From Reel to Real

Hollywood set designer Dwayne Higgins thought he had it all: a rewarding career in the film industry, a beautiful girlfriend, and a daughter on the way. He lived in a lavish home, with two expensive cars in his driveway. Talented and charming, Dwayne worked alongside Hollywood's top celebrities and directors and attended glamorous parties at celebrity hotspots. But beneath his veneered lifestyle Dwayne struggled with alcoholism and drug addiction, which - in times of stress - threatened his career and his relationships with those he loved most. Dwayne faced two life-altering events within months of one another: the birth of his beloved daughter and a writers and actors strike that destabilized a career that took 15 years to build. Being out of work for up to two years he reached for prescription pain pills, cocaine, and alcohol to cope, Dwayne's life began to spiral helplessly out of control. In a matter of a year, he lost his young family, his home, and his celebrated career, while a third drunk-driving charge led to his deportation. He arrived back in Canada with nothing but a bag of clothes. Within two years, Dwayne went from living the American dream in Los Angeles, to a brief, unsuccessful event-planning career in Bali, Indonesia, to the drug-infested back alleys of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, where three suicide attempts and heroin use left him reeling in hospital rooms. Eventually, Dwayne would find solutions: he would find that someone who would help him confront his demons, and a rehabilitation program that led to a moving reunion with his estranged daughter. Surrendering to the inner voice that was there with him all along, Dwayne Higgins would ultimately journey past success and failure, toward a life filled with redemption, love, and hope.