Donny, I was hoping to be shot in the back of the head by a jealous husband while leaping from a second story window with my pants down around my ankles and a 19 year old girl screaming Gary, don't leave me. That just ain't gonna work out either.

Unfortunately, while I was a 17 year old kid in the US Navy, I worked for two weeks in the Vent Gang, a $hit job where we removed old asbestos from steam pipes and replaced it with new asbestos wrapping and paste made from asbestos powder and water. Something like a plaster cast. We had no protection back then, no mask, respirator, etc... We inhaled huge quantities of asbestos dust into our lungs. Most of those guys that worked with me are dead from lung cancer. In my case, I have a terminal disease from the asbestos called pulmonary fibrosis. My lungs have taken on the texture of shoe leather and no longer have any elasticity. I now only have about 40 percent of my lung capacity remaining, and I'm now on oxygen 24/7. To get an idea of what this is like, place a clothes pin on your nose, then place a soda straw in your mouth and try to breathe through the straw while you climb the stairs of your home a few times.

Now, I have led on Hell of a life. I've done things most people only dream of doing. I've traveled to more than 100 countries, sailed to the Florida Keys single-handed and got within 30 miles of the Bahamas when I realized that my passport had expired and hotfooted it back to Florida waters. I married a beautiful young girl, we had two beautiful children, both of which are now very successful adults with their own families. The best part of my life, however, centers around my musical career, especially when I began performing the senior circuit. I enjoyed every minute of being an entertainer and thought I would drop dead on stage. That, unfortunately, will never happen, but I can assure, my 77 years on the planet has been one Hell of a ride.

Gary