“I had always been musical as a kid growing up in Roslyn Heights. My parents, who were not musicians, lived next to a successful composer named George Kleinsinger…
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“I was always interested in airplanes as a little kid. Growing up, I saw movies like ‘Iron Eagle’ and ‘Top Gun,’ that’s what did it…
WATCH NOW“My son, Anthony, turns 20 in July and is totally blind due to a disorder called osteopetrosis. I thought I was having a perfect pregnancy, and he wasn’t diagnosed immediately after birth…
READ STORY“Being a chef and a stand-up comedian are similar because both food and jokes make people happy, and if you don’t deliver, the people will let you know it…
READ STORY“I come from a first generation of immigrants, from Barbados and El Salvador, and grew up without a father…
READ STORY“As a kid, I would always compete against my brother, because he was older than I was. If he could go bowling, then I had to bowl…
READ STORY“So my father was actually a photographer, but it was something he did on the side…
READ STORY“I had just retired, and I was looking for something that I was passionate about that involved the environment and wildlife conservation…
READ STORY“When I was graduating from Holy Trinity High School, I was trying to think practically, so I thought I wanted to be a computer engineer…
READ STORY“My mother, Ruth Nasca, passed away after a short illness in 2018 at 89. A prolific artist, she made art almost every day for over 70 years…
READ STORY“Five years ago, I went through a routine mammogram and sonogram appointment. The mammogram was normal, but the sonogram detected a tumor…
READ STORY“I always loved the lighthouse. I loved fishing underneath it as a kid, surfcasting there, fishing in front of it with my dad, working on boats underneath it back when the Coast Guard ran it…
READ STORY“In sixth grade, for my yearbook, they asked, ‘What do you want to be when you’re older?’ and I said I wanted to be a chef…
READ STORY“My dad would take me dumpster diving in the mid- to late-’70s. He had a body shop, and we would pull old car wrecks out of the side of a hill and scrap ’em…
READ STORY“I started Love, Nana about a year and a half ago in my house…
READ STORY“It started with watching early pop cartoons and Disney when I was a kid. I loved the way they looked, so I started doodling…
READ STORY“After retiring from teaching in Corona, I became a poppy for my grandchildren…
READ STORY“I was teaching for 10 years at different schools, trying to find that niche, that place for me…
READ STORY“I grew up in this [school] district, and what drew me here to work was luck, faith and blessings…
READ STORY“I went to Hofstra for college to play football. My dad was doing things in the community, and he became friends with the mayor of Hempstead, who was looking for someone to run a youth program…
READ STORY“I was born in the U.S., but most of my family came here from Ecuador. When I was a teen, on weekends my uncle would take me to wait with undocumented immigrants in Farmingville looking for work…
READ STORY“I started shooting 35 mm film when I was in 10th grade. I was on varsity cheerleading, and I dealt with a sexual assault…
READ STORY“I’ve been interested in history pretty much all my life. I was a docent during the bicentennial at the Old House and Schoolhouse…
READ STORY“I found I needed to fill some of that extra time I had after I finished my stint as mayor of Sea Cliff. I became a tour guide…
READ STORY“They thought I had meningitis. They gave me last rites, told my family I was going to die, but I didn’t. A few months later, I went to see a neurologist, and he told me I was having seizures…
READ STORY“My family emigrated from Greece in 1982 and brought the love of animals and earth with them…
READ STORY“I grew up in Glen Head, was an honors student in high school, sang in the chorus, studied ballet, performed in the plays. Ordinary, really…
READ STORY“My whole life, my family’s been in and out of hospitals: my grandma, aunt, grandpa, great grandpa and great grandma all had medical issues…
READ STORY“My dad was a teacher in El Salvador. It was during the civil war in the 1980s, when teachers were often a target for their ideas, that he emigrated to the U.S., and my mother joined him…
READ STORY“When I was a girl, my dad owned a jewelry- and watch-repair shop in Brentwood…
READ STORY“In 1989, my wife, Angie, was pregnant with our second child, and, unfortunately, at birth there was a major accident…
READ STORY“I was always curious about my dad’s service in World War II. My late father, Paul Clare, suffered from PTSD, having nightmares and often screaming his friend Jay’s name…
READ STORY“I love learning about the government and the way our country works. I was taking a law class when I was in the ninth grade…
READ STORY“This is really my sister’s story, but I’m telling it; it’s like a donor’s narrative. She has a super rare autoimmune disease called IgA nephropathy…
READ STORY“We got inspiration from Instagram to start this particular business…
READ STORY“I was born with cerebral palsy. When I was very little, I had to be confined to a wheelchair because it was very difficult to walk…
READ STORY“I always enjoyed films when I was young and was the kind of person who would stay up to watch the late show and the late, late show…
READ STORY“We rescued him six years ago. We named him Buddy after the movie ‘Elf,’ and then once he started playing piano, we added Mercury…
READ STORY“Ten years ago, I had an idea for a story. I’m an attorney by trade, but I said to my wife, ‘I think I’m going to write a short film…’
READ STORY“I always wanted to be an artist, but I just didn’t know how I would make a living of it. I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 11, so my mother always told me to make sure I have a job that has benefits…
READ STORY“I’m a father of six, but we did lose one. We’re angel parents. My oldest daughter, Kelly, was murdered in 1976 on Fourth of July weekend in Astoria, Queens…
READ STORY“Growing up, I was horrible at baseball at first, really awful. I still loved to play. It was a bonding experience with my dad…
READ STORY“Maggie didn’t want to be known as the girl with cancer. It’s odd she got struck by this. We wonder how and why all the time. She was 16 when she was diagnosed…
WATCH NOW“My life of loss began the day our young mom left due to childhood wounds of her own, and though her choice deeply impacted us, I have come to understand how losing her own mom at a young age traumatized her…
READ STORY“I’m doing music because I couldn’t live without it. I grew up in Germany until I was 14. My parents were missionaries after WWII. My mother was a singer, and my father was a saw player. I was surrounded by a love of music…
READ STORY“When I was a kid in Oceanside, I had an inordinate amount of energy, and I wanted to be an actor. I never deviated from this goal…
READ STORY“I always struggled in school. I had trouble focusing and was always acting out, getting in trouble…
READ STORYIf you look at my high school yearbook, it’s always things like, ‘Have fun in New York!’ And then I got pregnant six months later…
READ STORY“When I was growing up in Massapequa, I didn’t really find Long Island that interesting. I didn’t think there was much history here; everything seemed to be developed…
READ STORY“I first became aware of Network Support Services Inc. when I was in Otisville State Correctional Facility serving a 25-year sentence for an offense I didn’t commit…
READ STORY“I suffered from a brain trauma in 2009, when my daughter was 6 months old. It turned my whole world upside down…
READ STORY“My mom died in a car accident heading to my stepsister’s rehearsal dinner. Then my father got hit by a car walking across the street and died on impact. My stepfather, who I look at as my own dad, got into a car accident as well and lost his leg…
READ STORY“In 2004, I had completely debilitating exhaustion and blaring headaches where I would see spots. I was diagnosed with lesions on my brain…
WATCH NOW“I am an EEG technician. EEG, or electroencephalography, is used when someone has seizures. We attach leads to their head to assess them. It falls under the umbrella of neurodiagnostic technology…
READ STORY“As a kid I always did well in science, and I asked my grandma for books about animals…
READ STORY“My father’s first car was a 1956 Buick Special, and for his 25th wedding anniversary, my mother got him an old beat up ’56 Buick Special that we found…
READ STORY“It started when I became ordained as a minister in a church. I was working with young people, and I noticed a lot of them had things that were going on…
READ STORY“My husband passed away in 2016 tragically and unexpectedly. I’ve had to raise four kids on my own, and it’s been difficult…
READ STORY“My name is Desiree. I’m 9 years old and I had an idea: Instead of throwing out our seeds, we could save them and grow them in our local farms…
READ STORY“You have 45 good years; I call that youth. Then you have an option, depending on your genes, of going downhill or, depending upon your decisions, going uphill…
WATCH NOW“Before COVID, I was running an entertainment event planning company and photography business while also working for an airline. It all stopped in March 2020…
READ STORY“Peter and I knew each other growing up playing tennis tournaments in our teenage years. We committed at the same time to play at Williams College, where we’re seniors…
READ STORY“I was born with a rare chromosome disorder called chromosome 18q deletion. It occurs when the long arm (q) of chromosome 18 is missing…
READ STORY“I was in eighth grade when I had my first panic attack. After school, my mom drove me to the doctor, where they put a tube down my throat, diagnosed anxiety-induced asthma, and gave me an inhaler…
READ STORY“My mom was an immigrant from Guyana, working two jobs while my grandmother raised me. Horses were not an option for someone living on Section 8 housing in Brooklyn…
READ STORY“I’ve played baseball all my life, and many people helped me along the way, but my high school coach was probably the biggest help…
WATCH NOW“I always liked stand-up [comedy] when I was younger but never had the guts to do it myself. In 1977, I saw an ad for a comedy club in Massapequa, and it was open to anybody who wanted to try…
READ STORY“I’m 29 years old and have a learning disability. I also have anxiety (PTSD) from being bullied very badly in school as a kid…
READ STORY“Last summer was my 62nd year as a lifeguard. I’m probably the longest working lifeguard in the U.S. that still has to pass the competitive test…
READ STORY“I started my own digital marketing agency in Oceanside back in 2013. Social media, web design, SEO were all very new things to me at the time…
READ STORY“I was born in Ireland in a lovely little county in a village on a plateau called Roscommon…
READ STORY“I’ve been a makeup artist for almost 20 years. I didn’t think I was going to end up in the makeup industry, but I fell in love with it…
READ STORY“I was trying to teach my son how to ride his bicycle around the time COVID happened. He was a very active kid, and I was very much overweight…
READ STORY“As a social worker, I’m trained to help other people. But as a person living with an extremely rare form of eye cancer, I’ve also found myself reaching out for help…
READ STORY“When I was like 16-17, there was a guy who used to sleep under a bridge in a park near my house in Freeport. He was the first homeless person I ever met…
READ STORY“When we were younger, we would always bake together. She would stay over my house and wake up in the middle of the night and ask to bake…
READ STORY“I went to school at Temple University, where I studied advertising, specifically copywriting, which is basically writing headlines on billboards and scripts for TV commercials…
READ STORY“I’ve been on a stage since I was 3 years old. I was never the most talented person in the room, but I was always the one who worked the hardest…
READ STORY“The first club I ever went to was on Long Island. I met a couple of friends who were promoters that started to rent out nightclubs…
READ STORY“I was a very angry teenager. I was a magnet for fights and being in the wrong environments and choosing the wrong things…
READ STORY“I wasn’t anticipating being part of a school district after I graduated. I had no interest in being a teacher, but it kind of fell in my lap because I have a passion for sports…
READ STORY“I was a shy kid. I didn’t have a stellar self-esteem or body image, but when I was onstage dancing, I felt strong and confident…
READ STORY“One of the biggest questions people have about metal detecting is, ‘What is everything worth?’ I tell people, if you do it to make money, you probably couldn’t afford the battery in your metal detector…
READ STORY“I’m an entertainer at Gossip. But I am not a stripper. What people don’t understand is I am actually an exotic aerialist…
READ STORY“Climbing is way harder than people think. These big, strong, muscle guys show up and can barely climb to the top. It can take years of practice and training…
READ STORY“My grandfather and parents were immigrants, I’m first generation. They opened a pizzeria in Amityville in 1969. I’ve been in the pizzeria business all my life…
WATCH NOW“One night in 1974, I went with a friend to a youth singles group. We had a good time. Weeks went by. Suddenly, I got a call from some man asking for Marilyn…
READ STORY“We got Brody as a puppy. When he was about 2 years old, I decided that I wanted to volunteer. My kids had gone off to college. I loved dogs, and I was obsessed with Brody, so I decided to do pet therapy…
READ STORY“There weren’t many options on the Island for girls to play hockey when I got into it at age 12…
READ STORY“I always knew I wanted to be a father. And the two things I’m really good at in life are being a father and being a football coach…
READ STORY“I’ve been cutting hair for 20 years. I started when I was in 11th grade just to make some of the kids want to hang out with me more…
WATCH NOW“My husband was in the NYPD during 9/11 and spent three months after it down on the pile digging. He was a healthy guy that worked out seven days a week. He retired in 2009, and by 2013, all the health issues started…
READ STORY“I went to St. John the Baptist High School and went to college on a soccer scholarship at the University of Bridgeport, Connecticut. I went on to play professional soccer for a couple of years…
READ STORY“Having a child with Down syndrome changed my life. I think that sometimes we find it hard to know what our purpose is, you know? And I’ve given that thought…
READ STORY“My entire family were big animal lovers, and my mom always set an amazing example. She was a volunteer for so many not-for-profits, and we gave back any chance we could…
READ STORY“I was born in Peru. My grandparents were farmworkers who migrated to the capital of Peru, to Lima, and once there, the only jobs they could find were cleaning and working in houses and as babysitters, just like immigrants here…
READ STORY“I was a shy, introverted child. When I was 6, my grandfather brought me to a magic store and bought me a magic trick…
READ STORY“We were coming home from a rock concert and were about a mile from our house when we got hit head on by a young woman. She was doing about 60. We were…
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