‘I went to speak with my parents, and they saw I was only using half my face.’

Jacqueline Sullivan, Brightwaters

“It was the summer going into fourth grade, and I was 8. I didn’t know I was bitten by a tick. I was scratching at something and had a red mark on my thigh, but not a bullseye. I was complaining of leg aches and headaches, but my parents we’re like, ‘You’re fine, you’re fine.’ They dismissed it, but then one morning, I felt something trickle down my neck while I was brushing my teeth; it was toothpaste just dripping down on me. I went to speak with my parents, and they saw I was only using half my face. I had left-side facial paralysis and was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy as part of Lyme disease.

“I remember my doctor, who today is now my children’s pediatrician and is such a brilliant man, knew immediately it was a tick. I ended up in the hospital for a week or so, then had to receive antibiotics from an IV through a shunt right into the start of school, and I had to wear an eyepatch at night, as your eye can dry out if you can’t close it. I remember being very afraid going to school. I tried to hide the shunt from other students, as I didn’t want them to ask me any questions about it. I was already very scared, as it was the first year my twin sister and I were separated in school classes.

“Having an identical twin always meant people would compare how we looked, and this added another element to the whole Bell’s palsy thing. People would normally tell us apart before because I had a rounder face, but I became afraid people would think I was the twin with the weird face, the one who can’t move her face. I was feeling like I was the ‘sick twin,’ or people looking at her and then thinking that was what I was supposed to look like.

‘My doctor was so kind. I remember trying to understand why I was sick and what a tick bite could do. He explained that there was a bacteria inside the tick, that a ‘sick tick’ made me sick, and that it was something you can’t see. It blew my mind. It sparked my fascination with infectious diseases. It also led to my interest in skin care, as the skin is your first barrier against disease. It’s also the first thing everybody sees.”

‘I had never been self-conscious before but was left wondering what people thought when they saw me.’

“I majored in biology at James Madison [University] and got a job while in college with Estée Lauder, where I started to do skin research, but then I learned what a PA [physician assistant] is, and after I got my bachelor’s degree, I got my master’s in medical biology while working at Estée Lauder, and then, to combine everything in my field, I figured I should work with people, so I then went to Stony Brook for PA school and got my second master’s in physician’s assistant studies.

“I’m currently a PA at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip. I also work for a smaller cosmetic and aesthetic medicine company called Skin Clique, and I loved that this was an area of medicine where I could make people happy by helping their self-confidence, helping people who felt self-conscious about their faces with medical-grade skin care.

“One’s appearance affects people’s outlooks and psyches, including mine, ever since the day when my son once pointed something out to me about my appearance. After that, it was all I could see in the mirror. The facial paralysis had mostly resolved before fourth grade ended, and I thought I had been completely resolved for years. However, my son one day asked me why I looked different in pictures, and smiled like this. I just played it off, but I then asked people around me about my face and soon realized there were certain facial motions I couldn’t do symmetrically.

“As it turns out, when you age, the wrinkles and lines really start to show the loss of facial muscle function. I was getting unilateral wrinkles because the other side of my face wasn’t working. I had never been self-conscious before but was left wondering what people thought when they saw me. I thought I was done with Lyme disease, but aging and pictures and a different perspective made me realize all this is from that. It continues to drive me.”

‘I didn’t think that what happened defined me, even though now telling my story might make it sound like that.’

“I’ve since advised a few people who have dealt with Bell’s palsy like me. It’s so rewarding, because most patients I see in the hospital I don’t see again, but with my clients I see them a few times a year. I know their families, I get to know them, and I see the results and how it affects their confidence.

“I used to think people who did things like Botox and fillers and plastic surgery were all in the same category, but now I realize that the first thing you see, and everybody sees, is your face and skin. I think that if a fourth grader arrived in my office, suffering from what I did when I was their age, I could give them insight. I remember being very scared, and I appreciated how my doctor reassured me. I would let them know that things were going to be OK and that they were doing the right thing by seeking treatment.

“Kids get scared; they just know they’re in pain, and having a doctor providing some understanding just made it make sense for me, why I needed medicine and go through the process of getting an IV and shunt. I think kids don’t get enough credit that they can understand, and you should talk to them and offer a rationale just like you would an adult; let them know they can be brave and can do it. Make the kids feel like they can do it. Give them a chance to understand.

“Don’t ask, ‘Do you have any questions?’ Ask, ‘What questions do you have?’ I’d also point out that while this is something they’re suffering with now, it’s treatable, and it’s not who they are. I wouldn’t want them to feel like this defines them. I mean, I didn’t think that what happened defined me, even though now telling my story might make it sound like that. It’s taken me on my path, but I am very happy with who and where I am now. “Life is a journey, and I want to see where it’s all going to take me next. It’s tried to define me, but I won’t let it. I’ve become a happy person, and I want to make people happy with themselves too.”

Interviewed by Ian J. Stark

‘We want to make motorcycling safe for everyone.’

Chris Beckhans, Centereach

“I started riding back in 1978, when I got my first dirt bike. My father was supposed to get me a horse, but he brought me home a dirt bike instead. And I rode it all the time. It became a really intense passion. I was about 16 or 17 when I got my first street motorcycle. It was a 1982 Suzuki GS 850 I bought off my friend, who was a co-worker. And he became my riding partner.

“Then I put down riding for a few years … but in 1998 I had a bug: I wanted to get another bike, so I bought a 1971 Harley-Davidson Shovelhead, and I rode the heck out of that.

“While riding that bike, a friend who was a motorcycle rider asked me to check out a meeting of Long Island ABATE, that’s American Bikers for Awareness, Training and Education. My first meeting was at Cathedral Pines County Park. I liked the meeting, I liked the people, I liked the purpose.

‘In July 2020, I became president … The newest thing we’re doing is in the schools. We go into high school driver’s ed classes with a 90-minute presentation.’

“Then I was asked — or I should say I was ‘appointed’? — sergeant at arms, not sure exactly what year that was. The more I got involved, the more it engulfed me. We do a lot for motocyclists, and we do a lot for the community. So far, $1.168 million has been raised for the veterans community — and 100% of the money goes to veterans. It’s for different programs, like Blue Star moms, AmVets. Whatever they do, we help them do that. We also do a holiday food and toy run for St. Mary’s Church in Hampton Bays — we’ve raised over $250,000 for them. And we’re working on a legislative agenda … to advocate for motorcycle riding.

“In July 2020, I became president … The newest thing we’re doing is in the schools. We go into high school driver’s ed classes with a 90-minute presentation. It shows various motorcycle crash situations, like the seriousness of misjudging a motorcycle’s path. We talk about how the crash could have been prevented. The biggest thing that has happened in the past is left-turn crashes — and drivers misjudge the speed of the motorcycle. We’ve done over a hundred classes, which is at least 3,500 drivers, since 2022.

“I like to say, ‘Together we can make a difference.’ We want to make motorcycling safe for everyone. When you’re out there driving down the road with the wind in your hair, it’s nice. But you have to ride smart.”

Interviewed by Rosemary Olander-Beach

‘You can change your life around and create your own future … Your past doesn’t define you.’

Peri R. Finkelstein, West Hempstead

“I was born with a form of muscular dystrophy known as nemaline rod myopathy. I have had 35-plus surgeries, but I do not allow my physical disability or my medical challenges to define me. I always felt that staying active was important. In 2011, I underwent one of the most intense surgeries of my life, a spinal fusion for my scoliosis. Prior to 2011, I was not as ventilator dependent and was able to breathe on my own for certain parts of the day, but that surgery in particular left me vent dependent 24/7. I had a choice to make, either train myself to come off of my vent again or rebuild my body and focus on maintaining an active lifestyle so that I could get stronger and avoid many other health problems … I chose the latter.

“From 2020-2022, I had four consecutive surgeries to remove an invasive cholesteatoma that subsequently resulted in me losing hearing in my right ear, causing severe vestibular issues and a great amount of weakness. What I love about staying active is that exercising allows me the ability to feel like I can take control of my body — despite it attempting to fight me at every chance it gets — work out all of my anxieties and clear my head.

“Since I was 2 years old, a nonprofit called Chai Lifeline gave my family hope. In 2008, I joined my family in racing in the Miami Marathon to raise money for that nonprofit. For a few years, I cheered on my parents from the sidelines, and then I decided that it was time to take some steps on my own. I wanted to finally take control of my body and prove to myself and the world that I can do anything that I set my mind to. In 2016, I took a few steps over the finish line and I decided that it wasn’t enough. In 2017, I walked over 1,000 steps; in 2018, 1 mile; in 2019, 1.5 miles; and then in 2020, 1.5 miles, walking both forwards and backward, across the finish line. Unfortunately, due to a great deal of both physical and medical issues, I haven’t been able to walk since 2020, so I simply participated on the sidelines for the years following. Recently, I launched my own nonprofit organization known as the Team Peri Foundation.”

‘Regardless of one’s ability, everyone deserves to be accepted, included and understood.’

“My charity, the Team Peri Foundation, focuses on collaborating with organizations whose values align with ours to educate and promote disability inclusion. Regardless of one’s ability, everyone deserves to be accepted, included and understood. Our mission is to spread this message, celebrate human diversity and change the way the world views inclusion. Both my undergraduate and graduate studies at Adelphi University played a pivotal role in solidifying what would be my next steps and starting the Team Peri Foundation sooner rather than later.

“From pre-K until college, I was severely bullied. I felt alone, scared and wished the world would swallow me up whole. All I wanted was to be normal. I took my own power back by choosing myself. In August 2023, I graduated with my MBA in marketing from Adelphi University, and Team Peri Foundation launched in September 2023. Our first project was to hit our $1 million fundraising goal — which we surpassed! Getting my MBA gave me the confidence that I needed to prove to myself that I could launch a foundation. My experiences taught me that my words and leadership could inspire social change. I could make a difference!

“My desire to do so enabled me to understand the urgency of creating my nonprofit, which had been my dream since I was approximately 8 years old. My mom and I also host a podcast called ‘Team Peri Step Out of Line,’ which has welcomed over 107 guests including Alex Borstein, Mayim Bialik, and more, where we discuss their step-out-of-line moments, and we’ve learned something new from each guest. In 2022, I was honored to be featured in Forbes! I simply want to make my mark on the world, one step at a time.

“My dream is to give a TEDx talk and conduct speaking engagements to universities and corporations about the power of inclusion. I also want to publish a book and travel abroad. You can change your life around and create your own future. You can take your power back; your past doesn’t define you. While physical and emotional scars might still exist, you can push past them and step out of line.”

Interviewed by Meagan Meehan

‘I’ve always believed that everybody can train like an athlete.’

Michelle Anthony, Freeport

“I have always been and fitness into sports. I grew up playing sports. When I was younger, I played lacrosse and basketball, but track is what I went the furthest with. I ran hurdles in college. I just wanted to keep up with the fitness and athletic worlds because it was a big part of me.

“After college, I ended up going into the police academy. I became a police officer, but it wasn’t something that I loved to do. I just did it for the security and for the benefits. I ended up having my son, and I left the police department. I went to work at a gym. I was doing training on the side while I was on the job, but I went to work for a gym where I became a head trainer. Then the opportunity presented itself to open up my own space. When that gym closed down, I had a decent following, so that’s when Beast Fitness came around.

Franchising is the big goal in the future. Our location right now is small, so for this location we would love to expand.

“My partner was one of the members of the old gym I worked at. We got really close through our kids, and we decided to take the leap. She’s always wanted to open the gym as well. I’ve always wanted a gym where I could push members to their potential, where they don’t even realize that they can do certain things. I’ve always believed that everybody can train like an athlete. That’s what we try to do at Beast. People have realized their full potential at Beast, and it’s become a really great community. We provide small group personal training, so you’re getting really personal attention from all the coaches. We have high-intensity interval training and strength classes. We also provide nutrition coaching and personal training.

“The first lady I delivered to was sitting on her front porch with her friends and neighbors. I felt uncomfortable, because I didn’t want to interfere, but I felt right doing this. I gave her the pie and said, ‘I’m so sorry about your husband.’ It was about a week and a half after Sept. 11, and she said, ‘My husband isn’t dead; he’s a very strong man.’ Her saying that made me more apprehensive — I wondered, ‘Am I doing the right thing here?’ Because no matter how strong he was, I knew he had probably died.

“Franchising is the big goal in the future. Our location right now is small, so for this location we would love to expand. We have a wide range of demographics, from people who’ve never worked out a day in their life to people who are avid fitness goers. We offer modifications for all the exercises, or if you’re looking to challenge yourself a little more, we offer that, too. As hard as it is owning a business, this is what I’ve always wanted to do. We’ve been growing slowly but steadily. It has been nice how we’ve been growing. Our one-year anniversary is coming up July. I am living my dream.”

Interviewed by Victoria Bell

‘People say, “So many have forgotten about 9/11, but you remember.”’

Joseph O’Connor, Freeport

“When 9/11 happened, I was devastated, like everyone was. I found myself running more and more — because I’d always been a runner. But my feelings of anxiety, apprehension and self-pity weren’t going away — the running wasn’t helping.

“I was reading obituaries in ‘The New York Times’ every day. That probably wasn’t helping either. I said, ‘I’ve got to do something.’ Rockville Centre was sending truckloads of products, like toilet paper and paper towels to Ground Zero, and they needed people to load trucks. So I was doing that for two or three days — that was active. But after two or three days, they didn’t need people.

It’s an important part of being a human being, helping people out.

“I got the pennysaver, where they listed photos, names, and addresses of people in the village who had died. In my family, traditionally, I make the apple pies for people. And New York is the Big Apple, so I thought, I should make apple pies for those who lost loved ones.

“I figured out I’ve delivered about 800 pies. One family I deliver to every year, they lost a son and a son-in-law. I used to deliver to the husband and wife, now I deliver just to the wife. She said to me last year, ‘Joe, I look forward every year to that one night in the fall when I’m tasting one of your pies.’

“During COVID, I made phone calls to people before delivering the pies, just to make sure it was OK. They said, ‘Bring it!’ I deliver about 22 pies a year now. I didn’t know whether these people would accept me, whether they’d tell me to ‘get out of here,’ but the apple pies have helped me make a connection.

“People say, ‘So many have forgotten about 9/11, but you remember.’ People don’t forget about community … It’s an important part of being a human being, helping people out.”

Interviewed by Rosemary Olander Beach

‘Baking and food are part of me and gave me the experience of becoming a baker in my second career.’

Heidi Riegler, Baldwin

“I was born in Graz, Austria. We baked a lot as kids. Baking and food are part of me and gave me the experience of becoming a baker in my second career. I never thought I would do what I’m doing now.

“I studied stage directing and performing arts management when I came here. I did PR and communications for a very long time. But at one point, I wanted to do something else, something with my hands. Baking kind of fell into my lap.

“I did some cookie-tasting parties around the holidays, and my friends said we should sell them. I decided to try it out. Then it got bigger and bigger. I went to a trade show at the Javits Center called Fancy Food. My products have been featured in The New York Times six times now. I also got a business, wholesale relationship with William-Sonoma.

It is great to be independent, run your own business, start something that you didn’t even think you would ever do and succeed on your own pace.

“I still had not quit my PR career, but when COVID hit, I lost my last clients because they all had to shut down. I said, ‘OK, I guess I have to bake more now,’ and jumped into baking full time. I opened the Vienna Cookie Co. in Baldwin.

“We only specialize in Austrian and German cookies and cakes. Often, I hear, ‘This reminds me of my grandma’s or mom’s recipe.’ It’s not just selling a cookie or a cake. It is like bringing a memory back and keeping the tradition going. If that cake reminds them of their grandmother, maybe they will try to make it themselves.

“I do offer baking classes and try to teach people so they won’t forget these types of recipes or techniques. My baking classes teach people how to make these cakes or cookies so that this art form doesn’t die out. That is all very rewarding.

“In the summer, we always do farmers markets all over Long Island. Many people come back to us and the little exchanges and stories we hear — it all becomes like a little family. It is great to be independent, run your own business, start something that you didn’t even think you would ever do and succeed on your own pace.

“It is a lot of work and effort — no vacation and no free days during the week. But it’s worth it. It’s your own, and you share it with other people. I just want to continue growing and introduce old, forgotten recipes back on the dessert table. I am really loving it.”

Interviewed by Victoria Bell

‘Once I had the bug in me, I knew I was bound for Broadway.’

Eric Strauss, Great Neck

“I started performing in the sixth grade in Great Neck, both in school and in an after-school program at my community center called Levels. My mentor, Barry, would coach us in lighting, directing, costumes, props — it was entirely student run. That’s where I developed my love for theater. I would visit the city on weekends because I was a ‘Renthead’ — standing in line for the Broadway lotteries.

“Once I had the bug in me, I knew I was bound for Broadway. I went to Marymount Manhattan College for stage management, but realized it was not right for me. I shelved my Broadway dream for the moment and worked in fashion retail and then as a hotel concierge for nearly a decade.

“My dream was still to get to Broadway. My love for Halloween led me to creating intricate costumes for drag and burlesque performers and thus began my focus in wardrobe. In 2018, I started working for Off-Broadway shows. I’d work 9 to 5 in my concierge job and then do a show from 6 to 10. On weekdays, I’d use my company printer to print resumes. On weekends I would pass out resumes to every stage door.

“After a few weeks, I finally made my Broadway debut. I was supposed to work the matinee at an Off-Broadway show. At 9 a.m., I got a call from the wardrobe supervisor, Melissa — aka my ‘fairy gawdmother’ — at ‘Come From Away,’ asking if I was available to come in. I’d never seen the show or worked on Broadway. I thought, I have nothing to lose! I booked my second show as a swing dresser at ‘Carousel,’ followed by ‘SpongeBob.’ I’d swing at all three shows until I booked my first full-time track at ‘Anastasia.’

“When it closed, I returned to swing dressing for shows like ‘Hadestown,’ ‘Aladdin,’ and ‘The Lion King.’ My next full-time show was ‘The Tina Turner Musical.’ Then it was back to the swing life, dressing at ‘Jersey Boys,’ finally booking my current full-time show, ‘& Juliet,’ where I dress the principal men. I love the live aspect of Broadway. I thrive off the energy from the audience and the feeling you get from walking in a dark theater. I love the constant motion and running around. Live theater is a beautiful sport. It’s different every night, and anything can happen at a moment’s notice.”

I thought, I like to dress up and I like to have fun. How can I make a career out of this?

“With my love for Halloween, dressing up just once a year was not enough. In 2015, I started doing drag and going out to themed parties, where I connected with other creative people like myself. I thought, I like to dress up and I like to have fun. How can I make a career out of this? I don’t know where I got the crazy idea, but I went online to get ordained and began to officiate weddings. It was just something I did for fun. I even surprised my family and popped up as the officiant at my brother’s wedding. I officiate ceremonies in drag as Prince Powderpouffe — my drag alter ego — but also officiate weddings as myself. I created my own business, Your Royal Wedding Officiant.

“When I’m not working on Broadway or officiating weddings, I love building costumes for myself, for burlesque performers and for drag queens. Designing in this way really got me invested in the costume world when I was trying to get a job as a dresser on Broadway. Every New Yorker needs at least two or three side hustles. Between my time on Broadway, my drag persona and my wedding business, it checks all the boxes of interests for my multi-faceted life.

“Anyone who wants to work on Broadway should be persistent — don’t give up. It’s a hard industry to break into and get a foot in a door. Getting the first day is the absolute hardest and the most discouraging at times. Once you have your first day, the next one will just come rolling in. I love what I do and I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

Interviewed by Iris Wiener

‘I was brewing at home, but my career path was not so great.’

Christian Ryan, Copiague

“My father moved from Ireland when he was 13, my mother from the Dominican Republic when she was 18. We grew up in Copiague. The [minority] representation that we had there at the time was very cool. I grew up on Long Island until I was 9, and then went out to the Midwest for a little bit. Then after college, I moved back to Long Island.

“Coming out of college, I was working in downtown Manhattan for a couple of years doing essentially supply chain management. I was brewing at home, but my career path was not so great. So, I said, ‘I like brewing. I like making beer. There are breweries all over the place, so you got to be able to make a living doing it. I am going to try to switch.’

We do a lot of farmers market sales, and Long Island is a huge place for us.

“But nobody wanted anyone who did not know what they were doing already. So in 2007, I said, ‘OK, if nobody wants to take an unpaid intern, let me go back to school.’ The University of California at Davis has a master’s program. I went back to school, spent six months at an intensive in Davis, California, and came back with a degree in brewing distilling from the IBD [Institute of Brewing & Distilling], which was a springboard into my first brewery.

“I went upstate in New York to start training our employees with the program that I went through at Davis at Blue Point — one of the first craft regional breweries in the U.S. I also started a training program up in Albany, with the idea of bringing a little more education and broaden the work pool upstate, too.

“Right now, I run Springbrook Hollow Farm Distillery [in Fort Ann]. With the amount of people I get up from the Island, it is almost like a second home for a lot of Long Island, which I find very cool. We do a lot of farmers market sales, and Long Island is a huge place for us. We get a lot of support both up here and all Long Island itself. When I was at Blue Point, some of our biggest markets were expat New Yorkers. In the same way that we get a lot of folks in Lake George and from the Island, we are looking to reach our fellow New Yorkers, wherever they have gone, to give them a taste of home.”

Interviewed by Victoria Bell