This story starts as a typical gambling problem, but ends as a love story.

Rick Corman, 42, went to the Casino Windsor a couple of years ago with his mother, aunt and uncle. By the time he left that evening, he had succumbed to the seduction of the slot machine.

Hooked by a $1,500 win, he began to gamble seriously and within eight months he lost $20,000. Anita, his wife, had a niggling feeling something was wrong, yet put it in the back of her mind. She didn't want to face it, but really has a way of forcing problems out into the open. Their son David, who had ADHD as a child, was attending school at Maryvale. One day during a family therapy session when they were trying to figure out why they were stalled, Rick's gambling problem surfaced.

The counsellor at Maryvale gave them information about Problem Gambling Services and Rick went for help. Believing he was cured after his therapy sessions ended, Rick refused aftercare, relapsed and lost another $50,000. He returned. This time it would change his life and his family's. "They called me in about a month later to have a meeting to disclose what was going on, and that's when I realized how bad everything was," said Anita. "He admitted he had a problem and how much we were in debt and it kind of struck home. Rick had taken out a home equity loan without disclosing the amount and got a credit card in his own name. When the statements were presented to me it blew my mind." She never knew because Rick would rush to the mailbox to intercept the bills.

"It's amazing how conniving and creative you get," said Rick. "There was total chaos inside my head. I was withdrawn. I would go upstairs and close the bedroom door to be alone." Rick was diagnosed with Parkinson's six years earlier, and had started working midnight's at Chrysler, leading Anita to think that maybe it was a combination of his condition and tiredness.

"It was almost like I wanted to shake him and say 'Stop. Talk to me, tell me what's going on,' but I withdrew inside myself, and we were living together, but apart."

After 20 years, their communication problem had finally reared its head. "Our marriage seemed good, but there was always something missing, and I couldn't understand what it was," Anita said. "Coming here, to Problem Gambling Services, helped us realize that communication is one of the most important things. It isn't easy when you haven't had true communication for a long time. It's like learning to walk."

The second time around, Rick began to understand himself as a man, to know who he truly is. "My whole life has changed. I'm home all the time instead of looking for a reason to go to my friends," said Rick. "Now, if I'm not at work I'm at home because that's where I want to be. It feels wonderful. I have a wife after 20 years. This program has been helping me with things I've needed to deal with for 20 years, not just the gambling." Learning to communicate is truly changing their lives. "We've always loved each other. That's what kept us together for 20 years but now we're really on the right track. It's almost like we just got married and we're starting to get to know each other. We talk about everything. This has changed our whole lives," Rick said.

For Anita, 40, now being able to communicate with Rick makes every day seem like a miracle. "I see things brighter. I'm happier inside, but I have this fear I'm trying to overcome. I'm just waiting for the other shoe to fall and I know I can't be living my life that way, but it's the way I've been programmed to live it for 20 years. Problem Gambling Services has helped a lot with this," said Anita. Family life was in constant turmoil. Anita's daughter Christine, now 20 and David, 17, never knew what any day

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