Local man fights for his life after mom says he took steroids, By: Steve Ferenoe

3/14/2007

Barbara Kennedy said, "They already warned me the kidneys are done probably. He's going to need dialysis for the rest of his life or a transplant. I offered one of my kidneys. I offered a piece of my liver."

Barbara Kennedy is facing what no mother should ever have to. She said her son, 28-year-old Peter Kennedy, is holding on for dear life after being rushed to St. Peter's Hospital for what she thought was a cold. His sister discovered it's likely something else.

Kennedy said, "She came down in hysterics. She had found four or five of these bottles and several of these that were empty. I think three at least. I just lost it."

Kennedy said her son, who loves dirt bikes and four-wheelers, changed about a year ago. He may have taken steroids after building a gym in his basement once a DWI made it impossible for him to hang out with his friends.

Kennedy said, "I says, why are you gaining so much weight? He showed me all of his power...He had five or six bottles from GNC that were power milkshakes, power drinks, pills."

She said he also had bottles of what investigators said are steroids. They don't know where they came from and want anyone with any information to call the District Attorney's office before anyone else gets hurt. It's an anonymous call Kennedy said could help doctors figure out what her son may have gotten into.

Kennedy said, "I thought he was getting better. But now seeing him just an hour ago, he's not."

It started as a way to stay out of trouble, building a small gym. Now Kennedy is afraid her son won't make it.

She said, "As a mother, I really have my doubts. I don't know how I'm going to tell him that he's going to be handicapped for the rest of his life, that he's not going to be able to ride that four-wheeler or race his car."

The Albany County Drug Inspector said drugs aren't the most pressing threat against the county. In fact, he said he can count on one hand the number of steroid-related calls he receives in a given year. But for Kennedy, even one call, one incident, is one too many.

DA David Soares released a statement saying, "Our thoughts are with Peter Kennedy as we continue to pray for his full recovery...While there are ongoing investigations into this and other steroid related cases, our primary concern today is to ensure that other people are not injecting these toxic products into their body. This is a major public health concern and I urge anyone who is in possession of these drugs, or knows of anyone using these particular drugs, to contact the New York State Department of Health or the District Attorney's Office to surrender them."