My friend Hope Silverman’s special birthday celebration upstaged Taylor Swift’s garden proposal. Yes, a plethora of flowers graced the room. It was a special birthday with a theme. Yes, you guessed the theme — floral!
Walking in the room was like walking into the Tuileries Garden in Paris with bursts of color and joy everywhere. Hope’s Flower Boutique cart greeted the eighty some guests. The menu was divine, and the tablecloths and napkins were exquisite. All the guests later took home a vase with a flower arrangement that they created.
Like any great presentation, project or birthday party, details matter!
At my book club a few weeks ago, the facilitator, Stuart Lockman, started the discussion off talking about artificial intelligence. Our chosen book was The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris by Daisy Wood. Lockman, an attorney, and my friend revealed he used artificial intelligence to generate book club questions and even pull out interesting quotes. But, his main goal of using A.I. was to demonstrate that it was an interesting concept, easy to use and would enhance the discussion. Since the group was mainly senior citizens, he said “Why wait for your grandchildren to tell you about A.I.?” We talked about ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI, all of which are free. Of course, we had a lively discussion about the book.
So, here’s a photo of Stuart Lockman, Deena Lockman (center) and myself. Then, I generated it in A.I.!
Beaumont Health and Spectrum Health in Michigan merged into Corewell Health in 2022. As the former Community Affairs Director of Beaumont Health, I’ve been living in the Palm Beach area for the last ten years. I was honored to be included in the Connection and Innovations in Health Care event held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Palm Beach.
I was able to hear about health trends and connect with former colleagues and meet the new administration. Ryan Daly, President of the Corewell Health Foundation of Southeast Michigan, welcomed the crowd. Tina Freese Decker addressed the group and was a key architect in the unification of the two health systems. She currently serves at the 2025 chair of the American Hospital Association.
In the top photo, I’m with the distinguished physician Ananias Diokno (far left), former Chief Medical Officer of Beaumont Health and currently a professor of urology at the University of Central Florida. I remember taking a health-care grant writing class with Dr. Diokno and working with him on charitable projects. To my right is my friend and former colleague Maureen Brink and her husband, Barry Brink, a former board member of Beaumont.
In the bottom photo, I’m with Simon Dixon, M.D. , chair of cardiovascular medicine at Corewell Health East. Dr. Dixon and Dr. Thomas Schwann, chief of cardiovascular medicine at Corewell Health East, spoke about the cutting edge treatment for heart disease at Corewell. The surgeons and the cardiologists collaborate using the most advanced ultra-high resolution computerized heart scans.
The mission of Corewell health is stellar: “Improve health, instill humanity and inspire hope.”
I recently attended the Champions Luncheon sponsored by the Institute for Surgical Excellence to support my friend Shelly Light Paolercio, an ovarian cancer survivor. The Institute for Surgical Excellence is a non-profit collaborative organization for emerging surgical technologies. Dr. Martin Martino and Dr. Caitlin Houghton chaired the luncheon held at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
Many women surgeons spoke at the event highlighting the need for women’s research not only in breast cancer research but uterine and ovarian cancers. Dr. Ginger Gardner, was a dynamic speaker, advocating for speaking up not only about the breast, but the rest! Dr. Sharona Ross received a Champions award and spoke about the breakthroughs in pancreatic cancer. The physicians also remarked about the importance for empowering women to become surgeons.
(From right to left: Dr. Laila Rashidi, Shelly Light Paolercio, Dr. Sharona Ross and Dr. Caitlin Houghton)
I learned that a miniscule amount of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget, is allocated for Women’s Health. According to last month’s article in science.org, “For decades, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) has failed to prioritize and fund research on women’s health, says a report released by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM)”. The NIH budget is more than 47 billion, yet some estimates for the women’s health allocation are less than three percent.
If women make up more than 50 percent of the population, why is there this disparity? Women, we need to speak up to Congress to keep us healthy!
Tom Hanks said the iconic line “There’s no crying in baseball,” in the movie A League of Their Own.” But, I will tell you that I shed a tear in the endearing newly-released movie Rally Caps.
The movie stars award-winning actor Judd Hirsch as the grandfather of a tween baseball player who attends overnight camp, while his mom is actor Amy Smart. The young baseball player goes to camp after a traumatic experience and befriends a camper with a Cochlear implant. Here’s a short recap here from the American Cochlear Implant Alliance.
A surprising element in the movie is the role of Curtis Pride. Curtis Pride is a former professional baseball who is deaf. His son played the role of the child with a Cochlear implant and his daughter is in the movie as well. Both children have hearing loss.
The movie is directed by Lee Cipolla. I’m photographed below with my grandson and Cipolla.
Rally Caps is based on the book written by Jodi Michelle Cutler and Stephen J. Cutler, based on a real life experience. Jodi’s son has a profound hearing loss and a Cochlear implant.
I attended a screening with the some of the actors including Judd Hirsch. Judd Hirsch (below) is in the middle flanked by director Lee Cipolla and actor Colten, Pride’s son.
Rally Caps is streaming on Amazon and Apple. The movie is a must see for baseball lovers and families.
Author Aaron Hamburger transports the reader on an immigrant’s journey from Russia to Cuba to Detroit in his novel Hotel Cuba. It’s a personal story because it relates the travels of his grandmother from the village of David-Horodok in Belarus to Cuba and then onto Detroit.
It’s personal for me as well. My family is also from the village of David-Horodok, and I wrote an article in The Detroit Jewish News where there is a memorial to those who perished in World War II due to the Nazis. I, like the author, grew up in Detroit.
Recently, I had the opportunity to interview Hamburger about his book Hotel Cuba on a Zoom call with Descendants of David-Horodok. He relates a fascinating story of how the book came about. He met with Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Detroit to talk about immigration, and she suggested he write a book about his grandmother’s plight. Through family interviews, recordings, research and trips to Havana, Hamburger weaves a rich tale of two sisters travelling to unknown countries.
If you’re heading to Fire Island or you just want a beach read, On Fire Island by Jane Rosen is the prefect choice. I had the opportunity to meet authors Jane Rosen and Zibby Owens, author of Blank, at the recent Bagel and Book event at the JCC in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
What’s unique about On Fire Island is that the narrator is dead. As the narrator observes her spouse, family and friends from the afterlife, Rosen weaves in a story of community, overcoming mourning and humor. Yes, there are losses and grief, but the hilarious scenes, and the poignant prose make it enjoyable, fast-paced and uplifting.
In the photo below, I’m with Jane Rosen (right) and Zibby Owens in the middle. Owens is the author of Blank, about writer who has writer’s block and the twists and turns in her hectic life. Amazon describes the book as“a hilarious debut novel about family, friendship, success, and exhilarating self-(re)discovery.” Owens is an author, book publisher, podcaster and so much more. At a later date, I will devout an entire blog to post to her.
At the event I ran into some attendees with Detroit roots. What a pleasure to speak with the mother-daughter duo of Linda Warner (left) and her daughter Amanda Warner. Amanda met Zibby virtually through her podcasts.
Both novels On Fire Island and Blank are worth reading.
I recently attended an event for Impact Palm Beaches. It’s group of dynamic, philanthropic women devoted to creating change through strategic grant making. The luncheon, held at the Kravis Center for Performing Arts in West Palm Beach, Florida, featured author Diane Bergner.
Eileen Berman, a Palm Beach philanthropist and former financial advisor for UBS, interviewed Bergner about her former role as the vice president of philanthropy at the Kravis Center, and they discussed her book the Royal Coconut Beach Lunch Club. Bergner shared her philanthropy acumen. She also highlighted her debut novel where the protagonist is a fund raiser for a performing arts center. Many in the audience wanted to know if her novel was based on real people. Bergner will leave it to the readers of the Royal Coconut Beach Lunch Club to decide. Bergner also confesses “Fiction is a work of art where the imagination can go wild.”
President Lisa LaFrance of Impact Palm Beaches addressed the group, which is based on Impact100 founded by Wendy Steele. Members donate $1,000 annually and for every 100 women, the group gives a $100,000 donation to a local nonprofit.
Diane Bergner (left) is interviewed by Eileen Berman.
Diane Bergner flanks Karen Ruben, author of Ruff Riders, and myself at the Impact Palm Beaches event.
What if you could take the road not travelled? What if you could follow your dream? Meet Alisha Fernandez Miranda (right) who chronicled her journey in the memoir My What if Year. She became an intern at age 40. She pens an upbeat, fun, life-changing adventure. She literarily takes a break from motherhood and her job to become an intern on Broadway. She also worked in fitness, art and the hotel world. Her book is inspiring. I had the opportunity to meet the author at the recent Celebrating Sisterhood Luncheon in North Palm Beach, Florida.
When I returned home from the luncheon I turned on my Linkedin app to read about someone who also followed her dream. A Detroit cardiologist I know took a three-month sabbatical and trekked to 12,000 feet in the Himalayas.
What if you were able to know how long you will live by the length of a string in a box you receive at your doorstep? That’s the premise of the book The Measure by Nikki Erlick. I had the opportunity to hear and meet this debut author at The Society of the Four Arts in Palm Beach.
The book is mesmerizing on many levels. It’s a fast read that delves into thought-provoking questions. Would you open the box? What will you do with the knowledge? Would you share the length of your string or keep it a secret?
It’s no wonder the book is now translated into 22 languages and this year’s book selection for incoming freshmen at Duke University. It’s a Read with Jenna choice and a New York Times bestseller.
The Measure is an intriguing allegory with unforgettable characters. Here’s the opening quote by Mary Oliver. “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
I’m with author Nikki Erlick (left) at The Society of the Four Arts.
Motown Savvy 