courage to face a heart transplant.

The 45-year-old said his faith had given him confidence during the countdown to the operation.

"Faith and trust in God have helped me enormously,'' he said.

The father-of-three, executive officer of the National Alcohol and Drugs Agency, flies to the United States shortly for pre-operation tests.

They will be carried out at the huge Pittsburgh Presbyterian Hospital.

With the final check-up over, Mr. Ming will be put on a transplant donor list.

"My position on the list will depend on how urgently I need the operation,'' said Mr. Ming.

"This will be determined by the tests, but hopefully I will have the operation in a matter of months.'' It was four years ago Mr. Ming learned he was suffering from a mystery breakdown of his heart muscles -- idiopathic ventricular cardio myopaty.

Doctors believe the cause could be a virus.

As the months passed, Mr. Ming's heart condition increasingly sapped his energy.

And it forced him to scale down his massive workload.

As executive officer with NADA -- now amalgamated with the new National Drugs Strategy team -- he was working up to 15 hours a day.

He has also been a drugs adviser overseas, including Belize and the West Indies.

And his interests extend to the Salvation Army as well.

"My doctor is generally very pleased with the way I have been coping. I get extremely tired, and there is a limit to what I can do.

"I try not to go too far from home. I just take each day as it comes.'' Mr. Ming, who is on the Interim Steering Committee of the new Drugs Strategy Authority, is full of praise for the support of his wife, Juanita, and his two teenage daughters, Carla and Carol, and 12-year-old son, Calvin.

"My illness has helped bring the family together. We are very closely knit.'' He added his wife would be travelling to Pittsburgh with him for the tests.

Once the operation is over, Mr. Ming expects to spend several months recuperating in the United States.

"I want to get back to Bermuda as quickly as possible and continue my work.

"There is so much I want to do to help solve the drugs problem.'' MR. CALVIN MING -- `my illness has helped bring the family together.'