- Alcohol
Anna Mae Cerny, my hero in recovery!
I met Annie & her soul mate Lenny when I was just a teenager. They were the parents of my dear friend Brian. They were wonderful people, parents, entertainers and very active in their church and community.
Annie suffered with the brain disease of addiction. Her drug of choice was alcohol. After rehabilitation, Annie attended meetings at her local 12 Step community. After many years of being sober and active in her 12 Step community, Annie became a sponsor.
Annie passed away April 24, 2014, less than 6 months after her husband Lenny passed. She was 85 years of age.
At her memorial service there were numerous friends from her 12 Step community. Many who had known her for years and many she had sponsored. They spoke about their love for Annie and how they would not be standing in front of us today had it not been for Annie’s dedication, love and support to all suffering from addiction.
It was interesting when Annie’s daughter Laura spoke about her mom at the service. She talked about her Mom’s devotion to the 12 Step program and all the friendships she made there. Annie was living with Laura at the time and Laura was taking her twice weekly to 12 Step meetings. It was getting hectic for Laura so she asked her Mom to see if she could catch a ride to the meetings with a friend. Annie had so many offers for transportation that she was going 5 days a week. Imagine that…the weeks before she passed at 85, she had still been going to 12 Step meetings 5 times a week.
What an inspiration Annie is to all in her 12 Step Community!