This is a work of nonfiction. The events and experiences detailed herein are all true and have been faithfully rendered as I have remembered them, to the best of my ability. On occasion, I have left out names and other identifying features to preserve the privacy of certain individuals. Throughout, conversations come from my keen recollection of them, though they are not written to represent word-for-word documentation. Rather, I’ve retold them in a way that evokes the real feeling and meaning of what was said, in keeping with the true essence of the mood and spirit of the event.