“I realized I had a role to play.”
Helene Berger has spent a lifetime devoting time to causes she believed in. It began when her son entered a new public elementary school, and the principal asked her to be the first chair of the Parent Teacher Association. From that simple beginning, Helene spent the next 45 years taking on leadership positions, first in her own community of Miami and then heading several national organizations. In many of those roles, Helene was called upon to speak around the country. She became known as a powerful and inspirational speaker who encouraged other women to take on leadership positions.
Helene with her grand daughter.
Choosing Joy: Alzheimer’s: A Book of Hope is Helene’s first book. It was inspired by the unanticipated, startling results her husband, Ady, achieved after his diagnosis of Alzheimer’s. For much of the first year, he went down the typical Alzheimer’s path: frustration, anger, irritability. Helene, in her own words: “I realized that I had a role to play. I had skills learned over a lifetime. I couldn’t let this gentle, kind, ethical, loving man go down without a fight.”
Though totally unprepared, Helene set out to make their lives as rich as possible for as long as possible.
Her book became a comprehensive guide, openly describing what worked and what did not. Virtually every insight is expressed through a colorful story that led to a decision—a decision she applied to all similar situations.
Choosing Joy is a rare book of hope that provides practical and emotional support to both the caregiver and patient. Her positive insights go far beyond caregiving. They apply to all the meaningful relationships in our lives. And all the while, it is a love story and an honest retelling of a lifetime journey.
Helene is the proud mother of two and grandmother of four. Both her son and her daughter chose professions that enabled them to give much to the world. They each, in different ways, have given Helene, after Ady’s passing, maximum and loving support. Her four grandchildren are already accomplished and show great potential in following their parent’s footsteps.
Ady with his family.
Helene with family.