July 15 is a special day for Ballston Spa resident Sean Kelleher
Posted on 07.14.14 by pcadmin
By Lauren Mineau for The Saratogian>>
July 15 is a special day for Ballston Spa resident Sean Kelleher. He’ll be three years sober and attending a film screening at Bow Tie Cinemas that he brought to life.
“The Anonymous People,” a film on the reality of addiction is being brought to the Spa City at 7 tonight through a combination of crowd-sourcing, The Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention Council of Saratoga County and Kelleher’s efforts. He saw the film and said it opened his eyes to the world of advocacy and he thought he’d give it a try.
“This is a way for me to give back. This film approaches recovery in a new way. A lot of people see the fun, dramatic and ridiculous side of addiction, that’s not the reality,” he said.
The film features interviews with some of the 23.5 million Americans facing long-term recovery from drug and alcohol addiction and appearances from actress Kristen Johnston, former NBA star Chris Herren, Miss USA 2006 Tara Conner and former Congressman Patrick Kennedy, who are all in recovery themselves.
Kelleher never expected the film to gain so much momentum, but the screening sold out within six weeks. In fact, Bow Tie Cinemas upgraded the screening to a larger theater as of Monday afternoon to accommodate the crowd.
“When I set up the page, I thought ,‘This will never happen.’ I never expected to be watching ticket sales go up every day,” he said, “I’m really excited about the way this turned out. Addiction is here and it affects everyone in one way or another.”
He immediately felt connection to the film when he learned the director shared the same connection with July 15 — director and film producer Greg Williams also marks each year of his sobriety that day.
“I kind of thought it was meant to be,” Kelleher said.
Janine Stuchin, executive director at The Prevention Council, said this screening is part of a dialogue they hope to start in Saratoga Springs.
“Addiction is a chronic illness, and those suffering are the same as HIV or breast cancer survivors, we need to get around the shame of addiction and spark some discussion,” she said.
The film features interviews with those struggling with addiction and questions the stigma surrounding it, especially in American society. The film’s stay in Saratoga was brought together by Gathr, a service that works by giving people the chance to unite and rally for a certain film to be brought to their town. Once a certain amount of tickets are reserved, Gathr works to bring the screening to life, as requested.
“This film is not your tired old addiction story often seen on reality television or in the news,” Williams said in a press release. “There are no needles hanging out of people’s arms, pictures of the brain, or fried eggs in a pan. We set out to find the answer to one very fundamental question: Why don’t we treat addiction in this country like any other health issue?”
On July 22, the group will host a follow-up discussion at 7 p.m. at the Saratoga County Arts Council.
“A lot of people have a hard time asking for help, and I’d like to do my part to change that,” Kelleher said.
The article I just read was from July 14, 2014. Here we are at Healing Springs Recovery and Outreach Center 8 years later, fulfilling the dream and vision that Sean Kelleher had back then. It’s amazing. Extraordinary. And none of this would be possible without Janine Stuchin, Lillian McCarthy, and their incredibly dedicated staff and volunteers.
Can we give a hand to these folks?
I had the chance to visit Sean in the hospital a few weeks before he crossed over on March 15 of this year. He was 53 years old. I contacted Megan before I went to check on what Sean’s favorite type of chocolate was (because of course Megan would know), and I picked up some Reese’s Peanut Butter cups to add to the pile that other visitors had already brought for him. I expected to find Sean weak and feeble in the bed. I should have known better. He was sitting up, working intently on some piece of writing at his laptop, the well-worn Denver Broncos hat perched proudly on his head.
My visit with Sean was like every other encounter I had with him – he was pleased and grateful to see me (and the Reeses Cups). He minimized the true nature of his predicament (sure, I couldn’t walk at all because of the tumor, but it really wasn’t that bad, and they treat me really good here)! Sean epitomized humility, love and care for others, and the essence of a gentle, kind spirit. He was a dreamer of dreams, most of which involved bringing joy into people’s lives in some way. Along with writing, he had a love for singing, and I remember one of his plans involving a flash mob for people in recovery which morphed into a ragtag group of singers at Saratoga’s Victorian Streetwalk, one or two of whom dressed as reindeer. He also took charge of a project to have people whose lives had been saved by local law enforcement sign a large card of appreciation to these officers. I remember Sheriff Morley telling me afterwards that it was the first time many of his colleagues had received such a tribute. They don’t get to see the amazing results of their interventions enough. Sean made these things happen in the same way he filled the local movie theatre in 2014 to watch The Anonymous People. Quietly, humbly, but persistently. And he did it all for others. He impacted me and everyone he came into contact with in a way that can’t really be described, but is easily felt, and I’m a better person because he was in my life, and because he shared his dream of helping others impacted by substance use disorders. Without him, none of this would be a reality.
I’d like to say a few words about another amazing founding member of our movement and of Healing Springs.
Jacob Weakland was a kind soul and fierce recovery warrior that crossed over on November 14, 2021. He was 36 years old. Jacob joined the small group of volunteers that originally formed Sean’s aptly named Recovery Advocacy in Saratoga (RAIS). Sean and Jacob were the Ying and the Yang of RAIS. Where Sean would set to work knocking on doors or starting petitions to promote social changes around recovery, Jacob preferred to kick the doors in, put a bullhorn in someone’s face, and post the whole incident online for everyone to see. He burned for what was right, and just, and to be the voice for those who had none, and everyone around him could feel the heat of his convictions. Sometimes we even had to splash a little water on Jacob to keep him in a “controlled burn” status. He set up the first RAIS Facebook Page, designed many of the logos we continue to use today, and brought in a $5,000 donation to RAIS in those early days without which we probably wouldn’t be here today.
I had coffee with Jacob a few weeks before his death. I really wanted him to do the cover art for my novel Deerfield because he was such a talented photographer. He loved the idea – Jacob loved any ideas that were big, and risky, and would help people find recovery. Like Sean, he gave me a gift that day by simply being the authentic, caring, righteous dreamer I’d come to know over the years.
I can truly say I loved both these kind souls – they brought out the best of the people around them, and they did it despite their own flaws, and demons, and defects of character that I can so relate to. I’ve heard it said that those of us in the Recovery Community belong on The Island of Misfit Toys, the Dented Can aisle, or a group of Bozos on the Bus. I like that. I know who my tribe is, and I know that in order for me to remain completely sober and somewhat sane I need to stay connected and grounded with the other misfits, dented cans, and Bozos. In my experience that’s the best medicine in existence for keeping this disease in remission.
I want to close by talking about success. Successful Recovery Advocacy in particular. As I sat down to write about Sean and Jacob, and this 5 Year Celebration of Healing Springs, I kept wondering if we’ve been successful in the mission they both cared so deeply about.
Last year, over 100,000 people crossed over as a result of opioid overdoses. The average loss of life in America due to alcohol related causes averages 140,000 every year. Cannabis is more potent than ever before, and quickly becoming legal in most US States. The number of young people beginning to use nicotine through Vaping is rising. And woven into all of these issues is the growing number of Americans suffering from Mental Health issues, made worse by isolation and fear caused by the Worldwide COVID Epidemic. Closer to home, we live in a city with a long history of embracing and promoting “addictions” in the form of alcohol, drugs, gambling, and a variety of other substances and behaviors that are meant to create revenue and feed the insatiable political and materialistic appetite for “more.”
These statistics are grim, but they are reality. For the last 26 years of my sustained Recovery, I’ve been patiently but persistently advocating, educating, and writing to influence change (Just like Sean would do). At times, I’ve also RAISED my voice, shouted into some faces, and marched my way down many streets, often arm and arm with many of the Recovery Warriors here today – (Just like Jacob would do). And we – each of us – has been a small part in affecting big changes that have helped to save lives and lead people out of the darkness of addiction and into the light of Recovery.
My final point is that we need you – each and every one of you – to take that pain and heartbreak you’ve experienced during the darkest days when addiction was ravaging your life in some way and turn it into your super power to help someone else out of that darkness. I truly believe that what does not destroy us can make us stronger if we stick together. If we don’t have our hands out and our hearts open to those who need help, nobody else will. We can’t let up. We can’t go silent. We won’t be ashamed or anonymous, and we will tell our stories and push for changes, and we will NEVER, EVER, STOP. We need you. You matter. Sign up for RAIS. Go to their next monthly meeting. Get involved with Healing Springs. See how you can help out around here. Watch The Anonymous People. Do something that will help. Sean and Jacob did something small that became extraordinary. They made a difference in people’s lives And you can as well. Thank You!
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