Rosemary A. Cunliffe North

My life began sixty years ago as Rosemary A. Cunliffe. My mom was of Czech descent and my father of Polish and English descent. I have two sisters and two brothers, me being the middle child. As Catholics, we went to church every Sunday. My parents seldom attended church except for their children’s Baptism, Communion and Confirmation. Mom and dad had their own rules as far as religion was concerned; do as I say, not as I do. I graduated high school in nineteen hundred and sixty-six and furthered my education attending Pikes Peak Community College in Colorado Springs, Colorado, but was unable to graduate with a degree when I was stricken with Multiple Sclerosis at the age of thirty-six. However, I did manage after almost a year to return to college only to realize it became impossible to finish my education because of my MS. After living in Colorado Springs for a few years, we relocated back to New Jersey where I was born. With several months of recovery, I was able to hide my illness for several years and worked as a medical transcriber. Then one day as fate would have it I could no longer keep my fingers on the keyboard of a computer or typewriter and I joined the ranks of the disabled. Although I am unable to type with all of my fingers, I manage to type with an eraser end of a pencil.

I became Rosemary A. Warianka when I married my first husband Andrew before my diagnosis of MS. We had two children, a boy, Andrew and a girl, Catherine Rose. After sixteen years of marriage, I grew tired of our age difference of twenty-nine years and divorced my first husband, and later married my second and present husband John W. North Sr. Who ever said, “Love is lovelier the second time around” is correct especially for me. I told John of my illness but he still married me despite my illness. John was a wonderful, warm-hearted man and individual who I could not help myself but love him. My children took to John immediately as I did. After marrying John, we moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. While living in Vegas my first-born child, my son Andrew was murdered by a Latino male who was released from prison early for good behavior only to commit the ultimate crime of murder.

After my son’s death I became a woman driven for justice and revenge for the death of my son. The male responsible for my son’s death was apprehended, convicted and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

I never really dealt with the process of grieving my son’s death. In fact, I acted as if I was the only one whose life was affected by his death. When in reality Andrew’s death had a profound affect on my husband John and my daughter Cathy. I shut everyone out shortly after my son’s death and began to gamble. My addiction to gambling began very slowly. Then gambling took control of my life. I ignored my daughter, my husband and became consumed by a compulsive, obsessive behavior to gamble. Gambling became my whole life for seven plus years until I hit bottom on August 19, 2002. My recovery from gambling began on August 23, 2002 when I attended my first Gamblers meeting in a little church tucked away from the bright lights and glitter of Las Vegas. I now have over five years of recovery through the Gamblers Anonymous twelve steps of recovery. I’m in the process of publishing my second book, “Women Overpowered by Obsessive Compulsive Gambling.” My first book dealt with my son’s death and a rather vague description of my gambling addiction, “Beyond The Glitz and Glamour of Las Vegas,” Death and Addiction.

My residence is in Sun City, Arizona with my husband John of over twenty years. Four grandchildren, my daughter and my son-in-law Michael surround our lives. Above all, I have found Christ once again and prayer is part of my daily life. I love life, I love my freedom from gambling and I am able to love and receive love once more!