“I look back now with amazement at the small accidents that put certain books before me.”

“I was taken up by books, as if by the strong arms of a parent I'd never known and had been badly missing.”

“You see twenty-six years ago, when I was in high school, my goal and mission in life was to win a New York State Wrestling Championship. I committed myself to a lifestyle, made the sacrifices, put in the time, starved myself, shaved my head, had the hunger, desire and determination, but I came up short. For many years, after I graduated it seemed like I got nothing out of my six years of total dedication to the sport. That the trade off of what I gave and what I got in return to this sport was way out of whack.I hated wrestling for it. To put every ounce of your soul into achieving something and to get nothing out of it in return was beyond my comprehension and could not be justified in my head.Until I had adversity in my life.And slowly but surely I started realizing how much the sport of wrestling actually has given back to me. Much more than I ever knew.When life throws you to your back, you need to know how not to get pinned, get off of your back and do enough to make up the difference in order to win.”

“My original fear that my daughter was going to die before BettyJane and myself has now been replaced with the fear that she is going to outlive us.”

“I am noticing a big difference in the way the hospital workers are looking at me as I approach Jess’s room.The look of sincere sympathy that used to be on their faces when they made eye contact with me is gone.It has been replaced by shear helplessness as they quickly walk past me with their heads tilted down and to the right.I feel like Bud Fox walking into his office with the Securities and Exchange Commission awaiting him.”

“I need to dream.I need to believe. I need to know that I have some control in my life.That if I work hard, that I will be rewarded.That life is not arbitrary.I need to believe that bad things happen to good people, for a greater reason.That dedication, sacrifice, hard work, discipline are all worthy attributes that will eventually produce extraordinary results.That if I live a certain lifestyle, that my family will be better for that.That there is a direct link between my actions and my results.That If I prepare properly that I can face the insurmountable foe and look him in the eye and say “Bring it on, I can take whatever you can dish out.” I need to keep living in order to save my daughter from dying.”

“There is an open circle.” This mantra is what my high school coaches would say to me during wrestling practice when they knew that I was physically exhausted and was about to rest for a moment. There was an open circle on the wrestling mat, and if I was interested I could get out there and do more.“There is an open circle.” Meaning there is still more that you could do. Don’t rest now; this is where the difference is made. To work when you are mentally and physically exhausted gets you to the next level.“There is an open circle.”