My mother was born a deaf-mute and after her mom died at age 31 during childbirth, she was abandoned. At age 21 she was raped and I was born from that rape and abandoned. I grew up in foster care and graduated from high school at age 17.
I worked my way through college. At Louisiana State University, I briefly worked as a page in the State Capitol and later I graduated at Northwestern University with a degree in accounting in 1961. I obtained my Certified public Accountant certificate.
My first wife and grandson were killed and I attempted suicide. In 1970, I entered Real Estate and my first year I made the Million Dollar Sales Club. In 1974, I opened the first of six real estate offices. In 1974, I met my current wife and we were married in 1975 and have been married 38 years. Together we have five children and fourteen grandchildren.
In June 2004, I was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, an incurable lung disease and given six months to two years to live. I was cured in Germany in 2008.
In June, 2008, I wrote my first book titled "Does God Give Us More Than We Can Bear?", Zig Ziglar wrote my foreword. It became an Amazon Best Seller in July, 2011
In 2010, I started telling my story in order to offer others hope. I started public speaking, and doing radio and television shows. I was written up in the Dallas Morning News and several magazines. In 2012, I was a guest on the TV show "Celebration" on Daystar TV. Last month I taped three television shows to air on ION TV Media Network. I recently signed an agreement for a movie to be produced about my life based on my book. I hope the movie can be used to fund a Pulmonary Fibrosis Society Foundation to encourage funding and research for a cure.
