FEETured Book for May

Thirty-Three Years To Conception: A Voice from the Street

Remembering Daniel Stephen Pollock

I recently had the honour and privilege of speaking at the North Simcoe Muskoka Care Connections Conference at Casino Rama in Orillia.

At that conference, I met Evelyn Pollock. Evelyn is the mother of Daniel Stephen Pollock.

Daniel died at age 43 of a drug overdose.

At the conference, his mother Evelyn told his story and also sold and signed copies of his book.

“It is a compelling story that takes you inside the mind of an addict. It describes a life and death struggle with inner demons, and the harsh reality of life on the streets of Toronto. Daniel Stephen Pollock’s story shines a light on society’s potential for kindness and cruelty, as manifested through the treatment of the disadvantaged.”

During the first conference break, I raced out to the lobby to buy a book and thank Evelyn for her incredibly honest, moving, and heart breaking story of her son.

After shaking her hand … and then bear hugging her … I asked her a question … What was Daniel’s genius? What did he love? What was he drawn to?

At first she was shocked by my question … and then she explained that no one had ever asked her that before.

In Daniel’s own words in his book he says “I know that I am worth more than absolutely nothing”.

Evelyn flipped to the back of the book and showed me pictures of the most beautiful rock sculptures Daniel had created in the last couple of months of his life.

The last sculpture he created was called ‘The Eternal Flame’.

Daniels life, as Daniel himself outlines it in the book, was a relentless circle of getting high, getting arrested, getting clean, and starting the cycle all over again.

Until … near the very end of his life he reconnected with his genius … rock sculpture.

I found it so prophetic that the final sculpture of Daniel Stephen Pollock’s life was ‘The Eternal Flame’.

An unknown writer once wrote “A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle” … Thank you Daniel Stephen Pollock for lighting the way for others that struggle with addictions!

You can purchase your own copy here: www.tempshstimes.com

 

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