Faces of Long Island celebrates the uniqueness of everyday Long Islanders. In their own words, they tell us about their life experiences, challenges and triumphs. Newsday launched this social media journey into the human experience to shine a light on the diverse people of this wonderful place we call home.

‘I never want to go back to the way I was, closed off from connecting.’

Northport

“A mental medium is what most people are familiar with when you mention mediumship, speaking with the dead. I’m speaking to them and relaying that to the recipient. But there’s another form called physical mediumship, where spirit produces physical phenomena in a seance room.

“I work with transfiguration. We sit in the dark; some people find it creepy. They create ectoplasm, a mist. The faces of spirits come in front of me and are recognized. I have a regular group that sits with me, and five out of six fathers were seen and identified in spirit.

“I speak at libraries, colleges, I teach trance and mental mediumship at Lily Dale, about an hour from Buffalo. It’s the largest Spiritualist community in the U.S. Now I have a business, but prior to this I was practicing law in Northport.

“Like most children, when I was young, I could communicate with spirit, I just didn’t know they were spirit; I was told they were my imaginary friends. Then I forgot about it, and I went on to become an attorney like my dad.

There are people walking around that don’t realize they have it.

“My parents passed around the time I was starting to open up intuitively. I didn’t understand it. It was like being thrown in the deep end. I started reading, and then I found the spiritualist churches.

“Spiritualism uses mediumship to prove the continuity of life after the physical death of the body. It’s also a religion, a philosophy and a science. I’m ordained as a spiritualism minister, and I consider it my religion.

“When I would lose pets or people before I became a medium, I grieved and it seemed they were gone forever. When my parents passed, the experience I had with grieving their deaths wasn’t the same because I know I can connect with them. I have a grand old time with my father. A woman in a building he used to own kept seeing a spirit with a hat. I never want to go back to the way I was, closed off from connecting.

“Life has a whole new meaning. There are so many things; it’s not just speaking to the dead, it’s animal communication, healing work, trance work. There are people walking around that don’t realize they have it. That was me. There are people who have it and are frightened of it. Life without the abilities would be awful, and I want to share it.”

Interviewed by Rachel O’Brien – Morano

‘This blank state of being that descends like a soft veil or settles like the surface of a still pond is a gift from the strokes.’

Huntington Station

“I am an artist and often have more creative ideas than I have the ability to carry out, particularly now in my post-stroke body, which is healing slowly. On January 21, 2022, I had an ischemic stroke, which caused the right side of my body to quickly become paralyzed. Fortunately, I was able to get to the hospital right away and was administered the drug tPa, which can reverse the effects. I remember the absolute joy at being able to move my hand again, smile, speak and walk with a cane.

“After the stroke, my mind can be so peaceful. I can sit for long periods without a thought in my head, nor a need to do anything. When I am in this state of being, there is no struggle and no suffering.

“As I am healing, I try to draw and paint often so that I can rebuild the circuitry in my brain through muscle memory and regain the full use of my hand.

Sometimes I feel so attached to all I have done and want to do, and it causes me grief.

“Just weeks after the stroke, I decided to attend an online meeting of artists who create together but had no idea what I would do. I started by simply drawing a circle on paper. I found peace with a pencil that made soft gray marks, and I used it to very slowly create a gradient around the interior line of the circle. I called that first circle a mandala, a word that means ‘circle’ in Sanskrit. The circles I create are empty in the center, and yet complete. I have since completed a series of circle paintings.

“My state of being after the stroke has fluctuated, and recovery is not linear, as each day is different from the next. In each moment, we are not who we were before, and we are not yet what we will be. Trying to see what we cannot yet see only causes suffering. Sometimes I feel so attached to all I have done and want to do, and it causes me grief. This is natural, I think. I do have endless stories to tell, ideas to express and mediums to explore and play with. But this blank state of being that descends like a soft veil or settles like the surface of a still pond is a gift from the strokes. It is a way to peace and to acceptance of myself as I am now, in this moment. I want to remember to reach for my art whenever I begin to suffer by trying to see ahead of myself in the circle of my life.”

Interviewed by Jenna Kern – Rugile

‘As a band with Radio Active, we want to make people smile, dance and feel that nostalgic feeling of hearing the songs that we heard when we were teenagers.’

Cold Spring Harbor

“I joined the band in March of 2019. Before joining, I hadn’t played the keyboard in years because life got in the way. I went to law school and had a family. I hadn’t played in a band since college, but I realized I wanted to play music again.

“I can’t be without music. I went to the audition and became part of the band, which was a Bon Jovi tribute band at the time. It was pretty much a no-brainer because I currently love and grew up loving Bon Jovi. I would always go out to listen to tribute and cover bands on Long Island. I currently play keyboards and backup vocals. I’ve been playing music since I was 9.

We love being able to support each other and our community members.

“I started with the violin, and I’m classically trained on the piano. I played keyboards in a rock band in high school and also in college. I stopped for many years, but I always loved music. As a band with Radio Active, we want to make people smile, dance and feel that nostalgic feeling of hearing the songs that we heard when we were teenagers.

“The fact that people on Long Island know who we are and will come up to us and say they saw us from a previous show is just awesome. I love seeing familiar, happy faces singing along. It brings me so much joy.

“I feel very blessed to be in this band. My bandmates are super talented and genuinely wonderful people. When I came into the band, Michele was sick. As bandmates and friends, we supported her. Local musicians donated their time during a fundraiser, and it shows how much Michele means to the rest of the music community. She is the strongest person I know. I’ve never seen anyone with more energy, even throughout her cancer treatments. She never missed rehearsal.

“As a band, we’ve given back to breast cancer organizations. We’ve done auctions where people bid on us as a band and we then perform for them for their private event. We love being able to support each other and our community members.”

‘Music has always been a source of therapy for me. It’s one of my happy places.’

Lindenhurst

“A couple of years ago, a friend of mine asked me if I’d be interested in jamming in an all-female Bon Jovi tribute band, Radio Active. Over time, the band changed, and I’m the last woman standing from the original band. I wasn’t going anywhere.

“My heart is in this. I’m the lead vocalist. I always wanted to be in a band because it’s my passion. We became a full cover band about a year ago, and we love covering songs from female artists like Joan Jett and Pat Benatar.

“Since I was a little kid, I was raised in a household with music always being played on the record players. My mom and dad introduced me to music at a very early age. We would listen to ’50s music and just sing along.

Local restaurants, tattoo shops, music stores, even other musicians, came to the festival to support me during the worst time in my life.

“I was in Catholic school growing up and had to sing along to church music, and I rebelled, which led me to rock and roll. Our first gig as Radio Active Band was on Long Island. Singing up there is such a rush. It’s a happy feeling. We put a lot of work into our covers, so it’s really great when we see people appreciate and enjoy our performances. It takes a lot of practice, and it isn’t easy to get up and perform in front of people.

“I was diagnosed with breast cancer four years ago. I actually went to rehearsal for as long as I possibly could. Music has always been a source of therapy for me. It’s one of my happy places. When I’m singing and performing on stage, all of my stress eases away. The fact that I had my band and bandmates as an outlet really helped me get through what I was dealing with, both physically and mentally.

“My bandmates would check on me all the time and bring me things. We moved rehearsal closer to my house so I wouldn’t miss out. I had to have two surgeries and seven months of chemotherapy and radiation.

“A local Long Island bar had a music festival in my honor to raise money for me. It was amazing to see my community members come together. Local restaurants, tattoo shops, music stores, even other musicians, came to the festival to support me during the worst time in my life.”

Interviewed by Melanie Gulbas

‘The mental and physical benefits of dancing are almost beyond measure.’

Melville

“After 58 years of marriage, the last 10 of which were consumed by the relentless attack by Parkinson’s disease on my husband, it struck its final blow and the suffering was over, at least his was. I was now faced with reclaiming or restructuring my life. ‘What will you do?’ many asked me. One day I blurted out, ‘I’m going to learn the Argentine tango!’ And then COVID befell the world.

“Early on, I was immersed in grieving, my part-time job on hold for the duration. Time passed, restrictions eased and my emotions were frazzled enough for me to realize it was time for me to take action. The tango idea had lingered in the back of my mind, and after some research, I called the Ballroom of Huntington, a local dance school, to see if they had reopened. And there begins my story of healing to thriving, sorrow to joy, existence to fulfillment. In the year since the first Argentine tango lesson, I’ve learned many other dances and participated in DanceSport competitions. I’ve even won blue ribbons!

I am firmly convinced that this is the best preventative health care.

“The mental and physical benefits of dancing are almost beyond measure. Aside from engaging in a beautiful community of people of all ages with similar purpose, the physical and mental challenges are remarkable, and the satisfaction of meeting them is exhilarating. I’ve lost weight, reshaped my body, sharpened my mind and inspired innumerable folks, so they tell me. The only possible drawback to this remarkable activity might be the cost, though group lessons are reasonable. I’m greedy and blessed to be able to take private lessons as well. Health insurance companies support gym memberships and physical therapy, SilverSneakers as well, but they don’t support dance classes, which is really a shame. In my opinion, the dancing far surpasses the benefits of those alternatives. My doctors are thrilled with me. I am a celebrity, an icon, and they cheer me on. The sport dance associations have been trying for many years to have it admitted as an Olympic sport. I am firmly convinced that this is the best preventative health care. And it’s fun! It’s like I found the fountain of youth!”

Interviewed by Jenna Kern – Rugile

‘I had low self-esteem as a child. Because I wasn’t confident, I was determined to help others, particularly children.’

Baldwin

“I had low self-esteem as a child. Because I wasn’t confident, I was determined to help others, particularly children. My husband, a lawyer and public defender, gave me the gift of his love and support. His parents, who fought for human rights, served as role models for me. They met and fell in love when Michael was organizing the men’s laundry workers and Rose was organizing the women’s laundry workers!

“I chose a career in early childhood education and had the joy of working with the youngest of children as both a teacher and administrator. I focused on making them feel special, important and loved. I carried this into my adulthood and looked for opportunities to help others whenever I could. Over the years, my husband and I have opened our homes to over 100 people: victims of abuse, students, even strangers who were stranded at Kennedy Airport in 2010 because of the volcanoes in Iceland!

I hope to continue helping others gain confidence and be successful!

“Our children have made us proud: Grey, being nonbinary, is a champion for the LBGTQ+ community; Joanna works with autistic children; her husband, Josh, also is a caring teacher; my granddaughter, Allison, 11, sold homemade magnets and keychains and gave the proceeds to the Innocence Project.

“A turning point for me came on the day a friend invited me to join the National Council of Jewish Women. We developed the Back 2 School Store for economically challenged families, and I’ve been honored to be the coordinator since its inception in 2012. Each summer, the children come to a venue, separate from their parents/guardians, and choose new and free winter coats, sneakers, socks, underwear, T-shirts, pants, hoodies, books, school supplies, stuffed animals, and toothbrushes and toothpaste. They are escorted through the ‘store’ by their own personal shopper, one of our 300 volunteers. We empower children to make decisions. It makes them feel important.

“The reactions are precious. One little girl said, ‘I am so happy with my new shirt that my feet are dancing.’ Another child was so enamored with her new clothes that, despite the heat outside, she refused to take off her winter coat, hoodie and hat. I hope to continue helping others gain confidence and be successful!”

Interviewed by Saul Schachter

‘My readings are hopeful, inspiring, and with a lot of laughter and memories.’

Bay Shore

“My channel opened up 15 years ago as a spiritual medium. I started meditating and started taking classes and revealing my faulty thoughts. Once you remove your faulty thoughts, what you now have is clarity. We now have a gift to the divine; we can hear spirit.

“My husband had colon cancer that spread to his liver. He passed in 2015, but before he did, I realized I could hear him speak to me while he was intubated.

“The doctor asked me if I wanted to take the tube out. My husband wasn’t awake, and I heard him say to me, ‘Please take the tube out, I have more to say.’ I told the doctor to take the tube out, he looked at me to say, ‘He could die tonight.’

“I had my best friend who’s a doctor of metaphysics and has taught me so much, and my sister-in-law, with me, and I told them, ‘I hear Doug.’ After the doctor took the tube out, Doug woke up with a tear in his eye.

It gives me joy to give to others and be a facilitator.

“Thank you for hearing me, I have more to say,’ he said. He had another five weeks. He could have passed without ever speaking again, but because I could hear him, I could help him.

“It made me realize what a gift this is, and that I know that others can develop it as well. People hear that I could hear my husband; now people with family in a certain space ask me, ‘Can you hear them?’ and I can.

“I have used my clear channel for hearing special needs children who can’t talk. I can help parents in that way; I’m a consultant for special education children.

“It just makes life so much more exciting. My readings are hopeful, inspiring, and with a lot of laughter and memories.

“I always bring in food. If your grandma put a large pot of sauce on the stove and had that cooking for the entire day, that will certainly come through. I had a reading where sauerbraten came through, I told the woman, ‘It’s in a pot, it cooks for like a week, it’s meat.’ I’d never had it and she said, ‘It’s sauerbraten!’ I love to hear spirit, I love to know that spirit is connecting with a loved one. It gives me joy to give to others and be a facilitator.

“Spirit and God want us to take our chances. They don’t want us to sit; they want us to move and live our lives. I could have sat for the last seven years, but I have chosen not to.”

Interviewed by Rachel O’Brien – Morano

‘I said I was either going to be the second baseman for the New York Mets or I was going to be a Broadway performer. I got it 50 percent right!’

Kings Park

“I got the bug for it when I was 5 or 6 years old; I would be singing around town, and I got a lot of attention for it. My first real memory of performing is when we would take our record player and put the speakers up in the windows.

“In 1977, I was performing ‘Grease’ out on the front lawn for all the neighbors. I was generally a normal child who got into sports and continued singing.

“My bar mitzvah was themed ‘David on Broadway.’ I said I was either going to be the second baseman for the New York Mets or I was going to be a Broadway performer. I got it 50 percent right! Later, there was an audition for ‘Oliver!’ on Broadway. I got down to the last three. The first guy got the Artful Dodger, the second guy got the understudy and I got nothing. But I got my name in The New York Times and I thought, ‘Maybe I am OK at this.’

“In high school. I went to the Cultural Arts Center in Syosset for half the day, and I met some great people who had done Broadway shows. They had a great theater, and they taught me a lot. I did all of the shows at my regular high school, too.

“From there, I went to NYU, and I loved every minute of it. I got my [Actors’] Equity card by doing a show with Martin Charnin and was then a waiter after I finished school.

“A few years later, I got my first call to be in the ensemble of Broadway’s ‘Les Misérables.’ Later came ‘Grease’ and ‘The Wedding Singer,’ amongst others.

“Performing always felt right, like something I was meant to do. I felt connected and joy while doing it. I feel like I lose myself in a good way when I am performing, like it’s supposed to be happening. My favorite thing to do is cry and feel the emotions.

“When I played Max in ‘Lend Me a Tenor,’ or Adam Maitland in ‘Beetlejuice,’ or Ogie in ‘Waitress,’ I got to feel so much. You get to experience things that feel real to you. I also love the comedy and figuring out the mathematics to get the best laugh, even if you’re not the one delivering the punch line. I’m so grateful to be back on Broadway with ‘Beetlejuice.’”

I’ve learned to be in the moment, and I think I’m doing that in every moment on stage, too. It’s making performances even better.

“My journey as Adam Maitland in ‘Beetlejuice’ began when I auditioned for it when it went to Washington, D.C. The great part is that I didn’t get it! Kids looking to get into the business should know that there is a lot of that involved.

“The best thing to do is enjoy auditioning and classes, because that’s what you’ll spend most of your time doing. I did ‘The Prom’ on Broadway instead.

“Great things come from other things! I called my agent and asked if we could get me in to take over Rob McClure’s role in “Beetlejuice,” which I also auditioned for after D.C. and didn’t get. I was brought in, I screwed up all five auditions, and they still gave me the part!

“Coming back after two years of being closed down has been so joyful. COVID changed my life, and losing my friend [actor] Nick [Cordero] changed the way I see life. He was the kindest, gentle giant you would ever meet.

“He came down with COVID early on, and his wife, Amanda [Kloots], asked us to get together and send energy their way. I made a very serious video telling him he were rooting for him, and then realized that’s not what she wanted. The next day, I started wearing my Elvis suit and singing Elvis. Somehow it became a thing where for three months, I would put on my Elvis suit and make funny videos to send her positive vibes and energy.

“Many people in the Broadway community came out to do it with us. Nick’s song is called ‘Live Your Life.’ It’s about seizing the day and not taking a moment for granted. I was starting to get nervous doing Broadway shows, but coming back from these two years, I have been thinking, ‘I get to do this!’ instead of ‘I have to do this’ — even with things as mundane as cleaning the house.

“I’ve learned to be in the moment, and I think I’m doing that in every moment on stage, too. It’s making performances even better. Throughout my career I have learned that if at first you don’t succeed, keep going. This happened to me with ‘Beetlejuice’ when they said, ‘I don’t think you’re right for it.’

“If it’s something you want, don’t be afraid to try and fail. The show’s story is sort of the same story I’m finding in my own life: The want for connection and then seizing the day.”

Interviewed by Iris Wiener

‘I thought about how both of my parents had died by suicide and how great it would be to save a life since my parents were unable to live.’

Mindy Davidson, Bethpage

“About a year and a half ago, a former work colleague asked me to watch a video presentation about her cousin who was in need of a kidney. I was very moved, and I contacted the organization he was working with for more information. However, my daughter was a year and half away from completing her doctor of physical therapy program, and I didn’t want to add more stress to her life.

“Over the year that followed, stories and articles kept popping up about those in need of donors. I mentioned this to my daughter as ‘I just saw another sign.’ This past fall, I asked her if she would be OK if I started to pursue an altruistic donation. She said, ‘Yes, I’m fully on board.’

“I reached out to find out if my former colleague’s cousin was still in need of a kidney, but it turned out he had just been approved for one. Through an article my daughter sent me, I began the process of finding out how to donate to a stranger. I went through the testing, and the committee met and deemed me a candidate.

“While going through this process, I thought about my parents, who had died by suicide — my mom in 1990, after a very long battle with clinical depression, and my dad in 2016 — and how wonderful it would be to save a life and give that person more time with their family.

They say you’re not just saving one person’s life, you’re really saving two, because you’re saving the person you donate to and then the person next on the list can be matched.

“Once I was cleared to donate, they went to the national list and found someone who was a match with me. I was told that the recipient responded by saying he didn’t even realize a living donor was a thing and couldn’t believe someone would want to donate their kidney to a stranger.

“I haven’t met him yet, but they tell me that he is doing well, and they will try to arrange a meeting between us about three months after surgery. At four and a half weeks post-surgery, all the discomfort was gone.

“I was able to reintroduce running into my walks and began to cycle again, hoping to do my first post-donation triathlon by season’s end. I hope by [my] going public with this story, people realize you can live with just one kidney and you could truly be a lifesaver.

“They say you’re not just saving one person’s life, you’re really saving two, because you’re saving the person you donate to and then the person next on the list can be matched.”

‘I’ve always liked being creative and doing things with my hands … That led me to looking at my environment to figure out ways to improve it.’

Massapequa

“I’ve always liked being creative and doing things with my hands. I’m an active person; I can never be still. That led me to looking at my environment to figure out ways to improve it.

“If there’s something I need, I’ll try to make it. The satisfaction I get in making things is magnified whenever I share it with somebody else; when they feel like they can make something, it is even better.

“In college, I interned at a place that made Halloween masks and props. I never got to see how people reacted to what I made. With theater, you have to communicate with people, and you get the satisfaction of immediate feedback.

“I went to the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, where I studied industrial design, specializing in special effects like animatronics and makeup. Afterwards, I knew I wanted to do something in education. I got a job as a monitor in Roslyn and started building sets for their shows.

“My first set had a terrible design, but I saw that it was something I could improve. I’ve always liked seeing art with which you can interact and experience it. Sets are the magnification of experiencing art— people are using and climbing on them!

I teach students to work with intention. I don’t like to fail, but I’m also not afraid of it.

“I started working at Long Island High School for the Arts, where I teach production and managerial arts, which is all of the creative, hands-on things that happen in theater and film.

“For a bit of time, I was also a scenic carpenter for a company that made holiday windows. In a scene in ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,’ it’s the ’50s, and actors walk by holiday windows that I helped make! I’ve learned that doing different things opens you up to people.

“If you have the right attitude, other people want to work with you. I still build sets for high schools because I enjoy that there’s someone that puts a lot of commitment into making them, and it’s not haphazard. I give a lot of attention to design and make the performers’ experience special.

“It’s cathartic to make things. I appreciate seeing projects start from a pile of lumber and then made into usable pieces. Sometimes people take things for granted. I teach students to work with intention. I don’t like to fail, but I’m also not afraid of it. You learn more from failing and understanding why you failed.”

Interviewed by Iris Wiener