As a first time writer, in writing my autobiography I believe that I have written an extraordinary work of non-fiction, for I have truly lived an unbelievable life. My journey has been one of great courage and personal strength. I have survived with there being no obstacle too great to overcome. The first sixteen years of my life have been filled with fantastic globe trotting travels to exotic places. This could be considered to be a treasured memory, or was it in fact the beginning to a life ingrained with tremendous instability. In the following twenty-five years, of which fourteen were spent within various prisons throughout Canada. My lifestyle during this period was one full of crime, prison survival and violence. Also outlined is ten years as an intravenous drug addict, along with a continuing battle of alcoholism that has been a controlling factor most of my life. All this in itself would allow for an incredible story, but adding to this the harsh realities surrounding the devastating and incurable HIV infection, makes my inspirational story all the more extraordinary.