Secret Summers

BEVERLY HILLS—Secrets were a way of life, a way of survival. I don't think this was my parents' intention, but this was my interpretation of their parenting. My dad always implored, "You only need to share the bare minimum, the pertinent information." This was contrary to my innate character. It was natural for me to be a free spirit, to...

BEVERLY HILLS—It’s 6:00 a.m. as I sit here in a cold, dark, lonely flat with my heart shattered into countless pieces. They tell me I’ve checked-out again. I’d have to agree that is the best phrase to use for my disconnection from the world. I think I’m back, at least temporarily, thanks to waking up to my fluffy-faced German Shepherd...

BEVERLY HILLS—Of my eleven closest girlfriends, I had the fewest relationship problems. My ongoing examination of why they were continuously crushed by their short-lived relationships helped me discover my secrets of dating theory. I wasn't the hottest of my clan, but you'd think I was considering my dating success. They would attract good catches, but only for a limited time. I learned...

BEL AIR—Becoming deaf as a teenager who adored music wasn't easy...I think I would have accepted blindness if given a choice. Surely, my ears were my biggest gift of life but there was one person who seemed to suffer more than me... my mother. The first year was about seeing specialists, taking tests and getting opinions... 2nd… 3rd…4th…12th from basically...

WRIGHTWOOD—Word on the street is if you want to really have fun on the slopes, avoid Mountain High. However, I had visited before and besides the icy and slippery slopes at times, I wondered why people said that. After all, it is close to Los Angeles and you can often get there without chains. So what is the big...

BEL AIR—Panic Buttons are words or topics that trigger an emotional response. When pushed, it makes you go crazy and sets you off.  We all have panic buttons. Luckily, there are not many topics or things that make me emotional or set me off. I’ve somehow seemed to avoid panic buttons in my lifetime… except one secret… Don’t call me "crazy"! My mother taught...

Editor's Note: This is Part Two of a four-part series chronicling the medical history of Hazel's father and the complications of his prescribed choleserol treatment. To properly orient yourself within the story you may read Part One Here. MALIBU—My beloved, once-healthy father was withering away. It broke my heart. I channeled my despair into determination. Fueled by a desire to...

LAUREL CANYON—Tara was my best friend. People always said our age difference didn't matter because I was wise beyond my years and she was chronologically beyond hers. We made a perfect pair! We were twins. We thrived doing girly things. We loved hiking, dieting, and fawning over adorable animals. We both had curly, waist-long hair that we sometimes put in 100...

Editor's Note: This is Part Four of a four-part series. Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 are instrumental in understanding this article. MALIBU—We were getting closer by the day to reversing brain damage in my father. Although I felt magically guided in some ways, I found myself hitting my head against the wall in others. It was months of witnessing a miraculous statin cure in...

Editor's Note: This is Part Two of a Three-Part Series. Click here to read Part One. LAUREL CANYON—As expected, Tara's mother contacted me that Saturday morning, but our conversation didn't go as expected. She asked if I was with Tara and I told her that I wasn't but had been expecting her call. We were both confused, as it was Tara had...