Carrying the Message

He was just about twenty or twenty-two years old. He died yesterday, without warning. He had just celebrated a year's sobriety. I remember when he came into AA. He was short in height with two leg braces and two walking sticks, barely able to walk. Whenever I see people like that with all their other problems, I wonder how they make it sober. But John was willing. The guys teased him and the girls liked him too. He was a bit serious at first, but not for long. His infectious smile grew as he began to understand and work the program. He had a series of surgeries to correct his legs so he could walk with more ease. But the surgeries didn't work that well. And there seemed to be endless complications.