One Halloween Night, Two Near-Death Moments, & the Movement That Followed.”
At the Height of the Pandemic… I was stabbed near the heart. Minimal bleeding. No fear. No voice screaming “Run.” Just silence. Shock. Then—survival. Fast forward to Halloween night, 2023… Sienna, Dakota, and I pulled up to the Castro. Costumes everywhere. Music shaking the block. Wild energy. But the second I stepped out of the car— I got hit by something deeper than any blade ever reached. A silent scream in my chest: “You need to leave. Now.” It wasn’t fear. It was instinct—the kind you only develop after years of brushing up against death. I turned to explain it to Sienna… But before I could speak, she looked me dead in the eye and said: “No need to say more. I feel you.” She turned to Dakota: “Let’s go.” No hesitation. We dipped. 🚗💨 We drove to North Beach. No plan. Just a feeling. A pull. On the way, I started talking about the Bernice Method— A way to quit fentanyl with minimal withdrawal. A method that would become one of the puzzle pieces that helped save my life. We park. Sienna hops on a Lime scooter—calls it the Thooter Scooter. She rides up this steep hill like she’s in a movie, thinking to herself: “I wish someone was filming me right now.” At the top of the hill—Joey Barnes. Filming content with his dog. He sees her climbing and thinks: “Should I film this?” But doesn’t—out of respect. She makes it to the top… then falls—with style. Joey runs over. She grins and says: “Dude, I know how to fall.” They laugh. Then talk. Something clicks. She says: “You’re really cool. What’s your name?” “Joey Barnes.” “Wait… what’s your name?” “Joey. Joey Barnes.” “No f*cking way. My friend’s name is Joey—Joey Noble. And he’s actually… Noble. You two need to meet.” She calls me on the spot. Says she fell but she’s fine—“Come get me.” So Dakota and I show up. That’s when Joey meets Joey. And we all just stand there… Alignment. That night hit me harder than the blade ever did. Because if I hadn’t trusted that feeling… Hadn’t left the Castro…