New podcast: “Pick a fire and put it out”
2024-04-30
Dear friends,
Where were you the morning of September 11, 2001?
I was on Cliff Island, a small community at the end of the Casco Bay Ferry out of Portland.
Joe McKay was on a Staten Island golf course, but not for long. A New York City firefighter for thirteen years, McKay spent that day, and dozens of days after, filling his lungs with debris, searching shoulder to shoulder with his fellow FDNY firefighters. He, and so many others, lost loved ones that day—coworkers and friends. And then, six months later, he started suffering from unidentifiable, debilitating headaches. After a number of appointments and tests, he discovered that he had developed cluster headaches—a condition considered incurable.
Joe McKay is third from the left with his company back in the day
It wasn’t until 2015 that Joe decided to take a risk and pursue psychedelic treatment for his pain and his PTSD. After years of living in the dark, suffering from such debilitating pain, he could go whole days at a time without an outburst.
Now, McKay works hard to spread the news: plant medicine heals. He hopes that the negative stigma that surrounds the use of psychedelics in healthcare will continue to lessen, and that those whose lives are ruled by pain will feel emboldened to take a chance on a treatment that might save them. “It’s not a red versus blue issue,” McKay told Tristan Roberts. “It’s a red, white, and blue issue.”
Joe McKay and family
Listen on your favorite podcast platform:
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Questions or comments on the episode? I'd love to hear from you.
Curious about the potential for psychedelic therapy for veterans, firefighters, and other frontline workers? Me too. I've been studying S.114 An act relating to the establishment of the Psychedelic Therapy Advisory Working Group. I'll report back on this topic in a future newsletter.
In the meantime, I recommend listening to what Joe has to say.
This is a story of a true patriot, a self-described "Regular Joe," who sacrificed his health for the victims and families of 9/11. Please enjoy Joe McKay - Pick a Fire and Put It Out.
warm regards,
Tristan Roberts
Quill Nook Farm
Halifax, Vermont
P.S. Here's another look at the podcast. Enjoy!
