All Gays Go to Heaven,
Dr. Reece W. Manley’s memoir, has given me a whole new perception of the
reality and emotional scars of depression, incest abuse, body image, dependence
on drugs, and being prejudiced because of someone’s sexual orientation. Reece at one time weighed 414 pounds. He hated himself, and couldn’t bare to even
look into a mirror. He tried everything
from Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Oprah
Optifast and countless other ways to eliminate the weight from attending seminars
to support groups. Unfortunately nothing
worked. Finally, with much careful
consideration, Reece made the decision to have Biliopancreatic Diversion
–Duodenal Switch (BPD/DS) surgery. It
seemed like the only reasonable solution to help Reece not only loose the
weight successfully, but to insure that he would be healthier in general. He was
too young to have this health issue circumvent his quality of life.
Reece, accompanied by his father, went to Manhattan for his
surgery pre-op preparation. Later others
of his family made the trip from Dallas, Texas to New York to support Reece and
be at his bedside during the surgery. One fortuitous benefit of having Reece’s mother, Treva, with him was she
is a Licensed Registered Nurse, which put all of the family members more at
ease. After the surgery, Reece
immediately started complaining about having pain in his feet which was simply
unbearable. This only added to a very
difficult and cumbersome recovery process. The pain that Reece experienced in his feet became a chronic debilitating
problem. It didn’t go away easily and caused
a host of other problems. This required
Reece to go to the International Pain
Clinic at Texas Tech frequently to acquire pain medication. Reece soon found himself being completely
addicted to morphine and other pain medication. Eventually Reece graduated from morphine to cocaine, which his
friend Jeff introduced to him. Cocaine
seemed to be the only real drug that would enable him not to experience any
pain, at least for awhile.
Dr. Manley’s life was spinning out of control. He suffered from severe depression, which
landed him in the Timberlawn Psychiatric
Center. He was in chronic pain that seemed
endless. He struggled with drug
addiction, body image, incest abuse, and so much more. He had a dysfunctional romantic relationship
with Chris, which was a key reason why Reece suffered from depression. He writes openly in his book about the prejudice
he had to endure because of being gay. Keep in mind Reece lives in Texas, a place where most people don’t
tolerate diversity of any sort. Reece
also writes about his near death experiences, and the very profound positive
experiences he witnessed firsthand. This
strengthened Reece’s will to live and solidified his faith in God loving him. Throughout all of this, he was still able to
complete his Ph.D. with excellent grades. Dr. Manley candidly recounts the struggle he faced as he persevered his
dream into fruition, becoming a licensed counselor, pastor, and author.
All Gays Go to Heaven
turns circumstances into vision, vision into purpose, purpose into
perseverance, and perseverance into accomplishment. Dr. Reece Manley’s story is
disturbing and unforgettable with an inspiring message of hope for anyone
struggling to raise themselves above their disabilities. Dr. Reece Manley has the wonderful ability to
describe scenes and events as if one were right there with him. You feel his pain, loss, love and anger. Dr. Manley’s writing conveys the close-knit
bond of deep faith in God and of his loyalty to a caring mother. Dr. Manley also has a wonderful way of adding
his humor and wit appropriately, without distracting from his story. I believe the core message in All Gays Go to Heaven is simple - God
loves everyone regardless of creed, color, and sexual orientation. Hatred is a wasted energy. We should all learn how to replace hatred
with love, peace, and acceptance.
Buy this book at Amazon.com
