Before dawn on Thursday, April 12, 2018, Jim Connors, age 63, makes his way slowly to enter the code at the front gate of Sea Meadow, a homeowner’s association in Montecito, Calif. Connors has serviced the pool and spa at Sea Meadow since it was constructed in 1990. For over 20 years Connors owned and operated a thriving pool service business, during which he serviced over 60 accounts a week, including many of the large, fabled Montecito estates, which earned him a comfortable six-figure income. ln 2014 he underwent what he thought was routine lower back surgery to deal with chronic back problems. His condition resulted in part from a nearly fatal 1978 car accident that landed him in the hospital for six weeks. During surgery, Connors says the surgeon “nicked his spinal cord,” resulting in severe nerve damage, chronic back and leg pain and daily use of potent opioid medications to control the pain. Connors condition forced him to relinquish all of his pool and spa service accounts, except for the one at Sea Meadow. (©Stan Roden)