Excerpt
Chapter 1: What It Was Like
I’m a recovering alcoholic and hard core drug addict. I
haven’t had to drink or use drugs for over 28 years. November 22,
1978, is the most magical date I know. It’s my sobriety date.
Here is a brief synopsis of my past, which I’ll get to in more detail
later. I was kicked out of High School. I was an incredible athlete
but never practiced or pushed myself due to all the partying. I’ve
been dead twice. The first time I was shot and declared dead on
arrival at the hospital. The second time I shot up some pure cocaine
and turned around to shout to my brother Steve how good it was,
and fell over dead from a cardiac arrest. My brother and our drug
dealer tried to revive me, but the drug dealer finally told Steve it
wasn’t any use; I’d been dead too long. My brother shouted “NO!”,
jumped in the air and landed on my chest, which started my heart
beating and my lungs breathing.
I’ve been busted several times for drugs and other crimes.
The biggest robbery I ever pulled was in order to get enough money
to afford a good lawyer. That lawyer took my case to the Nebraska
Supreme Court and won, due to improper search and seizure. I was
an extremely dangerous man. My whole self worth was tied into
being the most dangerous man wherever I was and I would do
whatever it took for people to know it. I’ve been in approximately
350 fights and sent at least 100 men to the hospital for broken bones,
concussions, stitches and so on. Once I was shot and the defense
attorney of the man who shot me brought nine witnesses to the stand
during the trial to testify that I had brutally beat each of them. Each
witness was over 6’5” and 300 lbs. The defense proved its case and
the Nebraska court system declared I was a lethal weapon and
extremely dangerous, especially if I’d been drinking. I’m not proud
of that now, but back then, I was.
I’ve been shot and stabbed. My shooting was the subject of
an article in the Grand Island newspaper at the time. The article
stated:
Shooting Victim Hospitalized
A Grand Island man, William Keck Jr., 25, was in ‘guarded’ condition at St. Francis Hospital here Saturday with
bullet wounds received in an early morning shooting.
Police said the shooting occurred about 4:30 a.m. at 2304
N. Sherman, a house occupied by Durand ‘Duke’ Ross.
According to a police report, Keck was shot in the stomach
with a .22 caliber automatic pistol. He was first listed in ‘poor’
condition at the hospital.
Police said several other persons were in the house, where a
drinking party had apparently taken place.
County Attorney Robert Paulick said Saturday he was
uncertain about whether or not charges would be filed in
connection with the incident.
Part of the decision would depend upon ‘whether or not
Keck recovers,’ Paulick said.
A police report indicated that an attending surgeon said, ‘barring unforeseen complications,’ Keck is expected to survive.
Toward the end of my drug addiction I was always just
trying to figure out how much methamphetamine, cocaine, or
narcotics I could shoot up without killing myself. I came close
many times. I’ve been in many accidents. The worst one was when
Crazy Joe and I were on our way to California to set up a drug deal
and we decided to pull out our guns and play ‘Best Man Wins’.
We were on a one way trip to hell when God intervened. For
no reason at all, we had a one vehicle accident. The vehicle flipped
end over end several times and then rolled several times. I ended up
with a broken back, crushed shoulders and elbows and my spleen
had to be removed. We had so many guns in our truck that the
Bureau of Indian Affairs came to the hospital to question me. They
thought we were running guns to the Indians because it happened on
a reservation near Durango, Colorado. God saved us that day, like
He has so many times; of course I just thought I was lucky or smart.
My friend Crazy Joe died in a drug deal several years later.
I was married but never able to be faithful. I have wonderful
children but was never able to be a good father, no matter how much
I wanted to be.
prison for the criminally insane but God, my Higher Power, truly
intervened. I don’t know why He lifted me up from the bedrock. I
don’t know why so many of my friends are dead or in prison but I’m
alive and doing quite well. What I do know is a proverb from the
Bible, “To whom much has been given, much is expected.”
Today, unbelievably, I am the director of one of the best
chemical dependency treatment centers anywhere. The
Siena/Francis “MIRACLES” recovery program helps people stop
and gain their balance, slow down, develop a direction and plan to
reach goals. Our success rate is incredible. We deal with people
who have been to treatment many times, been in jail and prison, are
homeless and, needless to say, have lost all hope. Out of this
incredible hopelessness they find themselves, as I have, being
productive, happy members of society. I’m fortunate because I am a
veteran and was able to go to a Veteran’s Treatment Center and then
to the ARCH Halfway House. Thank God we’ve been able to
provide a treatment center for people who want treatment but can’t
afford it. Hopefully someday there’ll be more centers like ours
throughout the country.
