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My Story
At nine years of age, I started writing diaries and journals. My first book was about my family genealogy so that future generations of my family could understand and appreciate our roots and heritage. My next book was “The Secret Hollow,” a book about a child who was autistic. My third book was about my feelings and impressions on my travels around the world to five of the seven continents. I was especially drawn to Alaska, so I wrote a fourth book of poetry about Alaska.
It was after I began experiencing the onset of Alzheimer’s disease in 2019 that I decided to start journaling about my experiences with the disease. It seemed natural to me. As a teacher I knew that it could be a vehicle to help others. I had lived such a full and healthy life up to that point with only some normal aging health issues. I was lucky, but my life was about to profoundly change, and I knew it.
I was born on December 1933, in Brooklyn New York. My father was George Slater who was born in Odessa, Russia. As an infant his family came to the United States and lived in Brooklyn, New York. His birth surname is Slutsky. He changed it once he became a lawyer due to antisemitism. My mother, born Minnie Berenberg was born in the United States to immigrants from Courland, Germany. Both of my parents were one of six children. I had one brother, Herman.
My father and mother prioritized learning. They were progressive thinkers who exposed my brother and I to a wide range of ideas, literature, cultural experiences. When I was ten years old, I developed a bone infection called osteomyelitis caused by bacteria. I was bedridden for a long time. My father, who was an attorney by trade, made the time in his busy schedule to home-school me. His immensely positive influence, knowledge, led to my future academic success. My mother could not teach me because she didn’t have much formal education.
She provided love and emotional support to help me thrive in all areas of my life.
Reading books was encouraged throughout my early family life without censorship.
I developed a strong reading proficiency which I still nurture. I am constantly reading.
I completed a Bachelor of Arts in Education at Adelphi University in New York, a Master of Arts degree in English at The State University of New York at Stony Brook, New York along with fifty-seven additional Graduate credits in Education at Stony Brook. I was licensed to teach grades K-12 and taught school for 28 years. I was a trained negotiator in the teachers’ union working during strike situations and taught comprehension skills to high school students to help them with taking college exams.
I received the Golden Apple Award for excellence in teaching.
I married my beloved husband Lionel in August of 1954. We had two children: Ronn Schuman and Cindy Schuman Roth.
We have three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren .
We traveled extensively with our children and dogs in the U.S. and Canada mostly camping. We drove to Alaska with the children! Lionel and I also traveled after our children were grown. We bought property in Rainbow Lake New York in the northern part of the Adirondacks. As a family we built our cabin which we still own. Lionel and I moved to Punta Gorda Florida after retiring at age fifty-five. In Florida I discovered my talent for wood carving with Lionel’s help. I went on to become the President of the Charlotte County Woodcarvers Association, received awards for my carving in the United States, Canada, and Europe. I recollected a comment from my genealogy book noting the many talents Slater’s and Berenberg’s have. We most certainly have talents in the arts. The Schuman family were artists of sorts. All played musical instruments and were very mechanically oriented. The Schumans sang well. There are many artists and writers among them. The Slater and Berenberg side also have members that love to sing. My father George sang in a choir that travelled all over Florida performing for audiences. My son Ronn plays the guitar. I love the art form of woodcarving as mentioned previously.
I have always shared my love of animals with my family. In my lifetime of ninety-two plus years, I have had chickens, ducks, parrots, canaries, dogs, cats, rabbits and even a squirrel.
Angel our dog and Bebe our parrot, both thirteen years of age, reside with me at Brookdale Assisted Living Facility in Punta Gorda Isles, Florida.
My life has been one of so many blessings. Life changed drastically, becoming quite hard after my Alzheimer’s diagnosis, especially with my marriage. I survived and am now living an incredibly happy, content life. I hope that reading this book will bring you or someone you know comfort that the difficulties of the disease can be managed by accepting the life changes that need to be made.
Thank you again to all of you that helped me get through those changes.
No happy time that passes,
Is ever really gone.
If it leaves a happy memory
For looking back upon.