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And when I went
to high school...
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Actually my first week
in high school I felt lost.
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I went to Erasmus
High School in Brooklyn.
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That was huge. Yeah.
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Erasmus hall, huge.
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Like 5,000
thousand students, right?
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Yeah, it's like a castle.
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When I walked in there
the first week I felt lost,
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I mean, when I
got to my classroom,
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I sat in the back
and I did not understand
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what the teacher
was saying or teaching.
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I mean, my mind was
not in school at that time.
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So I just started just
cutting classes as they say.
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So, let me go back for a second
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because I think
there's a point here that...
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that I want to make it...
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I think I read
somewhere it's like the sixth,
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seventh grades
where boys in particular,
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it's kind of a pivotal
time for them academically
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that if they lose interest
in school during that time
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and they begin to get
lost, kind of lost in the whole,
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in the mix then
they start acting out,
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they're not
participating in classes
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because they don't get
it because they somehow back
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when they were in the
sixth, seventh or eighth grades,
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they lost that
interest in school.
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Is that kind of what
happened to you that whole,
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you got lost and then
you couldn't really feel like
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you could catch up?
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Yeah, when I was in
fifth grade I got a...
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I experience an
educational block
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I want to say.
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The teacher called
me to the front of class
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and she had some math,
mathematics problems to do
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and she told me to
do the long division.
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And I just stood
there and I stared at.
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I didn't know how to do,
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I was just frozen
and then she said,
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"Go back to your seat."
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And she never
explained it to me.
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And from that experience
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I shied away
from school somewhat.
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She kind of
shamed you, didn't she?
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She did shame me. Yeah.
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And I think,
sometimes teachers and parents
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don't understand the effect
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of that kind of
behavior on their part, like,
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if they shame the
child, it can leave such a scar
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because now you
don't really want to try
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'cause you feel like,
"I'm a failure, I can't do it.
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I can't do it."
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So she never explained to you...
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So as a teacher
she wasn't explaining
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how to do the long division,
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she just gave
you the assignments?
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She instructed
the class as a whole,
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but I think I
needed special attention.
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Okay, okay.
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Did you have any
learning disabilities
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or anything like that?
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I don't think so.
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I don't think I had
any learning disabilities
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at that age.
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No.
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But you just
needed extra attention.
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Yeah, I was good
in other subjects,
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social studies and
science, I loved social studies.
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They called it
social studies back then,
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I loved it
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because it was like
traveling out of your classroom
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when you open the
book to other places
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in the country and
across the Atlantic Ocean,
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you know, you would see these
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in the pictures of the
book and read about it.
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So I excelled in social studies,
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I was really good at spelling.
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One of my favorite
words was transportation.
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I love to spell.
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But when it came to math,
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I think, that particular teacher
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established a
block in me for math.
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So after that it was,
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that was kind of a turning
point for you academically?
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Yes, it was. Okay.
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What happened after that?
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I became
oppositional defiant, ODD,
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oppositional defiant
disorderly, my behaviors...
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I fought a lot not
because I was intentional
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but the school I went to...
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Guys, the boys
would challenge to fight.
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I remember walking home
and I had to fight my way home,
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you know.
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And God, He gave me
the strength of Samson.
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I remember, several times
when I was jumped from behind
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and I just without any training,
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I just flipped
this guy over my back
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and pounced on him and
got up and started walking.
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And another time,
another incident was that
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there was a gang...
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I lived on Bedford
Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
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Okay? Yeah, ooh, yes.
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But I didn't like to play
or hang out on Bedford Avenue.
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I was about nine years old.
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I went to Park Place, nobody
knows about Park Place really
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but I went to Park Place
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and that was a very nice
in a brownstone neighborhood.
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And the guys from my
block came to Park Place
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and they surrounded me, okay?
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And one of them was the
leader and he was the bully.
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So, you know, back then we were
clean fighters with our hands,
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you know, we...
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No weapons.
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No weapons, we fought
with our fists, you know.
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So they surrounded me
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and then the leader came out
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into the middle
of the circle, okay?
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And then he
started challenging me
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and calling me names
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and I had no
other way to go home,
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I had to fight my
way out to go home.
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So we got to fight
it and scrapping, right,
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me and this guy.
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Just you and him? Just
me and him, one on one.
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And his boys just
stood around us, okay?
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And it was a clean fight
because nobody jumped in,
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and when I started
getting the best of him,
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he wind up with
his back in the streets
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'cause we were in the streets.
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His back was on the
street looking up at me
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and I was
pouncing on him, you know.
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And then he
said, "Break, break."
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And I let go, I stood
up and his boys opened up
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and I walked
through and went home.
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Wow.
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You know, I think that
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people who don't live
in the hood so to speak,
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in the inner cities,
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people who don't
live there have no idea
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as to how much
danger children are at.
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It's a war zone. It is.
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Children can't
even walk to school
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without either being jumped
or the threat of being jumped
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or seeing
somebody that's been killed
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or I mean, it's a war zone.
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Yeah.
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And so you had to
fight through that...
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I had to. To
get, even to get home.
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And God gave you the strength...
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God gave me amazing strength.
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I don't know how I
did all these things,
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you know, I was a little
guy, you know, and these guys
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were like bullies
and bigger than me,
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and then I had a friend,
00:09:19.12\00:09:20.46
you know, who
shadowed me, you know.
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He was bigger and stronger,
he's like a Mike Tyson.
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And when I couldn't handle
the guys that were stronger,
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bigger than me he stepped in
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and he knocked
them down and out.
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Wow.
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So, you know,
God took care of me
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for a purpose in His life.
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You know, people hear you
say that and they say like,
00:09:36.54\00:09:39.94
"Well, God didn't do that."
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But you know
what, God protected you.
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He sure did.
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He protected you,
He gave what you...
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You what you needed to
survive, we're talking survival.
00:09:45.45\00:09:49.48
So that, your eighth
grade experience really
00:09:49.52\00:09:54.46
was kind of like the
turning point academically.
00:09:54.49\00:09:57.13
Then you started acting out
00:09:57.16\00:09:59.13
and you started being
oppositional to your parents?
00:09:59.16\00:10:03.23
Were you
oppositional to your parents
00:10:03.26\00:10:04.60
or just teachers?
00:10:04.63\00:10:05.97
To the teachers, you know.
00:10:06.00\00:10:07.37
I respected my parents,
you know, but to my teachers,
00:10:07.40\00:10:12.51
you know, I wouldn't...
00:10:12.54\00:10:13.94
didn't want to do my work.
00:10:13.98\00:10:15.41
In the eighth grade
my academics went down
00:10:15.44\00:10:19.75
and it just
wasn't working for me.
00:10:19.78\00:10:22.68
So what did you
do, did you do anything
00:10:22.72\00:10:25.45
that got you into legal trouble?
00:10:25.49\00:10:29.09
At that time in eighth
grade my friends, they would...
00:10:29.12\00:10:33.43
When we cut classes we
would go and get some wine.
00:10:33.46\00:10:38.50
They call it Wild Irish
Rose or something like that.
00:10:38.53\00:10:40.74
Cheap wine.
Yeah, the cheap wine.
00:10:40.77\00:10:43.27
And, you know, age 14 and 15,
you know, we would, you know,
00:10:43.30\00:10:47.01
drink that, you know.
00:10:47.04\00:10:48.48
And I would get drunk,
00:10:48.51\00:10:52.38
you know, and
couldn't make it to school,
00:10:52.41\00:10:55.08
couldn't make it back to class
00:10:55.12\00:10:57.02
because we would go to school
then we cut classes, you know.
00:10:57.05\00:11:00.02
And that's what the
boys did back then and,
00:11:00.06\00:11:02.79
you know, they
would open the bottle
00:11:02.82\00:11:04.56
and drop one on the
ground for the boys upstate.
00:11:04.59\00:11:08.93
In juvie?
00:11:08.96\00:11:10.30
In juvie and the boys who did.
00:11:10.33\00:11:12.03
Wow. That's how
we did it back then.
00:11:12.07\00:11:14.07
We had the tight
brotherhood but it was,
00:11:14.10\00:11:17.14
for the most part
negative experience.
00:11:17.17\00:11:19.11
Right.
00:11:19.14\00:11:20.48
Did your parents know that
you were drinking at this point?
00:11:20.51\00:11:22.74
Yes, my father did a test on me.
00:11:22.78\00:11:25.91
He did a psychological
test I want to say, you know.
00:11:25.95\00:11:30.59
He got a fifth.
00:11:30.62\00:11:33.92
And he put it on
the top of the closet.
00:11:33.96\00:11:37.43
And I came home and, you know,
00:11:37.46\00:11:39.26
go to closet
and hang out my coat
00:11:39.29\00:11:40.83
and I looked up and
saw that bottle up there.
00:11:40.86\00:11:44.23
And I reached up
for it and I took it.
00:11:44.27\00:11:47.04
And my father was like,
"Ah, my only son," you know.
00:11:47.07\00:11:51.51
Because he would probably
smell it but he would know,
00:11:51.54\00:11:53.48
you know, but he physically
saw me reach for that.
00:11:53.51\00:11:58.68
Right. Right. That bottle, yeah.
00:11:58.71\00:12:00.52
So what did your parents do?
00:12:00.55\00:12:02.15
What kind of
measures did they take
00:12:02.18\00:12:04.29
after they found out that
00:12:04.32\00:12:05.65
you were really
headed down the wrong path?
00:12:05.69\00:12:08.92
Well, at that time my mother
wanted me out of the country,
00:12:08.96\00:12:14.33
okay?
00:12:14.36\00:12:15.70
Out of Brooklyn...
00:12:15.73\00:12:17.07
She didn't just want
you out of the Brooklyn,
00:12:17.10\00:12:18.63
she wanted to send
you out of the country?
00:12:18.67\00:12:20.14
Out of the country.
00:12:20.17\00:12:21.50
So she put me on a plane
00:12:21.54\00:12:25.11
and I remember that night.
00:12:25.14\00:12:29.18
The night that I was
supposed to leave Brooklyn,
00:12:29.21\00:12:33.05
I went down to the school
called Wingate High School...
00:12:33.08\00:12:36.75
Yeah, Wingate, yeah.
00:12:36.79\00:12:38.12
On Brooklyn road down there
00:12:38.15\00:12:39.49
and that's where everything
was happening, you know.
00:12:39.52\00:12:41.09
That's where everybody,
the dealers, the players,
00:12:41.12\00:12:44.33
everybody were
out there hanging out.
00:12:44.36\00:12:45.69
And I went down
there to hang out
00:12:45.73\00:12:47.60
and this is the day,
00:12:47.63\00:12:48.96
the night I'm supposed to leave,
00:12:49.00\00:12:50.33
the day before I was
supposed to be leaving.
00:12:50.37\00:12:52.50
And I just hung out down there.
00:12:52.53\00:12:54.80
And it was about,
00:12:54.84\00:12:57.71
I think it was little after
12 going into the early morning
00:12:57.74\00:13:00.78
and I'm supposed to leave that
following morning on a plane.
00:13:00.81\00:13:05.31
To this day in my
life I don't understand
00:13:05.35\00:13:07.25
but my mother comes down
to the park a little after 12
00:13:07.28\00:13:11.85
and she said to
me, "Son, go home."
00:13:11.89\00:13:15.29
She was a nurse,
00:13:15.32\00:13:16.66
she was dressed in white
and she said, "Son, go home."
00:13:16.69\00:13:19.66
And I looked at my
mom, I'm wondering,
00:13:19.69\00:13:22.26
"What is she doing here?
00:13:22.30\00:13:23.90
How does she know I'm here
00:13:23.93\00:13:25.73
and how does she come down here
at this hour of the morning?"
00:13:25.77\00:13:29.94
And I looked at her
00:13:29.97\00:13:31.31
and I don't
remember respond in a sense
00:13:31.34\00:13:32.87
I just went home.
00:13:32.91\00:13:35.34
I woke up, it was time
for me to get on the plane
00:13:35.38\00:13:38.65
and my mom sent
me out of Brooklyn,
00:13:38.68\00:13:41.15
out of the country.
00:13:41.18\00:13:42.52
And I stayed in
Trinidad for six months.
00:13:42.55\00:13:44.79
And when I went down there
it was a beautiful experience
00:13:44.82\00:13:49.06
but still I wasn't getting it.
00:13:49.09\00:13:51.26
I wasn't getting it, you know...
00:13:51.29\00:13:52.93
Were you hanging with
the wrong crowd in Trinidad?
00:13:52.96\00:13:54.76
Yes, I was, again.
00:13:54.80\00:13:56.83
You know, again, I
was with the wrong crowd,
00:13:56.87\00:13:58.87
I was with the guys
who like that ganja.
00:13:58.90\00:14:04.17
They wanted to fight me,
they said, "Yankee," you know,
00:14:04.21\00:14:06.04
they call me, they say,
00:14:06.07\00:14:07.41
"Yankee, come
here, can you fight?"
00:14:07.44\00:14:09.51
And they just wanted to
fight, you know, smoke the ganja
00:14:09.54\00:14:13.72
and so forth and so on.
00:14:13.75\00:14:15.52
And the six months I spent
down there was an experience
00:14:15.55\00:14:20.39
but I met a friend of mine
00:14:20.42\00:14:22.62
that later became
a teacher at Oakwood,
00:14:22.66\00:14:24.83
but you know, I don't want to...
00:14:24.86\00:14:27.20
Yeah, jumping
ahead of that. Yeah.
00:14:27.23\00:14:29.03
So you were there, you
picked up now a new habit
00:14:29.06\00:14:33.74
which is the ganja, right?
00:14:33.77\00:14:35.64
Because you weren't, were
you doing that in New York?
00:14:35.67\00:14:37.91
Yeah. Okay, okay.
00:14:37.94\00:14:39.27
So this was just
kind of an extension
00:14:39.31\00:14:41.04
of what you were
doing in New York...
00:14:41.08\00:14:42.41
But not as much in New York.
00:14:42.44\00:14:44.71
Down at Trinidad
it's prolific. Yeah.
00:14:44.75\00:14:47.18
You know, they have so
much, you know, open spacing,
00:14:47.22\00:14:50.65
you know, property to
grow it in the backyards,
00:14:50.69\00:14:53.42
in the back country.
00:14:53.46\00:14:55.59
It was...
00:14:55.62\00:14:56.96
And for those who don't know
what ganja is marijuana, right?
00:14:56.99\00:14:59.59
That's what they call it. Yeah.
00:14:59.63\00:15:01.73
I had to check and
see, make sure I was right
00:15:01.76\00:15:03.57
'cause I don't want to
give you wrong information.
00:15:03.60\00:15:05.50
So yeah, so, okay.
00:15:05.53\00:15:06.87
So you go there for
six months, you come back,
00:15:06.90\00:15:10.07
what happens when you come back?
00:15:10.11\00:15:12.24
Oh, I'm just
sniffing and smelling
00:15:12.27\00:15:14.24
the streets of Brooklyn.
00:15:14.28\00:15:16.28
I get a taxi at the
airport from the JFK
00:15:16.31\00:15:21.18
and he's driving
through Brooklyn.
00:15:21.22\00:15:24.29
And I'm so happy, I'm
looking at the garbage cans,
00:15:24.32\00:15:27.69
I'm looking at the stoops,
I'm looking at the brownstones,
00:15:27.72\00:15:30.83
I'm just elated, you know,
I'm back in the neighborhood,
00:15:30.86\00:15:34.73
I'm back on the block
and I'm loving the sights,
00:15:34.76\00:15:37.90
smelling the food burning,
00:15:37.93\00:15:40.17
you know, I just can't
wait to get back into my mess.
00:15:40.20\00:15:43.54
Yeah, yeah to hang
with your old buds.
00:15:43.57\00:15:45.54
To hang with my old boys.
00:15:45.57\00:15:46.91
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:15:46.94\00:15:48.28
So what happened?
00:15:48.31\00:15:49.64
Well, at that time
00:15:49.68\00:15:52.75
my parents wanted me to
go to a Christian school,
00:15:52.78\00:15:58.75
you know, Gradient, New York.
00:15:58.79\00:16:00.99
And I felt lost there too.
00:16:01.02\00:16:02.72
I went there too by
the way. Yeah, I felt lost.
00:16:02.76\00:16:05.73
I just wasn't processing
school in my head, you know.
00:16:05.76\00:16:10.47
I just, I don't think...
00:16:10.50\00:16:12.33
How old were you at this time?
00:16:12.37\00:16:13.70
I was, I think I was 16. Okay.
00:16:13.74\00:16:16.84
I don't think...
00:16:16.87\00:16:18.67
I don't, you know, maybe
teachers didn't have time
00:16:18.71\00:16:20.74
to take time with, you know,
a troubled youth, you know.
00:16:20.78\00:16:25.18
So you went there,
did you flunk out or...?
00:16:25.21\00:16:27.28
I flunk straight out.
00:16:27.32\00:16:29.05
I stopped going.
00:16:29.08\00:16:31.05
Wow.
00:16:31.09\00:16:32.42
So how were your
parents handling this like,
00:16:32.45\00:16:34.62
were they like, ready
to pull their hair out,
00:16:34.66\00:16:38.06
were they angry at you,
00:16:38.09\00:16:39.43
were they worried,
what was their reaction?
00:16:39.46\00:16:42.26
My mother and father,
they prayed a lot for me.
00:16:42.30\00:16:48.17
You know, they
would have sometimes
00:16:48.20\00:16:49.54
their friends come over,
00:16:49.57\00:16:52.11
church friends come
over and visit the house,
00:16:52.14\00:16:53.91
and I would hear them
calling my name in prayer
00:16:53.94\00:16:56.88
and I would leave
the house, you know.
00:16:56.91\00:17:01.28
That went on
like that, you know.
00:17:01.32\00:17:03.49
My mother would counsel
me, my mother knew how to,
00:17:03.52\00:17:06.59
she knew how to talk to me.
00:17:06.62\00:17:08.69
She would say, "Son,
only the strong survive."
00:17:08.72\00:17:13.63
There was a song back then.
00:17:13.66\00:17:15.00
Yeah. Only the strong survive.
00:17:15.03\00:17:16.73
And she say,
"How you doing, son?
00:17:16.77\00:17:18.13
You cool?" I
say, "I'm okay, mom."
00:17:18.17\00:17:21.60
And she say, "Son, you know,
00:17:21.64\00:17:23.81
my friends tell me
you're going through a stage
00:17:23.84\00:17:26.54
and you're gonna get
through this," you know.
00:17:26.57\00:17:29.28
And I listen to her, you know.
00:17:29.31\00:17:32.95
Sweet.
00:17:32.98\00:17:34.32
That was sweet, you
know, she was positive,
00:17:34.35\00:17:36.75
she was giving you
some kind of positive,
00:17:36.79\00:17:41.02
some kind of
affirmation actually...
00:17:41.06\00:17:42.56
Definitely.
00:17:42.59\00:17:43.93
That, you know, you're
going to make it through this.
00:17:43.96\00:17:45.83
But she knew she was praying
00:17:45.86\00:17:47.20
and that's why
you would make it.
00:17:47.23\00:17:48.56
Yes.
00:17:48.60\00:17:49.93
So what was the
worst, the biggest challenge
00:17:49.96\00:17:54.47
that you had as a young person?
00:17:54.50\00:17:57.01
What happened to you legally?
00:17:57.04\00:17:59.34
Okay, so...
00:17:59.37\00:18:00.71
I think I was
about 19 at the time.
00:18:03.55\00:18:08.05
Well, before that
at age 17, I was 17.
00:18:08.08\00:18:14.72
My mom took me to a drug
rehab, downtown Brooklyn.
00:18:14.76\00:18:21.23
And I saw the judge.
00:18:21.26\00:18:24.33
And he gave me
three years probation.
00:18:24.37\00:18:30.17
You saw a judge?
00:18:30.21\00:18:31.54
Yeah.
00:18:31.57\00:18:32.91
Wait, you got
arrested for drugs?
00:18:32.94\00:18:36.48
What happened there...?
00:18:36.51\00:18:40.52
This was a drug program.
00:18:40.55\00:18:42.98
Why?
00:18:43.02\00:18:44.39
My mom took me to.
00:18:44.42\00:18:45.95
Why?
00:18:45.99\00:18:47.36
But how did the judge get
involved with the drug program?
00:18:47.39\00:18:50.86
I got, I think I got,
00:18:50.89\00:18:52.23
if I recall I
got arrested, okay.
00:18:52.26\00:18:56.43
And the judge
gave me this program.
00:18:56.46\00:19:00.27
Okay. And that's what happened.
00:19:00.30\00:19:01.87
Okay. Yeah.
00:19:01.90\00:19:03.30
So the judge gave you,
00:19:03.34\00:19:06.37
you know, you had to
do time with this program
00:19:06.41\00:19:10.15
in other words.
00:19:10.18\00:19:11.51
It's a three year
program, I was 17 at the time.
00:19:11.55\00:19:13.21
Okay.
00:19:13.25\00:19:14.58
And it was a three
year program and I had to...
00:19:14.62\00:19:17.72
The first initial
program was three months.
00:19:17.75\00:19:20.92
And if I...
00:19:20.96\00:19:23.09
They found anything in my system
00:19:23.12\00:19:25.03
then I'll be violated.
00:19:25.06\00:19:26.39
And I was violated three times.
00:19:26.43\00:19:29.03
So had you moved
to heavier drugs?
00:19:29.06\00:19:32.50
Yes. Okay, like?
00:19:32.53\00:19:35.10
Heroin. Yeah. Okay.
00:19:35.14\00:19:36.84
And so, now this is...
00:19:36.87\00:19:41.18
This to me and I talk about this
00:19:41.21\00:19:43.48
on Urban Report a lot.
00:19:43.51\00:19:45.28
How Satan just
takes you from this point
00:19:45.31\00:19:49.15
and just wants to
bring you down, down, down.
00:19:49.18\00:19:52.02
So you start out
with just some alcohol
00:19:52.05\00:19:55.32
and some marijuana
and then it moves to,
00:19:55.36\00:19:59.06
you know, other things,
cocaine, heroin, whatever.
00:19:59.09\00:20:01.80
And you are spiraling downward.
00:20:01.83\00:20:04.83
Your life is being
destroyed which is Satan's plan.
00:20:04.87\00:20:08.27
That's the plan. To destroy you.
00:20:08.30\00:20:10.71
So what happened when
you went into that program?
00:20:10.74\00:20:14.14
Did you, not the three month one
00:20:14.18\00:20:16.48
but the three year one,
did you violate that one too?
00:20:16.51\00:20:19.11
Yes, I did. Okay.
00:20:19.15\00:20:20.72
I violated...
00:20:20.75\00:20:23.39
When I was given
three years in the program,
00:20:23.42\00:20:27.82
I got violated three
times because I, you know,
00:20:27.86\00:20:30.49
I had that, I had ingested it.
00:20:30.53\00:20:32.56
Right.
00:20:32.59\00:20:33.93
I mean, when I went
to report to see my PO,
00:20:33.96\00:20:37.03
they obviously,
you know, detected it.
00:20:37.07\00:20:40.57
Right.
00:20:40.60\00:20:41.94
And, so while in that
program I would try to do it
00:20:41.97\00:20:48.24
and clean myself out.
00:20:48.28\00:20:51.35
And it, for the
most part never worked.
00:20:51.38\00:20:56.32
Because you were
trying it on your own.
00:20:56.35\00:20:57.69
Right.
00:20:57.72\00:20:59.05
So at what point did you decide
that Jesus is the way for me
00:20:59.09\00:21:02.66
to get my life straight?
00:21:02.69\00:21:04.06
Okay.
00:21:04.09\00:21:05.43
So at 19,
00:21:05.46\00:21:11.47
I was, at age 19
00:21:11.50\00:21:12.83
I was hanging out in
Manhattan on 14th street,
00:21:12.87\00:21:18.61
midtown lower Manhattan.
00:21:18.64\00:21:21.14
And I was with my girlfriend.
00:21:21.18\00:21:23.48
And we were just,
you know, chilling.
00:21:23.51\00:21:26.35
It was about 1
o'clock in the morning.
00:21:26.38\00:21:29.78
Worst time for anyone to be out,
00:21:29.82\00:21:32.05
for any good Christian Adventist
00:21:32.09\00:21:34.12
to be out on Friday night.
00:21:34.16\00:21:35.66
Right.
00:21:35.69\00:21:37.03
I just want to say
the devil is most...
00:21:37.06\00:21:38.49
I feel the devil is
most busy on Friday night.
00:21:38.53\00:21:41.40
That's what I
want to say, you know.
00:21:41.43\00:21:43.90
And it was on Friday night,
00:21:43.93\00:21:45.27
it was about 1
am in the morning.
00:21:45.30\00:21:48.47
We were just walking and
out of the blue comes NYPD.
00:21:48.50\00:21:53.48
And they put on their
brakes, they jump out of the car
00:21:53.51\00:21:58.05
and they slam us
against this store,
00:21:58.08\00:22:00.18
the store front that's closed.
00:22:00.22\00:22:04.19
And they take
out their flashlights
00:22:04.22\00:22:07.59
and one of the cops
went to this garbage can
00:22:07.62\00:22:10.16
and he put his hand against
it, "Oh, look what I found."
00:22:10.19\00:22:13.86
And he came to me and said,
"What are you doing with this?"
00:22:13.90\00:22:15.60
I said, "You
know, you are wrong."
00:22:15.63\00:22:18.00
I said, "You're
supposed to be upholding justice
00:22:18.03\00:22:19.70
and here you are
trying to plant this on me."
00:22:19.73\00:22:22.04
I said, "It's not mine."
00:22:22.07\00:22:23.41
And that's the honest
truth that it's not mine.
00:22:23.44\00:22:25.97
What did he pull
out, a weapon or drugs?
00:22:26.01\00:22:28.04
Marijuana. Okay, drugs, okay.
00:22:28.08\00:22:29.78
I said, "It's not mine."
00:22:29.81\00:22:31.15
I said, "You're
supposed to be upholding the law
00:22:31.18\00:22:32.51
and here you are
breaking the law," you know.
00:22:32.55\00:22:36.65
And he looked at me
and he says, "Shut up."
00:22:36.69\00:22:39.45
And then they took
out their blue black jack,
00:22:39.49\00:22:41.32
about this long, you know.
00:22:41.36\00:22:42.69
It's bound in
leather and it's flexible.
00:22:42.72\00:22:47.20
And he came over to me
00:22:47.23\00:22:48.56
and started flexing
it in my face like that.
00:22:48.60\00:22:53.37
I just want to make
sure that I get this.
00:22:53.40\00:22:55.44
You and your girlfriend
are walking down the street,
00:22:55.47\00:22:59.17
just walking.
00:22:59.21\00:23:00.68
Not bothering
anybody, just walking and NYPD
00:23:00.71\00:23:05.81
just comes up put
you up against the wall
00:23:05.85\00:23:09.35
and the cop goes and pulls
out some drugs and accuses it,
00:23:09.38\00:23:14.06
accuses you of
the drugs being yours?
00:23:14.09\00:23:16.32
Yeah.
00:23:16.36\00:23:17.69
No provocation,
you didn't do anything?
00:23:17.73\00:23:20.16
See I think, the reason
why I'm emphasizing this is
00:23:20.20\00:23:22.73
because there are so many people
00:23:22.76\00:23:24.90
who watch these programs,
00:23:24.93\00:23:26.40
who have no clue that
those kinds of things do happen.
00:23:26.43\00:23:30.37
They happen all the time.
00:23:30.41\00:23:32.44
It's not, you know, it's
not like they rarely happen,
00:23:32.47\00:23:35.21
they happen all the time.
00:23:35.24\00:23:37.05
And this is, you know,
00:23:37.08\00:23:38.41
not every policeman is like this
00:23:38.45\00:23:40.18
but there are a lot
of policemen who do this.
00:23:40.22\00:23:42.52
And I think that your situation,
00:23:42.55\00:23:45.52
you know, is not,
it's not uncommon.
00:23:45.55\00:23:49.09
So what happened...
00:23:49.12\00:23:50.46
So he had the stick
00:23:50.49\00:23:51.83
and he's starting to
hit you with the stick.
00:23:51.86\00:23:53.19
Yeah.
00:23:53.23\00:23:54.56
So immediately I
come to the conclusion
00:23:54.60\00:23:59.53
that he is trying
to prompt me to respond
00:23:59.57\00:24:02.50
so that he could have or
they could have a reason,
00:24:02.54\00:24:04.61
you know, to arrest me.
00:24:04.64\00:24:06.68
So I said to myself,
00:24:06.71\00:24:08.04
"I'm not going to
do anything," okay.
00:24:08.08\00:24:10.88
So then he went to my girlfriend
00:24:10.91\00:24:12.35
and he started doing
the same thing to her.
00:24:12.38\00:24:14.82
So I'm watching
him and then he put...
00:24:14.85\00:24:16.55
raised the black
jack up over her head...
00:24:16.58\00:24:21.59
Like he's going
to hit her. Yeah.
00:24:21.62\00:24:23.43
And I just jumped at him,
00:24:23.46\00:24:26.83
you know, to prevent or
stop him from hitting her.
00:24:26.86\00:24:29.40
Right.
00:24:29.43\00:24:30.77
And when I leapt toward him
00:24:30.80\00:24:32.47
they both went
like that towards me,
00:24:32.50\00:24:34.94
have to say, "Aha-aha."
00:24:34.97\00:24:36.54
And they rained on me
the worst beating in my life.
00:24:36.57\00:24:40.58
They beat me in my head,
I had to get four stitches.
00:24:40.61\00:24:44.31
They beat me unconscious, I
fell on the concrete sidewalk
00:24:44.35\00:24:47.85
and hit my forehead
00:24:47.88\00:24:49.65
and then they
cuffed me in the back,
00:24:49.68\00:24:52.19
put me in the car.
00:24:52.22\00:24:53.96
And the cop that sat
in the passenger side,
00:24:53.99\00:24:57.83
I'm cuffed like this
00:24:57.86\00:24:59.73
and they're taking
me to Bellevue Hospital,
00:24:59.76\00:25:01.80
well, that's where they took me.
00:25:01.83\00:25:03.16
I don't know
where they were taking,
00:25:03.20\00:25:04.53
but it's where they took me.
00:25:04.57\00:25:05.90
And I'm cuffed like this
00:25:05.93\00:25:07.27
and the cop
sitting in front of me
00:25:07.30\00:25:08.90
on the passenger
side he turned around
00:25:08.94\00:25:10.41
just started
beating me in my face
00:25:10.44\00:25:11.97
and hit me in my
head, hit in my chest.
00:25:12.01\00:25:14.34
Just beat me, I'm
helpless like this
00:25:14.38\00:25:16.61
and he is, he's
still beating me.
00:25:16.64\00:25:18.35
Why? Where is your girlfriend?
00:25:18.38\00:25:20.32
Did they arrest her as well? No.
00:25:20.35\00:25:22.22
Okay. No.
00:25:22.25\00:25:23.59
So they took me to
Bellevue and the doctor in ER,
00:25:23.62\00:25:25.89
he was so...
00:25:25.92\00:25:27.26
He didn't say one
word, he looked at me
00:25:27.29\00:25:28.62
and looked at the cops
and he just attended to me
00:25:28.66\00:25:31.26
and released me and then
they took me to the jail.
00:25:31.29\00:25:36.43
And the good cop, I
want to say good cop,
00:25:36.46\00:25:40.60
he said, "Go
upstairs and wash up."
00:25:40.64\00:25:44.27
So I went upstairs to wash...
00:25:44.31\00:25:45.64
I had a little afro back then.
00:25:45.67\00:25:47.31
It was all matted with blood,
00:25:47.34\00:25:48.68
I had a big
patch on my head now.
00:25:48.71\00:25:50.25
I had blood on my clothes.
00:25:50.28\00:25:51.61
He said, "Go
upstairs and wash up."
00:25:51.65\00:25:52.98
And I went
upstairs in the bathroom,
00:25:53.01\00:25:54.35
so the other cop,
that's the bad cop,
00:25:54.38\00:25:56.72
he came up and
took off his pistol belt
00:25:56.75\00:25:58.49
put it on the desk by the sink
and said, "Come on, come on."
00:25:58.52\00:26:03.63
I'm looking at him, I'm
dazed and tired and beaten.
00:26:03.66\00:26:06.26
I'm looking at him and
his partner comes up and says,
00:26:06.29\00:26:09.70
"Leave him alone.
00:26:09.73\00:26:11.40
Leave him alone."
00:26:11.43\00:26:12.77
This is the one that was
beating you up in the car?
00:26:12.80\00:26:14.44
Yes.
00:26:14.47\00:26:15.80
So he wants to
continue, see that...
00:26:15.84\00:26:18.94
Oh, he wants to continue
the whole confrontation thing
00:26:18.97\00:26:22.38
and you're just like,
00:26:22.41\00:26:23.75
just trying to deal
with what's happened.
00:26:23.78\00:26:26.65
Okay, go ahead. Absolutely.
00:26:26.68\00:26:28.18
Oh my goodness.
00:26:28.22\00:26:29.55
So he leaves me
alone, so they lock me up.
00:26:29.58\00:26:32.59
In the morning I
see the judge, okay?
00:26:32.62\00:26:35.49
And the judge
assigned me a public defender
00:26:35.52\00:26:39.23
and he did a
really good job, he did.
00:26:39.26\00:26:42.53
He defended me and he got me off
00:26:42.56\00:26:46.00
and they dismissed the case.
00:26:46.03\00:26:48.67
Did you tell him
00:26:48.70\00:26:50.04
what the police had done to you?
00:26:50.07\00:26:51.41
Yeah.
00:26:51.44\00:26:52.77
I told it to the
defender at that time.
00:26:52.81\00:26:54.14
But there was no
recourse for you, right?
00:26:54.18\00:26:55.51
Because there's
nothing you can do about it.
00:26:55.54\00:26:57.55
I mean, as far as
being beat up like that?
00:26:57.58\00:26:58.91
Yeah.
00:26:58.95\00:27:00.28
Ah, they didn't do
nothing about that.
00:27:00.32\00:27:01.65
Yeah. They didn't
do nothing about that.
00:27:01.68\00:27:03.02
Yeah. Okay.
00:27:03.05\00:27:04.39
But he kept my record clean
00:27:04.42\00:27:05.75
by not putting down
that I was arrested.
00:27:05.79\00:27:08.46
Drugs, because it wasn't...
00:27:08.49\00:27:09.96
I didn't have it on me. Right.
00:27:09.99\00:27:11.49
So I was allowed to go
home and I got on the subway
00:27:11.53\00:27:16.90
and while I'm
sitting in a subway car,
00:27:16.93\00:27:19.93
like this is around March
and it's cold outside, right?
00:27:19.97\00:27:23.87
So I see this guy walked in
00:27:23.91\00:27:25.44
and sat right in
front of me with no coat,
00:27:25.47\00:27:27.78
no shoes and I'm looking
at him and he's looking at me
00:27:27.81\00:27:30.78
because we're
both looking messed up.
00:27:30.81\00:27:32.15
Yeah.
00:27:32.18\00:27:33.52
It's not funny but yeah, yeah.
00:27:33.55\00:27:34.92
And I'm feeling,
"Wow, that could be me,
00:27:34.95\00:27:39.75
you know, in a few years.
00:27:39.79\00:27:41.19
I could be a vagrant no
place to live, no shoes,
00:27:41.22\00:27:44.49
you know, cold in
the dead of winter."
00:27:44.53\00:27:46.29
So my mind started thinking.
00:27:46.33\00:27:49.16
So I went home, my
mom saw me, she said,
00:27:49.20\00:27:51.13
"Son, go take a bath."
00:27:51.17\00:27:54.64
She put some warm
water, I took a bath,
00:27:54.67\00:27:56.81
woke up in the
morning, probation,
00:27:56.84\00:27:58.97
my probation
officer knocks on the door,
00:27:59.01\00:28:01.31
he arrest me and
takes me downtown.
00:28:01.34\00:28:03.91
And.
00:28:03.95\00:28:05.45
I'm violated again for
the third time, final time.
00:28:05.48\00:28:09.35
Was this is the
three strikes deal?
00:28:09.38\00:28:11.02
Yeah. Oh, my, my.
00:28:11.05\00:28:14.89
Wow. Okay, so go ahead.
00:28:14.92\00:28:16.29
So I see the
judge and he gives me,
00:28:16.32\00:28:20.96
he said, "You're
going to max out."
00:28:21.00\00:28:24.50
Meaning, I have
eight more months to do.
00:28:24.53\00:28:28.10
So usually it's
for three months,
00:28:28.14\00:28:30.51
a three month bid,
you know, a three day bid.
00:28:30.54\00:28:34.04
But he says to me,
"You're gonna max out.
00:28:34.08\00:28:36.98
You're going to finish off
the entire three year program,"
00:28:37.01\00:28:40.02
because I'm maxed out in
September, you know, '75.
00:28:40.05\00:28:44.55
So I did my whole bid
00:28:44.59\00:28:48.09
and I maxed out and I came home.
00:28:48.12\00:28:51.79
My father said to me, "Son,
make your room your prison."
00:28:51.83\00:28:58.47
'Cause I did that.
00:28:58.50\00:29:00.27
And I tell you,
you know, Dr. Lewis,
00:29:00.30\00:29:02.07
I began to pray
and read my Bible.
00:29:02.10\00:29:07.14
Now this is after you came out?
00:29:07.18\00:29:08.88
Yeah.
00:29:08.91\00:29:10.25
Your dad said, "Make
your room your prison."
00:29:10.28\00:29:12.91
In other words,
stay in that room
00:29:12.95\00:29:15.05
and get it together,
00:29:15.08\00:29:17.59
that's basically
what he was saying.
00:29:17.62\00:29:18.95
Absolutely.
00:29:18.99\00:29:20.32
And so that's what
started you praying.
00:29:20.36\00:29:22.02
Yes.
00:29:22.06\00:29:23.39
And not just that but, you know,
00:29:23.43\00:29:25.03
I did a lot of reflection,
00:29:25.06\00:29:26.39
you know, self reflection
of how I got to this last bid,
00:29:26.43\00:29:30.70
you know, and I start
looking at my future, you know,
00:29:30.73\00:29:33.60
and I got concerned about
00:29:33.64\00:29:35.37
how things would
turn out for my life.
00:29:35.40\00:29:37.04
And I really got concerned.
00:29:37.07\00:29:38.84
And I prayed a
prayer, I never forget,
00:29:38.87\00:29:41.64
and I said, "Dear God,
00:29:41.68\00:29:43.01
show me the
purpose for my life."
00:29:43.04\00:29:47.82
Come on now,
you're gonna make me cry.
00:29:47.85\00:29:49.88
That's what I prayed. Oh, yes.
00:29:49.92\00:29:51.79
And He did. He did.
00:29:51.82\00:29:53.52
How did He show
you? What did He do?
00:29:53.56\00:29:56.69
You know, I don't like
telling to many people this
00:29:56.73\00:30:00.70
because, you know,
but I was straight,
00:30:00.73\00:30:03.67
I was clean, I was clear
and I was lucid in my thinking.
00:30:03.70\00:30:07.50
And after being
home for two weeks,
00:30:07.54\00:30:11.21
friends came
knocking on my door.
00:30:11.24\00:30:14.08
And I tell my sisters,
"Tell them I'm not home."
00:30:14.11\00:30:17.81
My sister said, "I'm
not gonna lie for you."
00:30:17.85\00:30:19.18
So I said, "Okay, I'm
going to go up on the roof,
00:30:19.21\00:30:20.78
now tell them I'm not home."
00:30:20.82\00:30:22.45
And one particular friend came,
00:30:22.48\00:30:24.05
very close friend of mine
00:30:24.09\00:30:25.42
and I said, "I'm
going to talk to him."
00:30:25.45\00:30:26.79
So I went outside and I said,
"Yo, you know, I don't do this,
00:30:26.82\00:30:29.92
you know, I'm
changed now, you know."
00:30:29.96\00:30:31.73
I said, "You know,
I'm not the same Hollis
00:30:31.76\00:30:34.36
that you used to know."
00:30:34.40\00:30:36.03
And he looked at me, you know,
he just looked at me and...
00:30:36.06\00:30:39.47
I don't remember what he said
00:30:39.50\00:30:40.84
but, you know, I know
what I said to him, you know.
00:30:40.87\00:30:42.74
I explained to him, this
is not what I'm doing anymore.
00:30:42.77\00:30:46.47
And he acknowledged
that and he turned around
00:30:46.51\00:30:48.98
and started
walking down the block.
00:30:49.01\00:30:50.75
And I stood
there and watched him
00:30:50.78\00:30:52.48
walk down the long block,
00:30:52.51\00:30:54.72
you know, until
he turned the bend
00:30:54.75\00:30:57.55
and disappeared, you know.
00:30:57.59\00:31:01.56
I'm going to get
back to your question
00:31:01.59\00:31:02.92
but that same friend
became a career criminal,
00:31:02.96\00:31:09.36
going through, you know,
the cycle endure of civitism
00:31:09.40\00:31:12.97
just going back and
forth, back and forth.
00:31:13.00\00:31:15.20
Did a 10 year bid.
00:31:15.24\00:31:16.57
So when I asked God to
show me the purpose for my life,
00:31:19.44\00:31:23.91
I had this dream
as clear as a bell.
00:31:23.95\00:31:30.29
That dream changed my life.
00:31:30.32\00:31:33.42
Come on.
00:31:33.46\00:31:34.79
Tell us, what
was the dream about?
00:31:34.82\00:31:36.62
Yeah.
00:31:36.66\00:31:37.99
I dreamt that I was in
a different environment
00:31:38.03\00:31:42.43
than what we
wake up to every day,
00:31:42.46\00:31:45.40
this earthly environment.
00:31:45.43\00:31:47.54
And I'm looking at
myself in this dream
00:31:47.57\00:31:49.30
because, you
know, you're dreaming,
00:31:49.34\00:31:50.67
you're seeing yourself.
00:31:50.71\00:31:52.04
Right, right.
00:31:52.07\00:31:53.41
And I'm seeing
myself in this environment
00:31:53.44\00:31:54.78
and I want to say it's
a heavenly environment.
00:31:54.81\00:31:59.88
Okay?
00:31:59.91\00:32:01.25
Because that's what
I dreamt in the dream
00:32:01.28\00:32:02.62
and that's what I acknowledged
in that dream, you know.
00:32:02.65\00:32:05.85
And I saw myself standing
00:32:05.89\00:32:08.02
in the presence of
someone sitting in a throne.
00:32:08.06\00:32:13.93
Yeah.
00:32:13.96\00:32:15.86
And as I looked at
myself in this dream,
00:32:15.90\00:32:19.17
I saw myself walked to the left
00:32:19.20\00:32:21.94
and do a 360 around
this person in this throne,
00:32:21.97\00:32:25.61
just looking at this person,
00:32:25.64\00:32:27.68
you know, just
looking, you know.
00:32:27.71\00:32:30.28
And then I came back around
00:32:30.31\00:32:31.65
and stood in
front of this person
00:32:31.68\00:32:33.01
and I looked into His face
00:32:33.05\00:32:34.38
and I could not see
His eyes, nose, or mouth,
00:32:34.42\00:32:36.32
all I saw was
intense bright light.
00:32:36.35\00:32:41.46
And at that point I saw myself
00:32:41.49\00:32:44.96
just without
being any intention,
00:32:44.99\00:32:48.20
just fall on my knees
00:32:48.23\00:32:51.13
and my forehead
touched His feet.
00:32:51.17\00:32:54.30
And then I heard a voice.
00:32:54.34\00:32:57.41
The voice said to me,
"One thousand years," yes.
00:32:57.44\00:33:03.14
And then I stood up
and when I stood up,
00:33:03.18\00:33:07.35
I saw that I was
changed, I looked like Him.
00:33:07.38\00:33:13.62
Wow.
00:33:13.66\00:33:14.99
I looked like Him.
00:33:15.02\00:33:18.09
I was no longer
in physical clothes,
00:33:18.13\00:33:20.00
I was beaming with bright light.
00:33:20.03\00:33:23.47
Yeah.
00:33:23.50\00:33:24.83
Reflecting His light.
00:33:24.87\00:33:26.67
Reflected His light. Wow.
00:33:26.70\00:33:28.64
Yeah. What a beautiful dream.
00:33:28.67\00:33:31.47
So when you woke up...
00:33:31.51\00:33:33.44
It was not finished yet.
00:33:33.48\00:33:34.81
Oh, I'm sorry, my
bad. Go ahead. Go ahead.
00:33:34.84\00:33:37.05
So as I stood there,
00:33:37.08\00:33:40.08
I saw myself in
this dream moving away.
00:33:40.12\00:33:46.15
I want to say backsliding.
00:33:46.19\00:33:49.12
You know, how you
moon walk backwards.
00:33:49.16\00:33:50.49
Yes, yes.
00:33:50.53\00:33:51.86
In the dream I saw
myself moving backwards,
00:33:51.89\00:33:57.07
away from the presence
of who I now say is God
00:33:57.10\00:34:00.94
in that dream.
00:34:00.97\00:34:02.30
And I heard another voice,
the same voice said two words.
00:34:02.34\00:34:07.74
It said, "Come back."
00:34:07.78\00:34:12.45
And that just played
and played in my head.
00:34:12.48\00:34:15.82
When I woke up, I sat on
my bed and pondered that dream
00:34:15.85\00:34:19.35
and I shared it with my father.
00:34:19.39\00:34:20.79
My father said, "Son,
00:34:20.82\00:34:22.96
God has revealed Himself to
you to come back," you know.
00:34:22.99\00:34:28.50
As a result of
that dream I said,
00:34:28.53\00:34:30.20
"Daddy, I want to
study the ministry."
00:34:30.23\00:34:33.74
And he laughed at me.
00:34:33.77\00:34:36.97
Not, you know, facetious type.
00:34:37.01\00:34:39.44
It was just like...
00:34:39.47\00:34:41.28
because my dad
was a pastor, I'm PK.
00:34:41.31\00:34:43.55
Oh, you're a PK,
Oh, wow. You are a PK.
00:34:43.58\00:34:46.35
He was a pastor.
00:34:46.38\00:34:48.28
God bless him. Yes.
00:34:48.32\00:34:49.78
And he says, "Son,
be a medical doctor."
00:34:49.82\00:34:54.82
Yeah, he said, "Go to
Guatila, Mexico, study medicine,
00:34:54.86\00:34:57.63
and come back to the
States and take your boards."
00:34:57.66\00:34:59.69
I said, "Dad, I want to
be, I want to study ministry."
00:34:59.73\00:35:03.87
He was very, you know,
democratic and he said,
00:35:03.90\00:35:06.80
"Well, son, go to
Oakwood and then go to Andrews
00:35:06.84\00:35:10.24
and go to the seminary."
00:35:10.27\00:35:13.07
And I said, "Okay."
00:35:13.11\00:35:14.44
My mom snatched me and she said,
00:35:14.48\00:35:17.58
"I want you off
the streets now."
00:35:17.61\00:35:20.32
She didn't say like that
00:35:20.35\00:35:21.68
but, you know, she
wanted me off the streets.
00:35:21.72\00:35:23.22
Right. And how old
were you at this point?
00:35:23.25\00:35:25.02
I was 20.
00:35:25.05\00:35:26.39
Okay.
00:35:26.42\00:35:27.76
And she said, "I
want you off the streets."
00:35:27.79\00:35:30.53
And I always listen to
my mom. I love my mama.
00:35:30.56\00:35:34.36
Always listen...
00:35:34.40\00:35:35.73
I listen to my dad too,
you know, my mom, she just.
00:35:35.76\00:35:37.70
You're real close
to your mom. Yeah.
00:35:37.73\00:35:39.80
I said, "Okay, mom."
00:35:39.83\00:35:41.80
So she took me about her hand
00:35:41.84\00:35:43.27
and we walked
several city blocks
00:35:43.30\00:35:46.68
down Bedford into
Bed-Stuy down there
00:35:46.71\00:35:49.71
I think by St.
Marks, for those of you
00:35:49.74\00:35:51.31
who are from Brooklyn.
00:35:51.35\00:35:53.35
Down to St.
Marks and Dean Street,
00:35:53.38\00:35:55.18
Pacific and Atlantic Avenue.
00:35:55.22\00:35:56.82
Yeah, Atlantic
Avenue and Bedford Avenue.
00:35:56.85\00:35:58.89
And she took me to...
00:35:58.92\00:36:00.26
And introduced me
to Army recruiter.
00:36:00.29\00:36:04.36
And she explained to
him, this is my only son
00:36:04.39\00:36:06.83
and I want him to be
enlisted into the army.
00:36:06.86\00:36:09.56
And he looked at me,
00:36:09.60\00:36:12.03
he was from
Vietnam and he was big.
00:36:12.07\00:36:14.34
He had scars on his
face and I could see that
00:36:14.37\00:36:17.64
he medicated
himself through alcohol.
00:36:17.67\00:36:21.24
But he was the
nicest guy I ever met.
00:36:21.28\00:36:24.55
I call him Sergeant K. Okay?
00:36:24.58\00:36:28.02
And he received me
and processed me in.
00:36:28.05\00:36:30.75
And army wasn't my choice.
00:36:30.79\00:36:35.99
But for that day and
time and for my experience
00:36:36.02\00:36:41.96
I needed that type of discipline
00:36:42.00\00:36:43.80
because it made me
into a better person.
00:36:43.83\00:36:46.67
I excelled in the military.
00:36:46.70\00:36:49.20
When I was in boot
camp they singled me out
00:36:49.24\00:36:51.61
and made me a squad leader.
00:36:51.64\00:36:53.44
Then I went to AIT which is
advanced individual training.
00:36:53.48\00:36:56.44
Again, they singled me out
and made me a squad leader,
00:36:56.48\00:36:59.65
and they gave me
heavy assignments.
00:36:59.68\00:37:02.12
And it made me, it helped me
to become a responsible person.
00:37:02.15\00:37:07.36
You know, I was in
there for, it was six years,
00:37:07.39\00:37:10.23
you know, the reserves,
army reserves six years.
00:37:10.26\00:37:14.63
And, you know, I came
home of course and I worked.
00:37:14.66\00:37:18.37
And then I went to
Medgar Evers College
00:37:18.40\00:37:22.10
in Brooklyn.
00:37:22.14\00:37:23.61
Some of us know Medgar
Evers, Shalom in the back.
00:37:23.64\00:37:27.71
I went to his college.
00:37:27.74\00:37:29.78
And I took junior
course, junior college courses
00:37:29.81\00:37:33.38
and then I weaved my way
in the direction of Oakwood.
00:37:33.42\00:37:39.25
So your plan even while
you were in the military
00:37:39.29\00:37:42.56
was still to go to
Oakwood or you doing it just,
00:37:42.59\00:37:45.73
you know, you're going to
do the military thing first
00:37:45.76\00:37:48.46
and then go to
Oakwood, that was your plan?
00:37:48.50\00:37:50.97
My plan was to go
straight to the Oakwood
00:37:51.00\00:37:54.27
but my mother, she wanted me,
00:37:54.30\00:37:55.70
you know, to commit,
you know, into the military
00:37:55.74\00:37:58.37
because she talked
with her girlfriends,
00:37:58.41\00:38:01.61
"Get your son off the street now
00:38:01.64\00:38:02.98
and put him in the military."
00:38:03.01\00:38:05.61
Were you slipping
back when she did this?
00:38:05.65\00:38:07.98
No.
00:38:08.02\00:38:09.35
Oh, so she just
wanted to kind of make sure
00:38:09.38\00:38:12.02
you didn't slip back?
00:38:12.05\00:38:13.39
Yes, she wanted to
make sure that I was,
00:38:13.42\00:38:16.29
you know, out of New York,
out of streets and she did.
00:38:16.32\00:38:22.53
So you went to the military
and then you went to Oakwood?
00:38:22.56\00:38:24.90
Yes.
00:38:24.93\00:38:26.27
And you...
00:38:26.30\00:38:27.64
What's your major in at Oakwood?
00:38:27.67\00:38:29.00
Theology. Okay.
00:38:29.04\00:38:30.37
But it gets better. Come on.
00:38:30.41\00:38:32.51
Before it gets, well,
I say better or worse.
00:38:32.54\00:38:35.54
I went to Oakwood,
00:38:35.58\00:38:37.61
I was convicted
but not converted.
00:38:37.65\00:38:44.29
Now explain that?
00:38:44.32\00:38:45.69
Okay.
00:38:45.72\00:38:47.06
I always see a lot of
convicts in the church.
00:38:47.09\00:38:49.22
I was convicted that
I love God, God love me.
00:38:53.16\00:38:59.13
But I didn't have,
00:38:59.17\00:39:00.50
my social
awareness was not heightened,
00:39:00.54\00:39:03.17
my myself awareness was
not heightened, you know.
00:39:03.20\00:39:05.91
I went down over to a friend,
00:39:05.94\00:39:10.05
platonic
relationship I want to say this
00:39:10.08\00:39:11.71
right upfront.
00:39:11.75\00:39:13.08
A very good close friend of mine
00:39:13.11\00:39:15.15
that live right next
door to me in Brooklyn, okay?
00:39:15.18\00:39:18.55
And when I went down there
I was not focused, you know,
00:39:18.59\00:39:22.56
I cared and attended, you
know, to her special needs
00:39:22.59\00:39:25.83
because she had two children,
two little girls, you know.
00:39:25.86\00:39:28.83
And I helped her out, you know,
and I didn't have time to study
00:39:28.86\00:39:33.67
and my GPA went
down to 1.8, 1.18.
00:39:33.70\00:39:38.01
And Dr. Rock, Kelvin Rock,
00:39:38.04\00:39:41.51
you know, he
called me to the office,
00:39:41.54\00:39:42.88
they had a meeting, they said,
"You can't stay here anymore."
00:39:42.91\00:39:47.62
They put you on
academic probation?
00:39:47.65\00:39:49.58
They put me, they put me
out to get academic probation.
00:39:49.62\00:39:55.02
They said to me, "This
is what we can do for you.
00:39:55.06\00:39:59.06
You can leave here and
then go to another school,
00:39:59.09\00:40:01.60
and bring your GPA up
and then you can come back."
00:40:01.63\00:40:06.00
So I started
thinking. "Where can I go?"
00:40:06.03\00:40:09.50
I was really
focused on the ministry,
00:40:09.54\00:40:12.07
I wanted badly, not
for self glorification.
00:40:12.11\00:40:15.74
The Word of God was
just burning in my heart.
00:40:15.78\00:40:21.48
So I said, "I got
to get my GPA up."
00:40:21.52\00:40:24.49
And I went to Hunter College.
00:40:24.52\00:40:26.29
Oh, yeah, in New York? Yeah.
00:40:26.32\00:40:28.06
And this individual
person who worked in,
00:40:28.09\00:40:33.50
I think was the dean's office,
00:40:33.53\00:40:34.86
she said to me, nice
lady with blonde hair,
00:40:34.90\00:40:37.17
beautiful lady.
00:40:37.20\00:40:38.53
She said, "You
don't belong here."
00:40:38.57\00:40:42.37
She said, "You
don't belong here."
00:40:42.40\00:40:45.27
So I said to her, "I'm
going to walk out of here
00:40:45.31\00:40:47.04
but I'm not going
to give you my back,
00:40:47.08\00:40:48.41
I'm just going to
walk out backwards."
00:40:48.44\00:40:49.84
And so I told her.
00:40:49.88\00:40:51.48
I walked out backwards.
00:40:51.51\00:40:53.78
And I politely took it.
00:40:53.82\00:40:55.78
What did she mean that
you didn't belong there?
00:40:55.82\00:40:57.15
I don't know.
00:40:57.19\00:40:58.52
Well...
00:40:58.55\00:40:59.89
I don't know.
00:40:59.92\00:41:01.69
But they let
you in with the 1.8?
00:41:01.72\00:41:04.06
Who? Hunter.
00:41:04.09\00:41:05.43
No. This was my
application to get in.
00:41:05.46\00:41:10.47
Wait, I'm little confused.
00:41:10.50\00:41:11.83
So after you left
Oakwood, you went to Hunter?
00:41:11.87\00:41:14.60
I went to Hunter to process in.
00:41:14.64\00:41:16.74
To bring the grades up
so to go back to Oakwood.
00:41:16.77\00:41:18.97
Yeah.
00:41:19.01\00:41:20.34
And they let you in or
they didn't let you in?
00:41:20.38\00:41:22.21
They did not let me in.
00:41:22.24\00:41:23.58
She said to me,
"You don't belong here."
00:41:23.61\00:41:25.41
Okay.
00:41:25.45\00:41:26.78
Maybe God was speaking
through her, I don't know.
00:41:26.82\00:41:28.52
Okay.
00:41:28.55\00:41:29.88
So what did you do then?
00:41:29.92\00:41:31.25
So I got angry,
you know, I got upset.
00:41:31.29\00:41:33.49
I said, "I'm
leaving this country."
00:41:33.52\00:41:36.16
So I did some
research and I found that
00:41:36.19\00:41:39.59
there's Adventist
University in Solusi,
00:41:39.63\00:41:42.50
South Africa, not
south but Solusi, Africa.
00:41:42.53\00:41:45.73
Okay. Down Harare
somewhere in there.
00:41:45.77\00:41:48.70
So I called and
sent the application in
00:41:48.74\00:41:52.47
and then I got a phone call
00:41:52.51\00:41:55.34
from Solusi SDA
University in Africa.
00:41:55.38\00:42:00.38
And I was excited, you know.
00:42:00.42\00:42:02.92
Right.
00:42:02.95\00:42:04.29
And this woman said
to me, "You know Hollis?
00:42:04.32\00:42:08.76
I said, "Yes." She
said, "I think I know you."
00:42:08.79\00:42:12.99
And she began to talk and
so I said, "I'm not going."
00:42:13.03\00:42:18.10
I said, "I'm not
going." I said, "I'm not going."
00:42:18.13\00:42:22.74
She's telling me she
knows me and this and that.
00:42:22.77\00:42:24.91
And I said, "I'm not going."
00:42:24.94\00:42:27.11
All I'm thinking about is
getting on track with God.
00:42:27.14\00:42:30.68
That's all that's
burning in my heart.
00:42:30.71\00:42:33.08
So then I applied
to Andrews University.
00:42:33.11\00:42:36.28
And they say, "Come."
00:42:36.32\00:42:37.65
And I prayed about
that. They say, "Come."
00:42:37.69\00:42:40.79
And I went.
00:42:40.82\00:42:42.99
And just to fast forward,
00:42:43.02\00:42:45.29
I don't know if I'm
jumping ahead or jumping back,
00:42:45.33\00:42:47.13
just let me know but
when I went to Andrews,
00:42:47.16\00:42:50.50
I met a very good
friend of the family
00:42:50.53\00:42:53.30
who went to Oakwood
00:42:53.34\00:42:54.67
with my sisters to
Pine Forge and Oakwood
00:42:54.70\00:42:56.14
and she was like a sister to me.
00:42:56.17\00:42:58.27
She's still a sister to me.
00:42:58.31\00:43:00.51
Brothers and sisters fight.
00:43:00.54\00:43:01.88
Right. Okay.
00:43:01.91\00:43:03.24
So she's still sister to me.
00:43:03.28\00:43:05.51
And she said, "Hollis,
you have to meet my cousin."
00:43:05.55\00:43:10.39
And I'm there to study,
00:43:10.42\00:43:11.75
you know, get my
GPA up, you know.
00:43:11.79\00:43:13.66
She said, "You have to meet."
I said, "I'm in Lamson Hall."
00:43:13.69\00:43:17.39
And she walks and she says,
"You have to meet my cousin.
00:43:17.43\00:43:19.36
Come with me right now."
00:43:19.39\00:43:21.26
So I get up and
she's walking like
00:43:21.30\00:43:22.63
she's walking through the
streets of New York real fast,
00:43:22.66\00:43:24.73
in those high heels, right?
00:43:24.77\00:43:26.47
So she goes to my
hall across campus
00:43:26.50\00:43:29.70
and we go into the auditorium.
00:43:29.74\00:43:33.14
And she said, "Teresa,
I want you to meet Hollis,
00:43:33.17\00:43:36.75
a very good
friend of the family.
00:43:36.78\00:43:39.01
And she said,
"Teresa, this is Hollis.
00:43:39.05\00:43:42.35
Hollis, this is
my cousin Teresa."
00:43:42.38\00:43:45.19
Teresa looks at me
and she says, "Okay.
00:43:45.22\00:43:47.26
Nice meeting you.
00:43:47.29\00:43:48.62
I got to go to
Chicago to meet my aunt now."
00:43:48.66\00:43:50.06
She takes off to go to
Chicago to meet her aunty.
00:43:53.86\00:43:57.73
Long story short,
we started dating.
00:43:57.77\00:44:00.17
When, now wait.
00:44:00.20\00:44:01.54
Did you like
Teresa when you met her?
00:44:01.57\00:44:03.10
Yes. Okay.
00:44:03.14\00:44:04.47
I prayed. Let me
back up a little.
00:44:04.51\00:44:06.34
I prayed and ask
God regarding Teresa.
00:44:06.37\00:44:11.15
I had a dream.
00:44:11.18\00:44:12.75
I know lot of guys that
had a dream about this woman
00:44:12.78\00:44:14.52
but I had a dream.
00:44:14.55\00:44:17.12
I saw Teresa's name in the
sky, and it's the honest truth.
00:44:17.15\00:44:20.89
I saw her name in the sky.
00:44:20.92\00:44:22.26
And right under her
name, I saw the word exquisite.
00:44:22.29\00:44:27.76
And I told
Teresa about that dream.
00:44:27.80\00:44:30.37
And if she were here today,
she would say, "Yes, you did."
00:44:30.40\00:44:33.74
And I said, "Honey,
you have substance."
00:44:33.77\00:44:37.27
And we started dating.
00:44:37.31\00:44:39.54
And my dad called me and says,
00:44:39.57\00:44:41.98
"Son, I got a
letter from Oakwood
00:44:42.01\00:44:44.48
and they want you to come back,"
00:44:44.51\00:44:46.38
because my GPA went
up to 2.78 like a B plus.
00:44:46.41\00:44:49.25
Why?
00:44:49.28\00:44:51.25
Teresa was in education too.
So, you know, that helped me.
00:44:51.29\00:44:54.96
So Oakwood
wanted me to come back.
00:44:54.99\00:44:59.03
And I said, "Honey," Well,
I didn't say honey, you know,
00:44:59.06\00:45:02.46
like that.
00:45:02.50\00:45:03.97
I'm thinking, you know. Yeah.
00:45:04.00\00:45:06.00
I said, "Teresa, I
got a letter from Oakwood
00:45:06.03\00:45:11.74
and they want me to come back."
00:45:11.77\00:45:14.11
I said, "Will you go with me?"
00:45:14.14\00:45:16.14
She said. "I'm not
going to Oakwood, you go."
00:45:16.18\00:45:18.85
I said, oh, I stayed.
00:45:18.88\00:45:22.75
I stayed.
00:45:22.78\00:45:24.12
And my GPA excelled,
00:45:24.15\00:45:27.32
I aced my classes and yeah.
00:45:27.36\00:45:31.69
Did you marry Teresa?
00:45:31.73\00:45:33.06
Yes, I did. She married me.
00:45:33.09\00:45:35.20
All right. All right.
00:45:35.23\00:45:37.77
Tell us about
Teresa and what's happened?
00:45:37.80\00:45:40.67
Well, this is a
little emotional for me.
00:45:43.71\00:45:48.14
Teresa, we were
married 33 years.
00:45:48.18\00:45:52.35
33 years?
00:45:52.38\00:45:53.72
33 years and 5 months
00:45:53.75\00:45:57.29
and 16 days and several hours.
00:45:57.32\00:46:00.76
Teresa, she was a
special Ed teacher.
00:46:00.79\00:46:04.96
You know, she taught in
Berrien Springs Public Schools.
00:46:04.99\00:46:08.43
Everybody loved
her. Everybody loved her.
00:46:08.46\00:46:12.80
You know, she
was truly exquisite.
00:46:12.83\00:46:16.00
You know, I
remember times coming home
00:46:16.04\00:46:18.47
and, you know, I
got laid off a job.
00:46:18.51\00:46:20.91
As soon as I
walked in the house,
00:46:20.94\00:46:22.28
she said, "What's wrong?"
00:46:22.31\00:46:23.65
I said, "Honey, I lost my job."
00:46:23.68\00:46:25.48
I sat down at the
table and she sat in my lap,
00:46:25.51\00:46:28.78
put her arms around me,
00:46:28.82\00:46:30.19
and said, "Honey, I'm
going to protect you."
00:46:30.22\00:46:34.76
You know, she was that
kind of woman, you know.
00:46:34.79\00:46:39.79
Teresa was...
00:46:39.83\00:46:43.23
She was
diagnosed with colon cancer
00:46:43.26\00:46:45.30
on March 24th,
prior to March 24, 2016.
00:46:45.33\00:46:51.91
In 2015, it was
time for us the go
00:46:51.94\00:46:54.78
and get our annual colonoscopy.
00:46:54.81\00:46:58.51
And I said, "Honey, my
doctor wants me to go."
00:46:58.55\00:47:00.55
And I said. "It's
time for us to both go."
00:47:00.58\00:47:03.25
She said, "I'm not going."
00:47:03.28\00:47:05.85
Because I think two reasons why.
00:47:05.89\00:47:08.96
Number one, she had just
completed a special course
00:47:08.99\00:47:15.66
in getting her
certification as a health coach,
00:47:15.70\00:47:18.77
natural, you know, alternatives.
00:47:18.80\00:47:21.80
The second reason is of
course her girlfriend's mom
00:47:21.84\00:47:23.64
had a colonoscopy, and
she had a bad experience
00:47:23.67\00:47:26.11
and she had to have
surgery to correct the problem.
00:47:26.14\00:47:30.48
So Teresa said to me,
"I'm not going," you know.
00:47:30.51\00:47:33.15
So I said, "I'm not
going either," you know.
00:47:33.18\00:47:35.22
So we both didn't go.
00:47:35.25\00:47:36.99
And then Teresa
started losing weight
00:47:37.02\00:47:40.69
that same year, 2015.
00:47:40.72\00:47:43.09
She started getting thin.
00:47:43.12\00:47:45.73
And then in January, 2016,
00:47:45.76\00:47:52.27
she wasn't eating,
00:47:52.30\00:47:53.64
you know, very well.
00:47:53.67\00:47:56.44
And then late
January, we were in bed.
00:47:56.47\00:48:00.14
And she went to
use the bathroom.
00:48:00.18\00:48:01.94
And she came back and said,
00:48:01.98\00:48:03.75
she said, "Honey,
there's blood in my urine."
00:48:03.78\00:48:07.42
And she just fell
into my arms, you know.
00:48:07.45\00:48:12.25
And then she had...
00:48:12.29\00:48:14.56
She called a doctor.
00:48:14.59\00:48:16.22
And they took some labs.
00:48:16.26\00:48:17.96
And the doctor said,
00:48:17.99\00:48:19.33
on her birthday she
got the lab results,
00:48:19.36\00:48:20.83
on February 24th, 2016,
she got the lab results.
00:48:20.86\00:48:24.73
And doctors said,
00:48:24.77\00:48:26.74
"You have an
inflamed tumor in your colon."
00:48:26.77\00:48:30.07
So going forward,
00:48:30.11\00:48:33.38
we got some advice
from Teresa's cousin
00:48:33.41\00:48:36.61
who is married to a
doctor who did his residency
00:48:36.64\00:48:38.55
at Rush University
Medical Center in Chicago.
00:48:38.58\00:48:41.18
And he said, "Go
to Rush University.
00:48:41.22\00:48:42.82
I know the
people down there. Okay.
00:48:42.85\00:48:44.69
And they'll do some more tests."
00:48:44.72\00:48:47.86
Then on March 25th, 2016,
00:48:47.89\00:48:50.73
we were sitting
in the hospital room.
00:48:50.76\00:48:54.30
And the doctor
came back and said,
00:48:54.33\00:48:58.13
"Your test results came back,
and you have colon cancer."
00:48:58.17\00:49:02.84
And I had an
emotional melt down.
00:49:02.87\00:49:07.28
You know, I was just...
00:49:07.31\00:49:08.64
I felt like vertical,
00:49:08.68\00:49:10.05
the whole room
was just turning on me
00:49:10.08\00:49:12.01
and just closing in on me.
00:49:12.05\00:49:14.72
And Teresa, the strong
disciplined soldier in Christ
00:49:14.75\00:49:17.62
that she is, she looked at
me and she said, "Be positive."
00:49:17.65\00:49:22.59
And then I composed myself.
00:49:22.62\00:49:24.86
The doctor said,
"It's not a death sentence,
00:49:24.89\00:49:26.36
it's encapsulated."
00:49:26.39\00:49:28.03
Okay.
00:49:28.06\00:49:29.40
Teresa said, "We're going
to beat this, honey," you know.
00:49:29.43\00:49:32.50
Make a long story short,
she had surgery on April 6th.
00:49:32.53\00:49:36.47
And the doctor
removed 22 lymph nodes,
00:49:36.50\00:49:38.97
and Teresa was
concerned about him
00:49:39.01\00:49:40.34
removing the lymph nodes
00:49:40.38\00:49:41.71
because the lymph
nodes are supposed to also,
00:49:41.74\00:49:43.75
you know, work to heal.
00:49:43.78\00:49:45.88
And when the doctor
told her that, she was upset.
00:49:45.91\00:49:49.28
Okay, so that was April 6.
00:49:49.32\00:49:50.92
Had in metastasized
too, those lymph nodes?
00:49:50.95\00:49:53.36
Yes, yes. Okay.
00:49:53.39\00:49:55.22
Well, he said he removed
extra also thus he told us.
00:49:55.26\00:49:58.66
So then as I
tell you about Teresa,
00:49:58.69\00:50:01.30
you know, we did some research
00:50:01.33\00:50:04.03
and we found a
place in Tijuana, Mexico
00:50:04.07\00:50:05.70
that deals alternative
compounds for healing,
00:50:05.73\00:50:08.80
you know, because she declined
chemotherapy and radiation.
00:50:08.84\00:50:12.67
So we flew down
to San Francisco,
00:50:12.71\00:50:14.34
then transported to Tijuana.
00:50:14.38\00:50:16.78
And we went there
and they evaluated Teresa
00:50:16.81\00:50:21.95
and gave her herbal compound,
00:50:21.98\00:50:24.59
and we flew back
to Berrien Springs
00:50:24.62\00:50:27.46
and Teresa began the regiment.
00:50:27.49\00:50:31.86
And it was a
detox, a little detox.
00:50:31.89\00:50:35.13
But what it did,
00:50:35.16\00:50:36.83
when she had pain of discomfort,
00:50:36.87\00:50:39.03
it was like chemo,
it was herbal chemo,
00:50:39.07\00:50:40.64
it will knock her out.
00:50:40.67\00:50:43.51
It will knock her out.
00:50:43.54\00:50:45.37
And then she
bounced back with strength.
00:50:45.41\00:50:48.94
And it flushed out her system
00:50:48.98\00:50:51.11
and just kept
flushing her system out.
00:50:51.15\00:50:52.65
Detox, and she went
down to from 125 pounds,
00:50:52.68\00:50:56.82
she was
beautiful woman, beautiful.
00:50:56.85\00:51:01.06
Went down 125 down to
like 98, going down to 94.
00:51:01.09\00:51:06.93
And then she began
to have a lot of pain.
00:51:06.96\00:51:13.27
So she had oxycodone.
00:51:13.30\00:51:16.14
And she would
take oxycodone like,
00:51:16.17\00:51:20.98
perhaps eight hours apart.
00:51:21.01\00:51:23.48
Once a day or
something like that.
00:51:23.51\00:51:25.21
It progressed so much to...
00:51:25.25\00:51:28.28
She started taking it
from eight hours to six to six
00:51:28.32\00:51:31.59
and a half to five
to four to three to two.
00:51:31.62\00:51:36.36
It got out of control.
00:51:36.39\00:51:37.86
And we went back to
the doctor and he said,
00:51:37.89\00:51:39.76
"It's spread from the colon
to the lung, to the kidney."
00:51:39.79\00:51:46.23
And I remember,
00:51:46.27\00:51:48.34
we went to see a
doctor in October
00:51:48.37\00:51:50.87
in St. Joe in Michigan.
00:51:50.91\00:51:52.24
And he began to voice to Teresa,
00:51:52.27\00:51:56.14
"This is what you're
gonna expect, hospice."
00:51:56.18\00:51:59.65
You know, and I was
watching my wife, you know.
00:51:59.68\00:52:02.42
And I looked at her
00:52:02.45\00:52:04.55
and she just was
bewildered, you know.
00:52:04.59\00:52:08.09
She was down to 78
pounds, and she was perplexed
00:52:08.12\00:52:10.63
and her eyes were so sad.
00:52:10.66\00:52:15.13
Is this real, you know.
00:52:15.16\00:52:18.63
You know, we went home and
then on Friday, November 4,
00:52:18.67\00:52:24.11
we were in our house.
00:52:24.14\00:52:26.61
And she was
sitting on the luxury sofa.
00:52:26.64\00:52:29.84
And she was just rocking
back and forth, back and forth.
00:52:29.88\00:52:35.12
And she was just groaning
in with discomfort and pain.
00:52:35.15\00:52:40.49
And then she cried
out, "Help me, Jesus."
00:52:40.52\00:52:43.59
And I said, "Honey,
I'm taking you to the ER."
00:52:43.63\00:52:46.73
She said, "No, don't
take me. Don't take me."
00:52:46.76\00:52:49.23
I said, "Well, honey,
what do you want me to do?"
00:52:49.26\00:52:51.53
She said, "Just
pray, just pray."
00:52:51.57\00:52:53.87
So I called one
of our girlfriends,
00:52:53.90\00:52:55.77
you know, who is a
medical doctor also
00:52:55.80\00:52:57.17
and she said, "Take
your wife to the ER."
00:52:57.21\00:52:58.74
So I took her to the
ER, and she was dehydrated.
00:52:58.77\00:53:03.81
And they rehydrated her.
00:53:03.85\00:53:05.61
And we spent seven days
and nights in that hospital,
00:53:05.65\00:53:08.68
and she was getting nothing
00:53:08.72\00:53:10.05
but 0.9 percent of
normal saline intravenous.
00:53:10.09\00:53:15.59
No nutrition?
00:53:15.62\00:53:16.96
No, for seven days.
00:53:16.99\00:53:18.33
And the diagnosis revealed that
she had a bowel obstruction.
00:53:18.36\00:53:23.20
Okay.
00:53:23.23\00:53:24.87
And they tried
everything they could do
00:53:24.90\00:53:28.74
to cause her to have,
you know, a bowel movement
00:53:28.77\00:53:31.54
because it was all tied up.
00:53:31.57\00:53:33.24
Right, right.
00:53:33.27\00:53:34.94
And she was in
so much discomfort.
00:53:34.98\00:53:37.58
And they kept her, you know.
00:53:37.61\00:53:38.95
I said, "I don't
want my wife on drugs."
00:53:38.98\00:53:41.85
I declared that, you
know but it got so intense
00:53:41.88\00:53:45.05
and excruciating, they
had to give a pain relief,
00:53:45.09\00:53:49.96
fentanyl, you know.
00:53:49.99\00:53:52.36
And I looked at my wife,
00:53:52.39\00:53:53.73
she was just
knocked out like this.
00:53:53.76\00:53:56.26
And that's not my wife.
00:53:56.30\00:53:58.67
And I was in a
state of critical crisis.
00:53:58.70\00:54:01.60
So I called the
surgeon in Chicago, excuse me,
00:54:01.64\00:54:04.67
I emailed him, and
told him what happened.
00:54:04.71\00:54:06.24
He said, just send an ambulance
00:54:06.27\00:54:09.08
to bring her to Rush University.
00:54:09.11\00:54:10.55
So we went on Friday,
November 11 to Rush University.
00:54:10.58\00:54:16.08
Long story short,
when we arrived there,
00:54:16.12\00:54:20.09
they began running more
tests, more tests, more tests.
00:54:20.12\00:54:24.03
And I stayed the whole 15
days in the hospital with her,
00:54:24.06\00:54:29.93
seven at St. Joe,
and eight at Rush.
00:54:29.96\00:54:33.57
And my job wants to
know what's going on,
00:54:33.60\00:54:36.07
I explained to them.
00:54:36.10\00:54:37.44
They were so gracious,
00:54:37.47\00:54:38.81
you know, they gave me the time,
00:54:38.84\00:54:40.61
they gave me the time, yeah.
00:54:40.64\00:54:42.91
And long story short,
00:54:42.94\00:54:48.58
it got worse, she got sepsis.
00:54:48.62\00:54:51.89
Her entire body was infected.
00:54:51.92\00:54:54.46
And we were discharged
on Saturday, November 19th
00:54:54.49\00:54:58.59
and we went home.
00:54:58.63\00:55:00.23
And somehow, I
recommended that Teresa needs
00:55:00.26\00:55:06.77
what is that, TPN,
00:55:06.80\00:55:09.94
Total Parental
Nutrition for protein.
00:55:09.97\00:55:13.81
And she got that,
00:55:13.84\00:55:15.18
but I think that
compromised entire body,
00:55:15.21\00:55:16.91
because it's a lot of sugar.
00:55:16.95\00:55:19.28
And on Sunday night, the 20th,
00:55:19.31\00:55:25.55
we went to bed together.
00:55:25.59\00:55:26.92
Teresa woke up and
said, "Why is it so cold?
00:55:26.96\00:55:28.49
It's cold in here, so cold."
00:55:28.52\00:55:30.83
And I covered her up some
more and I slept next to her.
00:55:30.86\00:55:33.66
Monday, the 21st of November,
00:55:33.70\00:55:36.36
I woke up and
Teresa was not responding.
00:55:36.40\00:55:40.27
So I called the paramedics.
00:55:40.30\00:55:45.04
She passed away on
that Monday morning.
00:55:45.07\00:55:47.38
But she said to her cousin,
00:55:47.41\00:55:50.45
she said, "I'm
done with this battle.
00:55:50.48\00:55:53.11
I'm ready to go home."
00:55:53.15\00:55:54.48
I can't imagine the...
00:55:58.29\00:56:01.89
I can, in a sense
00:56:01.92\00:56:03.43
because I've
experienced loss too
00:56:03.46\00:56:05.03
so I understand loss,
00:56:05.06\00:56:06.53
but to lose the
love of your life,
00:56:06.56\00:56:10.57
it's just so intense.
00:56:10.60\00:56:12.63
There's so much more
that we didn't even get to.
00:56:12.67\00:56:17.27
I think I'm going to
have to interview you again
00:56:17.31\00:56:21.74
because there's
just so much more.
00:56:21.78\00:56:24.41
Your ministry, tell us
the name of your ministry
00:56:24.45\00:56:28.95
because we got to get
that in and your website.
00:56:28.98\00:56:31.15
Straight Up Youth
Ministries, youthsupport.info.
00:56:31.19\00:56:34.99
www.youthsupport.info.
00:56:35.02\00:56:37.63
And your burden
is, in one sentence,
00:56:37.66\00:56:40.60
for young men, women,
everybody, young people.
00:56:40.63\00:56:44.63
What's your burden?
00:56:44.67\00:56:46.00
To reach out to youth,
00:56:46.03\00:56:47.60
help them realize
that they have to come back
00:56:47.64\00:56:50.41
to the original context of life
00:56:50.44\00:56:52.07
which is knowing
their God and serving Him.
00:56:52.11\00:56:55.78
Dr. McEachrane, I
can't thank you enough
00:56:55.81\00:56:58.85
for being with us and
for sharing your journey,
00:56:58.88\00:57:02.18
because I know that God
has had His hand on you...
00:57:02.22\00:57:04.35
Thank you.
00:57:04.39\00:57:05.72
This whole
time, your whole life.
00:57:05.75\00:57:08.29
And so may God
continue to bless you
00:57:08.32\00:57:10.46
as you heal from the loss
00:57:10.49\00:57:13.06
and may He continue
to just restore you.
00:57:13.09\00:57:15.86
Thank you.
00:57:15.90\00:57:17.23
I believe that you have
00:57:17.27\00:57:18.93
a tremendous,
tremendous blessing,
00:57:18.97\00:57:22.74
some tremendous
blessings in store.
00:57:22.77\00:57:24.24
Thank you.
00:57:24.27\00:57:25.61
God bless you. Amen.
00:57:25.64\00:57:27.24
I can't believe
that we've reached
00:57:27.28\00:57:29.01
the end of another program.
00:57:29.04\00:57:30.81
You know, Dr. McEachrane
has shared his journey.
00:57:30.85\00:57:34.38
And at each juncture,
00:57:34.42\00:57:36.15
even though it
seemed as though the enemy
00:57:36.18\00:57:39.45
just had a grip,
00:57:39.49\00:57:41.12
he has shared with
us that God has a plan,
00:57:41.16\00:57:46.49
we have to trust Him.
00:57:46.53\00:57:48.13
Thanks for tuning in.
00:57:48.16\00:57:49.50
Join us next time
00:57:49.53\00:57:50.87
because it just
wouldn't be the same
00:57:50.90\00:57:52.23
without you.
00:57:52.27\00:57:53.60