Mary Pineiro became an adult at a very early age, being responsible of helping her parents put food on the table, while going to school and working a full time job. She got married and divorced a couple of times, and then turned her life into hard partying, too much drinking, and drug abuse. Realizing she had to change, she fought hard to reach sobriety and provide a stable life for her three children. Mary succeeded, but her son Randy seemed doomed to repeat his mother's mistakes. Addiction and run-ins with the law dogged his footsteps until the fateful day he shot and killed a man.
Even though it's apparent that Randy acted only to protect himself, the court charges him with second-degree murder. The sentence is life in prison with no chance of parole.
Mary is heartbroken. She had fought hard to raise her children even as she struggled to overcome drug addiction. She had hoped her children would avoid the crippling grasp of drug abuse, but after Randy fell in with a bad crowd, addiction took hold. Now he is imprisoned, with no hope of reprieve.
While incarcerated, Randy finds comfort and strength in the Bible. He transforms from a self-confessed thug into a better man-a man willing to serve others. He is a lifer, true, but with Jesus as his best friend, he finds an inner peace he has never known. And then, out of nowhere, a miracle happens-an unprecedented event holding the promise of freedom from incarceration, if Randy is willing to accept it.
About the Author: Born in Cuba, Mary Pineiro grew up in the United States. She was a hard worker, but her life was almost ruined by addiction. As a single mother of three, she broke the cycle of addiction with the help of a twelve step program and her sponsor. She attended night classes while at work and became active in the church. Her goal was to safeguard her children from what she herself endured. Her own son's experiences with addiction culminated in a lengthy prison sentence-and an eventual miracle. Pineiro coauthored her memoir, Mom's Love, with Randy Chaviano.
