Frank Simmonds was born in Brooklyn, NY and grew up on Long Island. His parents were West Indian, from St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, and raised him in the Roman Catholic faith. His mother died of cancer when he was 17 years old, and for the next 25 years, Frank turned away from his faith and followed an “alternative lifestyle” of drug addiction, homelessness, crime and incarceration until he encountered a power much greater than all his mistakes which enabled him to accept a change in his life. Frank has lived in that encounter ever since. 2 years ago he was diagnosed with advanced-stage neuroendocrine cancer, and 2 months ago he had open-heart surgery to replace the valves destroyed by the cancer. He resides in Brooklyn, NY with his wife and 2 sons, ages 8 and 9. He hopes to return very soon to his work as a doorman in Manhattan.