I never ever like to say I am a Horatio Alger story, mainly because I am not. I am part-way there,but still a very long way to go. Maybe I’m a middle-class Horatio.

In 1997, after twenty years on corporate America, I was put on the sidelines for several diseases, all of which were misdiagnosed. I was unable to collect social security disability because I religiously went to the doctor, took my meds, listened to his or her diatribe of how much better I was getting, and went home feeling worse than I did when I arrived.

I finally started researching as things were pretty rough. My mom had just died and we were very close. I had come home to Mississippi from L.A to care for her but lost my meager job selling ads for a local CBS TV affiliate. I had made a good amount of money working in Washington, D.C. Where I was even named "Entrepreneur Of The Year" but blew most of it taking classes in Los Angeles on how to be a screenwriter. I wrote several full-length screenplays but they now belong to be underbelly of the San Andreas fault. North ridge took them, and every other piece of lifetime memorabilia I every owned.

At least I still had my trusted friend who saved my life, a golden retriever name Otis and a Mercedes 280S which got me around. I was forced to give Rusty away because I couldn't’t buy another home, and had to go to an unfriendly pet apartment.

I had been gone from Hattiesburg, Ms for about 18 years, and didn’t know what to expect when I returned. But it was no surprise. Anything or anybody that was misunderstood was also hated as fear does often cause hatred, even in the most educated among us, and or uncared for. Jimmy Buffett had it right on the spot when he gave his critique of Hattiesburg (he was a student at USM right before I was). He talked of many towns in his book, "A Pirate Looks At 50". The only town he bashes is…you guessed it…Hattiesburg in which he calls it "The city that care forgot".

I couldn't’t have explained it better. Because of the archaic medical system there I was still being treated for depression; something I did not have. I had something called TRD (treatment resistant depression) which is a bit of a misnomer, in that it only mimics depression. It is actually a nonfunctional vagus nerve, the longest nerve in the body that ends at the brain’s mood center. In September 2004 it was approved by the FDA for TRD. Ironically, It had already been approved ten years earlier for TRE (treatment resistant epilepsy). It was still not easy to get, as most psychiatrists were not for it. After all, they had large suburban homes and German car notes.

They had to keep patients. With a very strong aggressive case worker at Cyberonics.com, I was able to switch doctors, find an excellent ENT surgeon and the operation was performed January 25, 2005. A small ceramic implant was placed right under the skin which sends a magnetic ray to the mood center, keeping all moodiness at bay. It is nothing short of a miracle. I was about the 1000th in the U.S to receive it, and I believe number three in Arkansas too. Had I been back I Ms, I would still be a trash can for Prozac which did absolutely nothing.

The year was now 1997. I was still in Hattiesburg, but at least I had read in New Yorker Magazine that there was a chance that this VNS implant would be approved. Meantime I had the motivation to work on my cartoon project. I did it with a team. I had no idea within eight years, it would become the biggest independent cartoon on the Internet and Google’s number ranked offbeat cartoons, gifts, and collectibles. I realize that at age 55 this may not mean much to anyone else, but it mean the world to me. I was suddenly interested in myself, hence interested in other people. I very much enjoyed watching them (especially those close to me) succeed, and many did. I had a bad habit of editing and correcting, still do, but I know it is those tiny details that makes or breaks someone in the world of arts and letters.

I come from harsh family background who seemed to do everything right. My great etc. grandfather was Luis Gomez, who came from Spain and quietly bought 6000 acres, built a mansion, let the American Indians keep their home on his land, and was instrumental in bringing people of all religious backgrounds, races etc. Anything Peter Stuyvesant didn’t like, Luis Gomez went out to of his way to get it done in a democratic fashion. Stuyvesant finally threw in the towel. Aside from Irish and Lutherans, Jews were the other "devils" as were many others. Stuyvesant bowed out quietly as quickly as possible with his tail between his legs. In this Gomez family tree also contained U.S. Supreme Court Benjamin Cardozo (who wrote most of the "final say so" books on Constitutional Law which are still used in most major law school today). The New York School Of Law is named after him. Another notable in my maternal family was poetess Emma Lazarus, one of the first woman's activist (not the kind you see today) but the kind who truly was interested in equal rights, nothing more, nothing less Her poetry led her into all kinds of door as it was truly classic. The last verse of one of her poems "The New Colossus" appears on the base of the Statue Of Liberty, "Give Us Your Tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to….."

Needless to say, these were just a few accomplished ancestors and I didn’t feel I stood a chance.By age 40 I was just developing congestive heart failure and by age 44 had a full blown heart attack. This happened in spite of being an everyday runner who ran two marathons, loved the martial arts and taught Ishinru style for years. I even started a program at the Boys And Girls Club where we taught the kids who were otherwise destined for gangs the "true art of being able to say no and mean it", as well as act, write plays and produce them. They went on to tournaments in Orlando at Disney world and many are now in college. This may have easily been my biggest feat; not just cause I didn’t it but because I did it under the most dire conditions. It took me 5 months to find 4 businesses who would put up $50-100 each. At first I didn’t understand. I had been away too long but then remembered I was back in Ms and though segregation was outlawed, there was and s certain ways to do it economically, and no way to really catch it. So I was hate even more for doing something positive for the community.

I knew I was on a roll, the moment they started liking me, I’d have to move immediately and receive therapy as I would know something was very wrong. On March 19.1007, I launched Londons Times Cartoons. It went through two different names before that, "Londons Fawg" and "Londons Bridge". Nobody seemed to like them so I chose Londons Times. I slept on the dirt floor in a sleeping bag in this dirty tin warehouse with my loyal dog ‘Thor" for over a year. We had no oven, no bathtub (I bathed in the sink) and no running hot water. I survived and produced over 1000 cartoons that year with my team from around the world.

Thor My Favorite Dog Ever. Died at 22. Lived 13 years on totally raw diet. An angel.

Within a few more years I our cartoon inventory shot up to 4500. We were asked to be in the Hollywood Celebrity Black Book, asked nearly daily for signed cartoons and a manufacturer in Rhode Island was ready to strike a deal. I was now in Hot Springs Audience and I could concentrate without all the petty hate noise. Within a year I had seven more stores.

One of the store didn’t even sell cartoon products but a shoe style I created called ShoesThatAmuse.com. On the top panel it features a philosopher, poet etc from the past and one of his or her most famous love quotes on both side quarter panels.

There are the occasional days I don’t sell a thing and other days I sell from 10-20 items. I still haven’t figured that one out but I have figured out it has nothing to do with the holidays. People by my products when they feel like ordering.

So if dreams really do come true, I may have found it. It is sitting in the same home-office with my fiancée’ Lee Hiller who was leaving Ebay for a myriad of reasons (mostly not making a profit anymore) and had for many years been a power seller She has been amazing and made around 7400 products as of this writing. She is an excellent self-taught designer who has won fourteen Zazzle Awards in just three months of work and completed over 7000 gift items designed digitally. Her store is only 3 months old. I can’t wait to see what happens in a year.

We use Twitter and facebook as the place to get out our messages. One funny note. U.S. Keds and Zazzle are business associates so I am allowed to design Keds as well. In February of 2009, I created some Ernest Hemingway love quote shoes. That night I decided to Twitter for the first time and one of the first people I met was Mariel Hemingway. At first I felt it might be a joke but the more we e-chatted the most I knew it was her. By the time we talked on the phone, the voice was so very familiar there is no way it could not be her We talked a long while and though we have had relatively happy lives, we still got a lot of the outcome with a high ratio of drug takers, drinkers, people who committed suicide, and more.

We became close friends and business associates. She is by far one of the nicest most pleasant persons one could befriend on or off Twitter and that goes for her super boyfriend Bobby Williams whom Lee and I love dearly (well, we love both of them). I don’t say it often but with my heart disease, and later in early 2010 a rare sleep apnea operation, Mariel took the time and no cost to

tell me what I was doing right and wrong. She was right.

Within days I was well. They plan to come to our wedding which we plan to be high up on a hill. We give this caveat on the invitation. A lot my not make it to the wedding but surely can make it to the reception which will probably be a the Arlington On an offnote Kathy (Ireland) was the one who asked Lee to marry me. I guess she got sick of me talking about it but I also get the sense she knew I meant it and that I was/am a bit shy. Kathy is not, obviously. Kathy like Mariel are very much alike in their zest and energy for life; yet they are different in so many ways. To me they could easily be sisters. Many don’t believe it, but that is okay as both Lee and I have copies of the tweets, and we both couldn't’t quit laughing when they arrived.

Though Kathy is a very serious businesswoman, several of her ambassadors and her CEO Jason Winters told me she can also be just as much fun and full of harmless mischief and the kind you would want to hang out with as a friend. We don’t get to talk much due to our busy schedules but when we do talk, I rarely want to get off the phone. Both Lee and I are impressed with Kathy and we enjoy her lifestyle, her amazing ability to be creative and make a good income, her love of family and God, and her love of humanity. She gets the facts before she talks publicly. for instance, she was bombarded with the Palestinian propaganda machine in her younger days. She smile her friendly smile. She is now one of Israel’s biggest supporters and their huge national hospital Sheeba, that happens to treat Lebanese for free, is expanding rapidly due to the work she is doing in the region.

So when I complain about how goofy Twitter is (or can be), all I need remember that I found my fiancée;’ Lee, whom I love dearly. I also found my new best friend from day one on Twitter; and she can be as goofy and even more fun than me (Mariel) and Lee and I love talking to her; if ever there was/is a true friend, she is the one, and finally I because adopted by the best sister anyone should be able to enjoy, Kathy Ireland. She never has led me astray and is not afraid to speak her mind, happy or angry, but either way I learn from it.

I have met so many others on both facebook at Twitter and plan a sequel to this story after the wedding so please stay tuned.

Author Rick London is a freelance writer, cartoonist, inventor SEO professional, nature and animal lover. In 1997, London launched what later became the number one offbeat cartoon on the internet, Londons Times, and has stayed in that position for five years.

London later founded numerous stores such as The Rick London Collection which carries the most popular of his funny merchandise. He also launched Rick London Organics which is the only offbeat cartoon shop that has dedicated its entire inventory to 100% organic cotton tees.

London also founded Londons Times Superstore which features over 80,000 original funny gifts and the only place to order his farm fresh (from 5 different countries) whole bean gourmet coffee gift baskets. Also included is an oversize cartoon mug with matching coasters. (and of course the gratuitous biscotti. The mega store also offers mugs, greeting cards, trivets, coasters, tees, caps, etc.

Rick London Wear is one of our smaller stores but features items that are not sold in other stores such as cartoon celebrity and rock star gift and collectibles as well as other very fun gift and collectibles. Please drop by ad have a look

London is well known for his 2008 launch of Shoes That Amuse. These are the only shoes that feature a famous philosopher, writer, poet, etc and each side panels one of their most famous love quotes. They are colored to perfection. These are probably the most fun and talked about shoes today.