Secret Summers

BEVERLY HILLS—When you’re deaf people seem to push anything “deaf” on you. For years I have been nagged to watch "Switched at Birth," mostly by my friends who were either on the show or supporting it. I thought more than twice about approaching this topic since I didn’t want to be a naysayer to a breakthrough show on the telly...

UNITED STATES—Recently while experiencing some trust issues with my boyfriend where it got rather heated with quite a bit of emotion. He denied doing something that I was pretty sure he had done. However, we are not married and if he chooses to do what he did and lie about it, it’s his life not mine. We lost track of...

BEL AIR—Freedom and opportunity led my parents to America. Once they arrived, they built an American Dream upon a foundation of their native cultural beliefs and ideals, loads of love, and a sense of liberal freedom. My mother valued the freedom she never experienced in Lebanon. And yet, she remained tied to her cultural secrets. She firmly believed the...

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...

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—My mum used to say, "If your friends jumped off a bridge, would you?" Of course, she was being facetious. Her intention was to get me to think for myself and not follow my friends’ poor choices, or more specifically, the modern American culture. People thought I copied everything Tara did. She had a tattoo on her wrist. My mum...

BEL AIR—It started on a sunny afternoon in our Los Angeles home when I was four. My dad, brother and I went outside to play basketball. Mid-game, my dad took off his shirt. My brother, copying my dad to be as cool as him, took off his. Finally, to act cool like both of them, I took off mine. My...

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 Three of a four-part series. Part 1 and Part 2 are instrumental in understanding this article. MALIBU—My young, fit, healthy father was the strongest, most powerful man I have ever known. After joining Kaiser and getting an initial physical, he was prescribed statins and immediately suffered horrifying side effects. For two years, doctors vehemently denied the...

BEVERLY HILLS—What do you tell your plump-lipped, chubby-cheeked daughter with curls down to her bum? Her peers are stick-thin and tight-lipped, boasting perfectly straight shoulder-length hair. They are the standard of beauty, she's not. You do the only thing you can for your distraught princess. You appease her, finding the best hair product to relax her nagging curls. You buy...