took Joe (a recovering addict and FOCUS client) on a journey to Baltimore to spend time with the man he loves "like a brother''. Jerry was then living in an apartment near Johns Hopkins Hospital awaiting a heart transplant. He was one of the founders of FOCUS -- an agency which gives people in the throes of alcohol/drug addiction the tools to understand their illness and move towards good health -- and has made a profound difference in Joe's life. Joe first met Jerry when he was in Montrose Substance Abuse Centre (an alcohol and drug day treatment programme). Joe chuckles when he remembers his first impression of Jerry, who was on hand to do some counselling. "I thought he looked like an alcoholic from the mountains!'' he said, making reference to Jerry's bushy beard and `rebel-like' appearance. Joe met the counsellor another time at the Salvation Army Harbour Light Rehabilitation Centre where Jerry was giving a session. But their relationship began through FOCUS support meetings. At that time, Joe was six months into his recovery. He had sponsors, but felt that they were too busy to help him. `I approached Jerry after one of the meetings and asked if he would be my sponsor.'' Jerry agreed and this marked the beginning of a deeper bond between the two men. Joe talks about how Jerry made a difference. "I felt very comfortable when I talked to Jerry, even though I had to reveal some very private stuff!'' Joe exclaimed. "I liked the way he answered my questions. He didn't start by telling me what I should do; he asked me what I would feel comfortable doing.'' Joe admitted that he probably already knew the answers to his questions but that they lay deep within him.

"Jerry,'' he said, "helped me get to those answers and gave me confirmation that I was right. It was a big part of my recovery,'' he added. Joe was glad He saved lives mistake he made was to keep his problems to himself. (He hadn't wanted to burden Jerry during such a difficult time.) It turned out however, that Jerry appreciated the visit more when Joe finally began discussing difficult issues.

Sometimes they would sit together and talk, sometimes Jerry, who Joe has nicknamed `The Gourmet Chef', would spoil Joe by cooking him sumptuous meals, and sometimes Joe would join Jerry for his daily walks to the supermarket. But what mattered most was that they were spending time together. The day before Joe arrived in Baltimore, Jerry earned himself yet another nickname -- `Kimball', from The Fugitive . Apparently, Jerry was resting on a bench near the mall where he got his groceries, when he was suddenly surrounded by Police officers. They had mistaken Jerry for an escaped bank robber who also sported a beard. Joe exclaimed, half laughing and half indignant, "the poor man was waiting for a heart and they tried to give him an attack!'' Jerry, said Joe, was very concerned about what was going on back in Bermuda. But although he got upset at times about being away from home, he compensated in meaningful ways: he read the Bermuda newspapers his wife, Dee, sent him, he corresponded with people at home by e-mail, and he continued to write his column for the Mid-Ocean News . According to Joe, there were a lot of people praying for Jerry. "Everybody was asking me how Jerry is doing. Everybody missed him a lot,'' Joe said. While Jerry awaited a new heart in Baltimore, Joe continued with his recovery in Bermuda. Joe said that both Sandy Butterfield (another FOCUS founder) and Jerry, were an enormous help through the various stages of his recovery. In Jerry's absence, Joe said that Sandy was extremely giving.

"She filled the space for Jerry. I can talk to her. I love them both a lot.''