Mike grew up on a tree farm in Missouri and spent his childhood on horseback with dreams of becoming a cowboy. The connection he formed with horses shaped his earliest understanding of freedom and purpose. But as adulthood beckoned, he traded his saddle for a suit, building a thriving career and raising a family while his childhood aspirations faded into memory. When a devastating diagnosis of a rare genetic neurological disease struck in his mid-thirties, everything changed. His carefully constructed life began to unravel—his business faced uncertainty, his marriage ended, and he was forced to confront his limitations.

What follows is a raw, honest account of his struggle to find answers, rebuild his identity, and rediscover what truly matters. This deeply personal story reveals how sometimes losing everything becomes the doorway to finding yourself. Through resilience, new love, and reconnection with his abandoned cowboy spirit, Mike discovered that true transformation often comes from embracing rather than fighting life's unexpected turns.

A powerful testament to second chances and the healing power of gratitude, this memoir reminds us that sometimes the path back to our authentic selves is the longest, most challenging trail of all.

From Mike

Thirty years ago, I took a transformational course in Salt Lake City, Utah. I was tired; my illness was beginning to take hold, and I was at a low point.

On the second evening, we were given two sheets of paper. On one page, we were to write all the worst things that had ever happened to us. And, on the second page, we were to list all the best, most influential things that had ever happened in our lives.

The insight for me was how everything was connected. I realized that the best things that happened to me came from the worst that happened to me. I was relieved to discover that my judgment was not the key to success; no matter how many times I am thrown, it is always about getting back on the horse, no matter what.