THE PROTECTOR

Believing that the benefit outweighs the risk, Dick Dressler, a financial planner and insurance specialist, arrives at the doorstep of a drug dealer. Though it’s unusual for such a respectable looking fellow to have any reason to be there, looks can be deceiving. Dick is on a mission. With the same matter-of-factness he would display in presenting a pension plan to a client, he will clean up one of the many messes in his life—this one caused by the eldest of his three sons. The caretaker of his family, Dick manages one crisis after the other, one day at a time. As his youngest son struggles with Cystic Fibrosis and the other two battle drug addictions and personal demons, a series of bizarre and tragic events unfold, evoking intense emotions and challenges. Through each ordeal that arises from circumstances and choices, Dick reveals an incredible capacity to focus on anything good and positive he can find or create along the way. Incredibly, he and his wife Judy manage to stay together, keeping their family intact during the toughest times. Never accepting defeat, Dick maintains his passion for life while making the most of each day. His decisions will be controversial to some readers, but Dick makes no excuses. Instead, he aims to inspire compassion among those who stand by in judgment and to spark hope in those who are struggling through hardships. With an unusual capacity to nurture and love unconditionally, Dick shares his life to show that problems exist in all families, so rather than suffering in silence, he encourages loved ones to seek insights and support from others who understand.