A CLIENT SUCCESS STORY: DEFEATING METH

A Client Success Story

I recently received a message from a client that I represented many years ago.  Although nearly a decade had passed since I represented Scott, I remembered him vividly.  He had everything going for him: a good job, a supportive family, and a passion for life.  The only problem was that he had become addicted to meth amphetamines.  While he was extremely committed to regaining his sobriety and moving forward in life, he was in a daily struggle against the very addictive drug.  After many trips to court, I finally convinced the prosecuting attorney to give Scott one more chance at rehabilitation rather than sending him to prison for a lengthy sentence. I share his message in the hope that it gives inspiration to others facing addiction.  Below is the letter that I received:

Beating Meth

Hello Russell, I 'm not sure if you remember me, but you defended me in Denver County Court in 2007 when you worked with Victor Stazzone at Fossum, Mastro, and Barnes. I never really had a chance to thank you properly, so that is the purpose of this message today. Between 2007 and the end of 2010 I struggled to get clean in Denver, and at times I would stay clean for awhile, but I could never really get away from the meth in Denver. On December 30, 2010 my sister bought me a plane ticket from Denver to Albany, NY and she picked me up at the Albany airport and brought me home - and I have been clean ever since. I would have gone to state prison in Colorado for sure without the help you gave me. You did an incredible job defending me and I can't tell you how much I appreciate the time and effort you put in to my case. My mother is still extremely grateful to you for helping me, and I also want to thank you for how well you treated her during that whole ordeal in 2007. In 2011 I achieved an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Information Technology, Computer Network Systems at ITT Tech in Albany, and I worked in the IT field for about a year and a half (where I got a lot of my confidence back), but more importantly- in 2012 I was able to get my New York State pharmacist license back, and I have been a licensed pharmacist again since then. I've been the Supervising Pharmacist at a busy compounding pharmacy in NY for the past five years, and last month I concluded my employment there in order to relocate to Florida. In April of this year I got my State of Florida pharmacist license, and on August 30 (in less than 2 weeks!) I'm moving to Florida to be with the woman I originally moved from New York to Colorado with in 1992. She is a Registered Nurse in Florida, and over the past 6 and a half years (since I've been clean!) we have slowly been getting closer and closer to the point that we are both ready to really be together again; so I making this move to Florida to be with her! Russell, you helped me get my life back - and I sincerely thank you for that. I can't imagine where I would be right now if I had gone to prison in Colorado. In the past six and a half years I have been able to make amends for many of the incredibly serious mistakes I made in Colorado, and I wanted to reach out to you to let you know that I am doing well, that I think of you often, and that I wouldn't be where I am today without the help you gave me. I hope things are well with you, my friend. All the best to you in all your endeavors! Sincerely, Scott

Congratulations Scott, and may your future continue to shine brightly.