When Sydney Gould bent down to pick up a golf ball 10 years ago, his life changed forever.
A former New York City public school principal and special education consultant in New Mexico, Gould had moved to Phoenix after his divorce and enjoyed 10 years in his “beautiful condo on the golf course” playing golf twice a week. But one day when he tried to pick up his golf ball out of the cup, he couldn’t stand up alone. Tingling, pain and weakness in his hands and legs have been with him ever since. After several doctor visits, he was diagnosed with neuropathy in May 2005. Soon he couldn’t get around without a cane or a scooter; he began twice monthly IVIG (intravenous immunoglobulin) treatments to stabilize his neuropathy. Living alone became a challenge.
But Gould isn’t one to just sit around and feel sorry for himself.
He moved into a “lovely” two-bedroom apartment at Atria Sierra Pointe (formerly Sierra Pointe Retirement Community). He says he was fortunate to meet Arlene Blake, a wonderful woman just a day older than he is. “She is my partner at Sierra Pointe. We share a lot of things and those help our life become enriched.”
He also decided to stay active mentally. “Perseverance is an important word for me,” he says. “You work for what you get. If you love your work, you’ll keep doing it and enjoy it.”
So he decided to write a novel. Inspired by world oil conditions, he spent two years writing a political action thriller, Hijack at Malacca. “It’s an exciting book,” says Gould. “It’s about much more than the hijacking of an oil tanker.”
An editor at Simon and Schuster suggested he try and get the book done as a movie, because “The storyline is interesting and it reads more like a screenplay. You’ve done a good job with the progression of the story, and your dialogue is realistic.”
He published his book through Sydney Gould Publishing and began looking for a screenwriter.
Though his son, Eric Gould, is a screenwriter, actor and acting teacher in Los Angeles, Gould says “he is too close to me, so I found Kathy Stewart, an excellent screenwriter.”
Stewart has completed the screenplay and the two are now trying to find a studio to produce the movie, which Gould says he’s been told could be a blockbuster. However, he says without an agent, most studios won’t even read screenplays. Still he is optimistic and has launched a website, hijackatmalacca.org, to promote the project.
Meanwhile he has written another book, Stop Sending E-Mail: My Boss is Watching, a compilation of funny stories and jokes and advice on email etiquette.
Both books are available on Amazon.com. “I’m on the computer quite a lot,” he says. Based on his experiences as a senior moving into a retirement
community, he’s now working on another book. The book will feature advice for seniors on things to do when you move to a retirement community.
“Most seniors don’t want to leave their homes,” he says. “But it is the wise thing to do in certain circumstances. We all get to be seniors and if you want to live well, you have to persevere.”
“Perseverance has helped me overcome conditions that could have been so limiting.”
He and Arlene enjoy many of the activities at Atria Sierra Pointe, including a recent trip to see the musical “Cabaret.”The luxury resort-style living there provides a huge array of activities and outings he says. Atria Sierra Pointe provides transportation to Shabbat and holiday services, which Gould enjoys. When he lived in New York, he served a term as president of his Conservative synagogue.
“My Jewish upbringing factors in my views,” he says. The most joyous times he recalls were visiting his grandparents in Montreal for the summer or holidays.
Now he enjoys sharing special times with his son, daughter and grandchild. His daughter, Stacy Van Goor, is an attorney in San Diego. She and her husband, Fred Van Goor, have a 5-year- old son Noah, whom Gould adores.
Facing the limitations of age doesn’t mean the fun in life has ended.
“A lot of people here have to use walkers, but they overcome the limitations by working at things they love to do,” says Gould.
