Ronald Mastrianni:  

My life changed soon after graduation. I had an aortic aneurysm on my way home from University of Hartford and was diagnosed with Marfan Syndrome. Six surgeries over the years for aortic valve and aortic arch down to the abdominal aorta. I have travelled all over the world. I traced my family ancestors back to Caiazzo Italy and with a shirt written with my name on the back, was met by a local in a tourist info place and was taken in by a family that turned out to be distant cousins and had the most rewarding experience in my life. As to love, I worked at a local food bag near the Southington Reservoir. One night I was closing and three people entered the store. One guy asked for a pack of cigarettes and as I was getting ready to turn about and place them on the counter, he pulled a mask and a gun and said to me "While you're at it, give me all the f*** money in the cash register" I was then told to lie down. I waited several minutes and called the police. I was transferred to a store in Bristol. One night this beautiful girl came to work riding her bicycle as she didn't have a car. Love at first sight. We immediately started dating. I lived in Detroit for one year when my employer called DME moved. We married by eloping to Martha's Vineyard and had a belated honeymoon in Italy. Our relationship lasted 10 years and ended in a divorce. I went through a wild time in my life, working at Otis Elevator. It was there that I developed the Worldwide Training Standards in creating educational material that changed the way Otis provided employee training, saving the company hundreds of thousands of dollars yearly. I was given an award by then president George David in a special ceremony. However, I was due for another surgery and when word got out about my request for time off for surge...Expand for more