This is a story about fighting the ""inevitable."" Diagnosed with a Grade 4 Glioblastama Multiforme in 2005 with medical expectations of 12/15 months, I am writing this in March 2015 and living life to the full. Don't accept average survival stats, ask instead, ""just what is possible."""" Good luck.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A stunning “portrait of the enduring grace of friendship” (NPR) about the families we are born into, and those that we make for ourselves. A masterful depiction of love in the twenty-first century. NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • MAN BOOKER PRIZE FINALIST • WINNER OF THE KIRKUS PRIZE A Little Life follows four college classmates—broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition—as they move to New York in search of fame and fortune. While their relationships, which are tinged by addiction, success, and pride, deepen over the decades, the men are held together by their devotion to the brilliant, enigmatic Jude, a man scarred by an unspeakable childhood trauma. A hymn to brotherly bonds and a masterful depiction of love in the twenty-first century, Hanya Yanagihara’s stunning novel is about the families we are born into, and those that we make for ourselves. Look for Hanya Yanagihara’s latest bestselling novel, To Paradise.

Los Angeles magazine is a regional magazine of national stature. Our combination of award-winning feature writing, investigative reporting, service journalism, and design covers the people, lifestyle, culture, entertainment, fashion, art and architecture, and news that define Southern California. Started in the spring of 1961, Los Angeles magazine has been addressing the needs and interests of our region for 48 years. The magazine continues to be the definitive resource for an affluent population that is intensely interested in a lifestyle that is uniquely Southern Californian.

"Off the Charts! Grand slam home run!" Greg Von Tobel, President and Founder of Prisoners for Christ Outreach Ministries All of us have pain.....most of us waste it As he sat in the back of the police car, hands cuffed and heading to jail, Damon was abandoning his young family like he'd been abandoned so many times as a child. Could what happened on this night finally help him overcome 30+ years of hell and heartache, or would the generational curses he so desperately wanted to stop continue through his children? Damon grew up with alcoholism, divorce, homelessness, life in foster homes, sexual abuse, and deep rooted anger towards his parents. As an adult he struggled with bipolar, domestic violence, time in jail, depression, addiction, failed relationships, divorce, homelessness, and a teenage daughter struggling with addiction. In Pain Drives Change Damon shares how embracing this pain in his life transformed him. His story offers a path and practical tools for personal change in our times of pain. Endorsements: "A riveting story of God's redemptive power. I have used Damon's story to help hundreds of my clients." Dr. Jim A. Talley, drtalley.com, author Reconcilable Differences, Too Close Too Soon, and multiple other books "I'm honored to endorse Pain Drives Change because I was an eyewitness to much of it. What makes this book unique-it's not just a riveting story but the author actually takes you on the journey with him and in so doing encompasses your own journey. All of us have pain in our lives, but this book shows us how pain can propel us into our greatest victories in life." Dr. Don Ross, author "Turnaround Pastor" and Leader of Northwest Ministry Network "I have always loved Damon's transparency, his passion for Jesus, and his ability to see things in life-changing ways other people just plain miss. All of us have pain. Most of us waste it. In Pain Drives Change, Damon will show you, from his life experience, how to maximize it for God's great purpose in your life." Boyd Pelley, Co-founder & President Churchteams.com, member of Damon's online men's group "A brilliant book! Damon opens up and tells the story of the difficult experiences he had growing up lost, damaged, and poor; he digs down to the pain and looks it in the eye. In so doing, he creates a clear path for the reader to do the same. What follows is a template for breaking the damaging cycles that often get passed on to the next generation. As a father, he essentially earns the right to be heard with his children because he is filled with love, courage, self-control, wisdom, and forgiveness. Children, preteens, and adolescents watch their parents to see if they can respect them. Because of his courageous choices, he has a chance with his kids. Read on If you want to learn how to build a stable marriage relationship, blend a family, and lead your preteen out of drugs while being held in the faithful embrace of a loving God." Sharon Hartnett, Ph.D. Emerita Faculty in the School of Education at Seattle Pacific University "An incredibly motivating story. There are few people one meet's in their life who have the gift to listen more than they talk. With Damon, this trait is profound, genuine and authentic. He has been a 'difference maker' in my life and has provided me with constant and consistent motivation though his wisdom, his passion for life, his love of the Lord, and now his incredible story as told in his book Pain Drives Change! This book will certainly make you look both spiritually and conceptually at the relationships that are placed in your life's journey, and how reflection can lead to redemption and ultimately internal and eternal peace. " Bill Marsh, Head Football Coach Cedar Park Christian Schools "Amazing - courageous and moving. It will inspire many to action and to dare hope." Dr. Pam Bryan "I was in tears while reading it. I need my whole family to read your story. Very inspiring and priceless."

In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.