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I grew up with 4 women &my dad. My mom was the last of those women to die & the 2nd to die in the last few months. We lost her yesterday. #GloriaZimmerman
We're honoring her memory w/an @theorchidfdn scholarship for underserved young women (more2follow) https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/theorchidfdn
We're honoring her memory w/an @theorchidfdn scholarship for underserved young women (more2follow) https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/theorchidfdn
A few thoughts re: my mom
#GloriaZimmerman became a fierce disabilities rights advocate (after my sister was born). Mom became President of #SpinaBifida Association of Greater NY & started the 1st Girl Scout Troop for disabled kids in NY.
#GloriaZimmerman became a fierce disabilities rights advocate (after my sister was born). Mom became President of #SpinaBifida Association of Greater NY & started the 1st Girl Scout Troop for disabled kids in NY.
My older sister (Julie) was born severely disabled. She used a wheelchair. During my sister’s infancy, the doctors were leaving her to die. My parents found out & wouldn’t have it. They undertook extreme $ pressure for years to help pay medical.
Dad worked 3jobs: writing instructions on forms for NYC, night job: delivering
,
service, addressing (by
)
for home improvements mailers, selling galoshes out of the back of our). He counted the days to retirement in stick figures on a steno pad. He never made it.
, service, addressing (by) for home improvements mailers, selling galoshes out of the back of our). He counted the days to retirement in stick figures on a steno pad. He never made it.
My mom created & organized an army of volunteers to help my sister. Mom had 200 people volunteer to do patterning therapy 7 days/wk, 4x/day for years. Those people became our family. My 1st 2 
calls yesterday were to people who entered our lives that way.
calls yesterday were to people who entered our lives that way.
So tireless an advocate was my mom, that when I got married, the restaurant hosting the brunch told my soon-to-be-wife & me that they had done everything possible to ensure the bride could wheel through the restaurant to greet her guests. My sister wasn’t the bride!
My mom & dad each blamed themselves for my sister’s disability. It was not their blame to carry, but they never came to see that.
My mom was complicated, charismatic, difficult, funny, smothering, loving, smart & unfiltered.
My mom was complicated, charismatic, difficult, funny, smothering, loving, smart & unfiltered.
My mom was Bi…Bisexual & Bipolar. She lived alone with her Bisexuality until much later in life, having been "cured" by a doctor in the 50s. Once an empty nester, she entered therapy &, fortunately, got "uncured." She came out to us after she'd been married nearly 30 years
She was a writer. She was a professional. Later in life, she got a master’s degree from @PrattInstitute in library science, while working time. That enabled her to out-earn my dad, of which both were very proud. She co-authored 2 books on records management.
She wrote an unpublished (somewhat finished) memoir. In it she wrote of her grandkids (to whom she dedicated the book): “two terrific kids, my grandchildren, Becca and Ben. Probably the best thing that’s ever happened to me."
Gloria Zimmerman was imperfect &, @ times, both broken & unbreakable. Her love for her grandchildren was always unquestionable. Her stories will live on, though the underlying veracity of some will remain in question! The to support @theorchidfdn https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/theorchidfdn
