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Two women, two difficult roads to recovery from drug addiction.
Last week, that road led to a shared honor in Tallahassee.
Susan Reid and Mary McQuillan were among the 13 people named Florida's outstanding drug court graduates during the eighth annual statewide drug summit.
Reid, who lives in Pinellas County, and McQuillan, from Hillsborough, traveled to the state capital for a reception at the Governor's Mansion.
The following day, June 7, they received a plaque and a handshake from Gov. Jeb Bush during the summit on drug prevention and treatment initiatives.
The women, both 39, graduated from Hillsborough's drug court. Reid completed the program in April 2002 and last month celebrated five years of being clean. She now works as an admission specialist at ACTS residential facility in Tarpon Springs.
McQuillan was a nurse before she got hooked on prescription pills six years ago. She lost her hearing as a result of the abuse.
In March 2005, she received an early termination of her probation. She has relearned how to speak, regained much of her hearing with surgery and now shares her story with other drug offenders, students and her four children.
McQuillan shared her thoughts on the award via e-mail:
"It has been a long time since I was able to hold my head high again, and this recognition really did the trick."
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Gov. Bush isn't happy that he won't get to appoint those who get the 55 judgeships created this year by the state Legislature. In a June 9 memo, he questioned the constitutionality of the bill, which calls for the judgeships to be filled by election this fall.
Still, the governor grumpily allowed the bill to become law Saturday without his signature. The jockeying began immediately for the four new circuit seats in Hillsborough.
Case in point: Tracy Sheehan and her Labrador, Molly, walked the Tampa attorney's filing papers to a UPS office on Saturday. By Monday, Sheehan had opened a campaign account with $100,000 of her personal funds.
Several other attorneys, including Assistant Public Defender Samantha Ward, followed suit.
One of the newly declared candidates is the daughter of U.S. District Court Judge James S. Moody, known most recently as the jurist who presided over the Sami Al-Arian case.
Ashley B. Moody is a prosecutor at the U.S. Attorney's Office in Tampa. She was admitted to the Florida Bar in April 2001.
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At first, Toby O'Brien thought his thumb ached from his work chasing suspects for the Tampa Police Department.
But he later learned his sore thumb was a symptom of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
O'Brien died May 16 after a 9-month struggle with the disease. He was 39.
His illness prompted generosity from his colleagues, who raised more than $40,000 for uninsured medical expenses.
On Friday, friends and co-workers will join local celebrities to remember O'Brien's life and raise money for his family at a memorial luncheon and auction.
The lunch will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Rattlefish Raw Bar & Grill, 5200 W Tyson Ave., said organizer David C. Williams.
Police Chief Steve Hogue, a representative from the state Attorney General's Office and players from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will attend, Williams said.
An autographed, framed Mike Alstott jersey, a signed football and several autographed photos of Bucs players are some of the items that will be auctioned.
Got a tip? For cops news, contact Abbie VanSickle at 813 226-3373 or vansickle@sptimes.com For courts news, contact Colleen Jenkins at (813) 226-3337 or cjenkins@sptimes.com.