ANSWERED PRAYER Marvin “I started off just drinking. Then that turned to cocaine and the cocaine turned to meth and the meth turned to anything. I couldn't even walk. I had frostbite on both my feet. I had neuropathy. I'm just that stinky guy on a walker in the park, and I finally just didn't wanna live no more. I prayed to God, ’You know, I'm never gonna kill myself. I think that's cowardice. But if you can't give me my kids back, can you kill me? I'm just ready to go.’ “I'm crying, and I'm leaned over and right then I saw this woman's feet in front of me. She goes, ‘Excuse me, sir, what's your name?’ And I said, ’I go by James.’ She goes, ‘No, your whole name.’ I said, ‘It's Marvin James Fisher. Why?’ She goes, ‘Dad, it's me.’ And I raised up and I just started bawling. “I looked at the tears down her face, and I was tellin’ her I loved her. And she goes, ‘Oh my God. You need help. I'm carrying you home.’ It was like God answered my prayers right in front of me. It was overwhelming. “She carried me down to the Denver Health where I got cortisone shots in my knees and therapy on my legs, to where I could move around a little bit. Then I just felt small. I was like, ‘Here I am living off my 23 year old daughter. And she works two jobs and put her own self through college, and I'm her dad. I can't do this.’ “I called my daughter. I said, ‘I'm gonna go in this program.’ She brought me up here and she dropped me off and she was crying. She said, ’You promise me, Dad, that you'll fix your life because I can't stand to see you like this.’ “I've got an engineering degree and a construction management degree from LSU. I've always made real good money. But once I got so low, it's like I couldn't help myself. That's what a lot of people don't understand - when you're in the streets, it's like getting in a mud rut in your car. It's easy to drive into and hard to drive out of. “I wrote everything down that I was doing, how I felt when I came to Step, how I saw people grilling out and cooking and eating. I was envious, but I knew if I would be diligent and steadfast that my time would come. They earned that. My life experience is that nothing that comes easy is very good. The harder it is to get your hands on it, the more it's worth in the end. It's like working for your own money. I realized that the only thing holding me back is me. “The Step program set me up for success. Anybody can achieve it. It's just a matter if they're willing to go do the work and put up with what comes their way. “Follow the rules - this is what you gotta do. You gotta clean up after yourself. You gotta work. You gotta save your money. You gotta think about your future. You know, the main thing is being sober. Because if you're not sober, you're not gonna do none of that other stuff. It's all gonna go down the drain. “Step's helped me with more than just my sobriety. It's helped me with my mental attitude, my compassion for my fellow humans and animals and everything. “As I was reading everything I wrote down, every one of my prayers are answered, and I've achieved everything I've tried to achieve. I owe it first to God and then to Step. The thing that Step has given me is being able to use my mind again. They helped me get back to who I truly am.
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