Over the last few months I’ve had the luck of writing for some local magazines. Unfortunately I was given word that due to unforeseen problems the magazines, and my latest articles, are on hold for the time being. Personally this really hurts. I’ll be honest, I love seeing my name in a byline. Who doesn’t want to see their words published and validated? But there is another drawback: the people and businesses I interviewed who now won’t receive their accolades as well.
I won’t reproduce all of my articles, and truth be told I’m not reproducing this one either. I want to give a (hopefully) short, candid post about something really close to my heart. My original articles will be published eventually, but I wanted to give props to a Tucson author I had the privilege of meeting a little over a month ago.
5 years ago Dennis Bracety was diagnosed with Dermatomyositis, and his entire world changed. He went from badass firefighter to being in a wheelchair and needing a feeding tube for almost a year. His kids had to become his full time caretakers with the help of his brothers, mother and firefighter friends. Everything fell apart, but he picked up the shattered pieces and glued them back together to form an even better life.
With the help of his doctor, who is now as close as family to him, and his sheer will to survive Dennis has overcome his illness through numerous treatments and resumed firefighting full time. He’s also a published author. His book Fire Within: a Memoir of a Firefighter’s Will to Live has been available on Amazon for a month and already received positive reviews. If the reviews weren’t enough then the personal stories Dennis receives regularly send him over the moon. Some of the stories he told me gave me chills, but none more than a story of a young boy who received the same diagnosis as him and didn’t think he could become a firefighter anymore until he heard Dennis’ story. If that doesn’t shout “kismet” then I don’t know what does!
Okay, I said I was going to keep this short, and I will! Check out Dennis’ book here. It’s an amazing story for a larger-than-life guy. I can’t wait to meet him again, and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for him.
“You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.” ~Cayla Mills
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