Suzy Himelstein

Suzy Himelstein May 30, 1982 - April 28, 2008 Born Suzanne Louise Himelstein on May 30, 1982 at Children's Hospital in San Francisco, Suzy spent the first two months of her life in a bassinet on the dining room table of her family's small North Beach flat. Either the bassinet became too big, or the table too small, so the family moved to Berkeley where Suzy would spend the greater part of the rest of her life in the large green house on Marin Ave. During her high school years, Suzy fell in love with nature during her participation in two Outward Bound programs: the first a three-week backpacking trek in Oregon followed by a six week program the next summer through the Bitterroot Mountains in Montana and canoeing in Canada. Suzy graduated from Berkeley High in 2000 where she was co-editor of the senior yearbook and the most valuable defensive player on the field hockey team where she played goalie, securing all of the games that the team did not lose by pitching shutouts-the offense did not score a single goal the entire season. Suzy entered the University of Oregon at Eugene in the fall of 2000 and promptly earned a B+ average through the first two quarters, while also earning high marks on the slopes of Mt. Hood as an excellent snow boarder. Then, suddenly, she bought a 30-day Greyhound bus pass and left Oregon and academia, touring the country from coast to coast. Suzy was almost 19 at the time and full of promise. She smiled easily, had a wonderful sense of humor, and was very popular amongst her friends and acquaintances. But something was wrong. The impulse to leave college was not acted upon by someone with a clear head. She withdrew into herself and began acting strangely. Upon her return home, she was diagnosed with schizophrenia. For the next four years, Suzy battled her illness, undergoing painstaking medical treatments and entering numerous programs in an attempt to live as normal a life as possible. Ultimately, the medicines caused intolerable side effects, impairing both her physical and mental health. During the last three years of her life she was in and out of the state mental health system and numerous hospital wards, all mainly holding cells for over-medicated patients. This illness, a cruel, unjust, and undeserved disease, struck Suzy in her prime just as she was about to blossom. Throughout her long ordeal, her heart was always genuine, warm and loving. She is remembered by her family and friends for her courage, tenacity, integrity, and ability to treat all with tenderness and warmth. Her last act was to take back her humanity and restore her person the only way she knew how. Suzy is survived by her father and mother, Mark and Nancy Himelstein; brothers, Matt and Sam Himelstein; grandmother, Mildred Katz; uncle and aunt, Michael and Carol Katz, and cousin, David Katz. A Memorial Service was held for her at Northbrae Community Church in Berkeley on May 4, 2008. Some of Suzy's best memories were from her experiences enjoying the great wide open space and reveling in the wonder of nature. The family encourages anyone who would like to make a contribution in her memory to donate to: Tahoe Donner Land Trust, PO Box 8816, Truckee, CA 96162.