Transcending the Box in Life and Death | Errol Toulon, Jr. | TEDxDeerPark

People can be confined in many ways; sometimes it’s in an actual structure like a room or a jail cell. Sometimes it’s a mental confinement -- or a combination of real and imagined. Dr. Toulon, Jr. lived and faced struggles inside the box. His breakthrough moment was discovering how to transcend the box, despite illness, death and the weight of emotional isolation. There is no box if you have the will to persevere no matter what challenges life has in store for you. Errol D. Toulon, Jr.,has more than thirty years of public safety and law enforcement. In 2017, Dr. Toulon was elected to the position of Sheriff of Suffolk County, overseeing the largest Sheriff’s Office in New York State. As the County’s Chief Law Enforcement Officer, he leads an organization with more than 1300 uniformed and civilian employees. He is Suffolk County's 67th Sheriff and its first African-American to hold the Office. Dr. Toulon points to his long-term health battles as having the most significant impact on the trajectory of his life and work. Dr. Toulon was a uniformed Member of Service with the NYC Department of Correction for 22 years and retired early when his health severely declined while battling pancreatic cancer. Following his retirement from NYC, and while going through chemotherapy, he decided to advance his education to keep his mind occupied. After completing his B.A., he went on to earn a master’s degree and doctorate from Dowling College. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx