Oceanside
In 1969, Tom DiCioccio was 19 years old and he had a secret that was burning a hole in his life.
Unable to accept his attraction to other men, the Oceanside resident said he attempted suicide and was on the verge of undergoing electroshock conversion therapy. Then, he confessed his secret to a high school friend named Marla Epstein, and she taught him a lesson in unconditional love.
“What she said to me was, ‘So what? You’re Tommy. You’re a good person. What difference does that make with your life?’ ” said DiCioccio, now 68.
Epstein’s open-hearted response started DiCioccio on a journey toward self-acceptance, but then she abruptly disappeared from his life. This month, his decades-long quest to reconnect with Epstein is featured in “We’ll Meet Again,” a six-part television series hosted by Ann Curry.