Mike is grateful for the experiences he had before coming to prison and since. He raised kids, traveled, built houses, ran heavy equipment, worked on cars, survived the streets and prison, now has fallen in love. His mom, 2 sisters, 1 brother, 2 grown children, 2 granddaughters, 3 nephews and handful of close friends will all be by his side when he is a free man.
Before he got locked up, Mike saw himself as a good person, who didn’t know what respect truly was. He was there for his family, but not like he should have been, always living for the next party. He had a good work ethic and held a job since 16, was loyal, trustworthy, family oriented, and always told he had a good heart. He loved being with his nephews and youngest child, four wheeling, partying, being around loved ones, but was always about having a good time.
Growing up, he had always wanting to be one of the cool kids. During high school, Mike’s mom transferred him because he was picked on and bullied at school, as one of few white kids. His father wanted to see Mike get his diploma, because he never got the chance to do himself. But shortly before Mike finished school, they found out Mike’s dad had cancer. It was stage 4 lung cancer that had metastasized to the brain and only 6 months later, his father had passed away. Mike’s relationship with his father was a stabilizing force. They spent a lot of time together, hunting and fishing together. Losing his father sent him off of the path he was on, and he didn’t finish high school as his father had dreamed of.
By 23 years old, struggling with drugs and alcohol, he “was pulled back into the devil’s den” as his mom describes it. When he was incarcerated, he was given a life sentence, all suspended but 50 years (which was later reduced to life all suspended but 40 years due to an illegal sentence). His mom took out her retirement to spend on lawyers to support him.
Behind the walls, Mike learned compassion, patience, empathy, love for people, to accept his responsibility, what respect truly is and how a man is supposed to be and act. First, he had to learn how to actually communicate, so relationships were rocky for a while. Now he knows how to listen and engage in the conversation and knows it is not always about him. He still feels disconnected at times because he has been gone for so long. He wonders if people really know him and can relate. He describes it as one of the hardest aspects of prison. Dealing with loss behind the prison walls has not always been easy either. Mike has lost 5 of his friends to drug overdoses while he has been incarcerated, and the mother of one of his daughters OD’ed as well. He dealt with a lot of grief, isolated from those who loved him most. But through it all, he has been so grateful for his mother. He has told her to never blame herself for where he was at, and that she is the best mom that he could ask for.
When he comes home, Mike wants to work to repair broken relationships with his family members that have been strained by decades inside. He wants the chance to see and thank everyone who has either supported him or his mom through this ordeal. Getting to simply live in the moment, being a grandfather to his grandkids, and be thankful.
Mike has a lot of skills he is willing to put to work when he comes home from carpentry, car repair, or even handy man work. He has a self-described “passion for ancient civilizations” and can see himself being a teacher. However, more than anything, he would like to work with the youth, so they don’t make the same mistakes he did. If he could just reach one of them and change their lives, the whole ordeal would be worth it.
Before he got locked up, Mike saw himself as a good person, who didn’t know what respect truly was. He was there for his family, but not like he should have been, always living for the next party. He had a good work ethic and held a job since 16, was loyal, trustworthy, family oriented, and always told he had a good heart. He loved being with his nephews and youngest child, four wheeling, partying, being around loved ones, but was always about having a good time.
Growing up, he had always wanting to be one of the cool kids. During high school, Mike’s mom transferred him because he was picked on and bullied at school, as one of few white kids. His father wanted to see Mike get his diploma, because he never got the chance to do himself. But shortly before Mike finished school, they found out Mike’s dad had cancer. It was stage 4 lung cancer that had metastasized to the brain and only 6 months later, his father had passed away. Mike’s relationship with his father was a stabilizing force. They spent a lot of time together, hunting and fishing together. Losing his father sent him off of the path he was on, and he didn’t finish high school as his father had dreamed of.
By 23 years old, struggling with drugs and alcohol, he “was pulled back into the devil’s den” as his mom describes it. When he was incarcerated, he was given a life sentence, all suspended but 50 years (which was later reduced to life all suspended but 40 years due to an illegal sentence). His mom took out her retirement to spend on lawyers to support him.
Behind the walls, Mike learned compassion, patience, empathy, love for people, to accept his responsibility, what respect truly is and how a man is supposed to be and act. First, he had to learn how to actually communicate, so relationships were rocky for a while. Now he knows how to listen and engage in the conversation and knows it is not always about him. He still feels disconnected at times because he has been gone for so long. He wonders if people really know him and can relate. He describes it as one of the hardest aspects of prison. Dealing with loss behind the prison walls has not always been easy either. Mike has lost 5 of his friends to drug overdoses while he has been incarcerated, and the mother of one of his daughters OD’ed as well. He dealt with a lot of grief, isolated from those who loved him most. But through it all, he has been so grateful for his mother. He has told her to never blame herself for where he was at, and that she is the best mom that he could ask for.
When he comes home, Mike wants to work to repair broken relationships with his family members that have been strained by decades inside. He wants the chance to see and thank everyone who has either supported him or his mom through this ordeal. Getting to simply live in the moment, being a grandfather to his grandkids, and be thankful.
Mike has a lot of skills he is willing to put to work when he comes home from carpentry, car repair, or even handy man work. He has a self-described “passion for ancient civilizations” and can see himself being a teacher. However, more than anything, he would like to work with the youth, so they don’t make the same mistakes he did. If he could just reach one of them and change their lives, the whole ordeal would be worth it.