Don Carlson:
CLASS OF 1970
East High SchoolClass of 1970
Rockford, IL
Don's Story
I have not put much here. So Ill take a minute and try to some up the last 46 years since I've seen most of you. I went right from East High and moved to Key West with Steve Tongue, Barb Armstrong from East moved down with me and I became a Scuba Diving guide. In 73 I moved back to Rockford and Married Debbie Dorland, also from East. we we're married 10 years. We had two great kids Brock and Mandy. Now I have 7 grandkids and 1 great grandson. I became a tool and Die Maker and Progressive Die designer. As well as a n alcoholic. We moved to Arizona in 1979, I opened an Aerospace Machine shop. Made parts for the space shuddle. In 1982 I got involved with AA and have been sober ever since. In 1993 another East High school graduate came to me with the Thighmaster. I designed and built the machines that made them and at the peak was producing 15,000 a day seven days a week. Crazy money! In the end I got burned and lost everything. Greed is an amazing thing. Having bee...Expand for more
n an insulin dependent diabetes since 1961, It started to take its tole on me. In 1983 I was also diagnosed with graves disease. I was blind for a year and a half, Ive had 19 eye operations, I've had both my retinas reconstructed. 18 years ago, a vascular surgeon said I had 2 months to two years, before I would lose one or both my legs. Mary and I went to Mexico on our sailboat and sailed for a month, and got back to Phoenix and went to a Holistic Doctor. I just had my 11 stint put in. Ive had three hear attacks, and 8 years ago, right after we bought out latest sailboat, I was diagnosed with head and neck cancer, two and a half years of hell before we go to sail "Sallylightfoot" our Gaff rigged yawl. Last year my kidneys finally gave out so I'm on dialysis 8 hours a day 6 days a week. Not only can I do it at home, I do it on "Sally" getting things ready to take her down to Florida or the Caribbean for next winter. We're all running out of time! Don't waste it! Don
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