In July of 2011, I decided to quit drinking for personal reasons. This was a positive change for me, but unfortunately, I gained quite a bit of weight. I was already in the 240-pound range, but I ended up weighing 260 pounds in no time. In early 2012, a friend asked me to climb the Aon Building in Chicago (stair climb). I completed the stair climb of the 80-story building in approximately 23 minutes. My son, who was 7 years old, wanted to do stair climbs with me. We completed several stair climbs together over the next few years in Chicago, LA, Indianapolis, Buffalo, and Texas.
I also started doing 110-floor stair climbs for the 9/11 memorials in 2014. These climbs were all over the country and were done in full police uniform/gear. I had the honor of bagpiping the opening ceremonies of these stair climbs with local police/fire pipe bands or as a solo bagpiper. In 2015, I cleaned up my diet and dropped to 205 pounds where I maintained that weight until 2020. From 2012-early 2020, I participated in 91 stair climbs. Please see the Step Up & Give Back tab on this website for stair climb results and photos. (https://chitexirishbagpipers.com/stair-climb-results/ https://chitexirishbagpipers.com/stair-climb-photos/).
One of my biggest stair-climb accomplishments is the Sears Tower in Chicago ( https://skyrisechicago.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.event&eventID=515 ). The Sears Tower climb is 105 floors (we started two levels below street level). This is approximately 2150 steps and is one of the more difficult climbs due to the steepness of the stairs. In 2012, I completed the Sears Tower climb in 42:17 and in 2019, I completed that climb in 23:20.
The other events in which I am proud to have participated in are the 9/11 stair climbs. All these climbs are: 110 total floors, in full police uniform/gear and untimed. Most of the 9/11 stair climbs were organized by Association of Memorial Stair Climbs – Home page for the Association of Memorial Stair Climbs and Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
In March 2020, COVID put all the stair climbs on hiatus. I was still working for the Chicago Police Department as a Sergeant during this time on the midnight shift. A few months later, the protests/riots started. My stair climbing events were sporadic between 2020-2022 due to COVID, the long hours with the protests, retiring from CPD, moving to Texas and starting a new job. In 2022/2023, I participated in a few 9/11 climbs and other climbs all in Texas.
In April 2023, I was hospitalized for pneumonia and pleurisy in my lungs. I was admitted with the following: oxygen 80 (normal is 95-100), blood pressure of 90/70 (my normal is 120/80), white blood cell count of 29K (normal is under 10K) and heart rate 130 (my normal is 60s/70s). I was hospitalized for 12 days and had emergency thoracic (lung) surgery to remove the infection. Doctors were not able to determine the cause or source of the infection. The doctors and the surgeon all told me that I was lucky to survive this medical incident. I weighed 196 pounds at discharge. Not the ideal way to lose 22 pounds in 12 days.
A few months later, I was able to resume bagpiping and light workouts. In September 2023, I completed two 110 floor 9/11 stair climbs in full uniform (minus the vest). From the end of 2023 through Nov 2024, I continued to bagpipe, workout and do a couple local stair climbs. My weight fluctuated between 210-220 pounds.
In July 2023 and Nov 2024, I was hospitalized for blood clots in my leg (2023) and in my lungs/leg (2024). I’m currently on blood thinners and was given the okay by my doctor to bagpipe and train for stair climbs.
I realize now how lucky I am just to be able to do these climbs and to continue bagpiping. These recent and upcoming climbs mean more this time around since I’ve had health issues related to what these climbs support.
I want to thank my wife, Marnie, for always being there for me. She was there when I was sick and has always supported me for bagpiping and stair climbing. The purpose of this letter is to tell my story and what I’ve overcome.
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