My Story Hello.  My name is Ed. I would like to express to you my thoughts on my journey through life, to this point, and the positive influence Domenic Carnuccio has had in helping me embark on my "Second Chance" to live this life. When I met Domenic, you could say, I was going through a transitional period of my life.  I had Liver Disease, and my only hope of survival was to receive a Liver Transplant.  It had been suggested by the HUP Transplant Team that my wife and I seek counseling, in order to help us cope with what would lie ahead.  Our good friend Chris suggested that we talk to Domenic, since he had recently helped her deal with some challenges in her life.  I wasn't sure how this would help, but wanting to follow HUP's program, I agreed to meet him. The year before I was struggling to keep up appearances that I was working.  I had trouble forcing myself out of bed in the morning.  I would get to the office around 9:30 to 10, make a few phone calls, work on some proposals, then go out on appointments, come back to the office around 3:00 PM, stay for an hour, go get a case of beer, and go home.  That was my rut.  I was depressed, and didn't feel good, and couldn't see any way out of it.  Little did I know, I was already sick.  My prayers for a way out would be answered, but not in the way I would have wanted.  On October 24th 2000 the Doctor looked at me with a concerned face, and told me I had Liver Disease, and it was fairly far along.  I stopped drinking that day, and a month later my boss told me not to come back to work until I got a Doctor's note stating that I could work.  That was the official end of my Insurance Career. Two months later my wife and I met Domenic for the first time.  In that first meeting he outlined how he would like to meet with us separately 2/3's of the time and 1/3 of the time together.  We were going through the same crisis, but each had to learn to deal with it quite differently.  I had to work with a desire to stay alive, but be prepared to die, and my wife had to learn to cope with my illness, be supportive, and yet prepare for how she would go on in the event of my death.  Domenic was quite clear, he would help us if we were honest with ourselves, and especially honest with him.  If we could not do that, then he could not help us.  Instead of being insulted by this, I felt immediately encouraged.  We had found someone who was willing to be upfront and honest.  I could work with this guy.  I felt encouraged, almost excited to get started. As time went on, and the illness started to take its toll, I was comforted by the changes I saw in my wife's demeanor.  She held steadfast and strong, and she was there for me every step of the way.  Domenic truly helped her stay strong.  As for me, he became more of a mentor than a counselor.  I was able to take hold of my spirituality, come to an acceptance of God's will, and work toward living, true to myself, not cowering with the fear of dying.  Those days are somewhat of a blur to me now, but the results are indisputable. Today, by the grace of God, I am still alive.  He has given me a Second Chance at life.  I received a new Liver on February 13, 2002.  I went back to College, and graduated from Neumann College on May 15, 2004.  I got a job at Vanguard, and started November 15, 2004.  I am helping people every day solve their retirement problems in the Small Business Services Department.  My daughter gave me a granddaughter, Ella, on September 3, 2004, a day before my Birthday.  She has to call every day to talk to POP POP.  In December of 2005 I received a promotion from Vanguard. Many people helped along the way, howewver, one person was instrumental in helping me turn this thing around.  Domenic Carnuccio - my mentor, counselor, and friend.                                                                               "http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.5/"