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My name is Tracy Petrocelli. I am on Death Row in Nevada, USA. My case is near the end of the Appeals process and I urgently need the help of people who oppose the atrocity of capital punishment so that I can obtain the services of an Attorney experienced in this late phase of the Death Penalty to give me a chance to live.
Confined as I am to my cell for 22 hours each day, it is not the first time in my life that I have faced death. As a baby I was abused and abandoned and left to die; and as a Marine in the Vietnam War, I was wounded in action while my buddy next to me was killed.
My early childhood years were spent in an orphanage. This was a very lonely and uncertain time as I waited for a family to take me home. I remember always having my suitcase packed ready for the next move. I have a memory one Christmas of over-hearing my adotive parents discussing whether they should return me to the orphanage. I can recall the teasing I endured as a child because I was an orphan and the deep pain that this caused. I was, and remain, acutely aware and embarrassed by the fact that I do not have a family.
Despite the harshness of my early years, I think that I proved that children can be very resilient. I developed a love of reading and took delight in investigating how mechanical things worked. Moreover, I found an enduring refuge in the wonders of the natural world. As a child I was an avid watcher of wildlife programs on television which, in turn, led me as a young teenager to work in a zoo helping to care for small animals and birds. This is how I became devoted to caring for the environment.
The Vietnam War had a huge impact on my life, as was true for so many of my generation who went to fight for their country. I joined the Marines and went off to war before I was out of my teens. Whereas, I believed that at last I would find inclusion and acceptance in serving my country, life in the Services proved to be a lonely experience. I was younger than many with whom I served and I missed the support of family - especially when on leave and when I returned wounded from Vietnam. I also keenly felt the rejection that the Vietnam Veterans witnessed at home-coming and this had a devastating effect on my life, as was true for many others.
It has been a saving grace in the pattern of my life that sunshine has invariably followed the rain. During my 20s, through much hard work and discipline, I was able to establish a productive life which allowed me to extend help to many people in need in different parts of the world. I planned on this being my life's work; and it was through this avenue that I at last found the acceptance and sense of family that had been missing from my life. It is for this reason that I am turning back to the nurturing source I experienced many years ago for the help I now need.
Under circumstances of extreme hardship, I have managed to retain the hope and will to survive. But I know that I am at a point where, unless help is forth-coming, I will be put to death - and so I most earnestly ask for your support to help me have a chance to live.
While I would greatly appreciate any financial assistance - there are other important ways to help. I thank you sincerely for reading my story and I hope to hear from you.
Tracy.
PLEASE WRITE:
Tracy Petrocelli # 17493,
PO Box 1989,
Ely NV 89301,
USA.
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