After spending many years as a contractor in the construction field and owning my own remodeling business I followed my passion for art and opened Kidwell’s Custom Framing & Printing. I was well respected in my profession and my shop was successful. I spent my time educating myself and became the only Conservation grade framer in my area. I had customers driving from 4 and 5 hours away to have me frame and preserve their memories. I did large-format printing for the area’s best photographers and did print and art reproduction for the most talented artist in my area. I was an outspoken and vocal advocate for small business and revitalizing my city’s Historic Downtown. In 2017 tragedy struck and I was diagnosed with cancer. I almost lost my arm and the cancer spread to my lungs. I went through all types of chemo and radiation and nothing worked. I lost 90 lbs and was in a wheelchair. We found out I had been misdiagnosed because of the rarity of my cancer and I was placed in a clinical trial that saved my life. After a year of being closed, I was able to slowly re-open and rebuild my business. Just when everything was getting back to normal and my business was once again doing great tragedy happened again and the Covid 19 pandemic hit. Like so many other small businesses I was not able to recover and had to close my doors. That’s how I got here. I made some really bad decisions in a desperate attempt to numb my physical, and emotional pain I turned to drugs. I was sentenced to 97 months for possession with intent. I am down but not out. I found Prison Professors, White Collar Advice, and Earning Freedom. I was inspired by Michael Santos’s life story and I made the decision I would make every second of this journey count.
