The Common Vein

Written by Zoe Shapiro

September 2009

My father?s computer illiteracy and lack of writing skills leave myself, his eldest daughter Zoe, the job of writing this bio. I can only illuminate what my father has been up to in the years that memory allows me but the most fundamental aspects of his life include us, his family, his work and his pastimes.

From his professional starts at Wits and later in Edinburgh (where my sisters and I were born), my father now runs several clinics, is widely published (well over a dozen books and many journal articles by now) and respected as an authority in the field of Sleep Medicine. He was invited to return to South Africa last year to be bestowed with a very gracious and ceremonial title by his peers. I?m not sure if our ignorance of the precise title is due to his humility or increasingly poor memory but we were all delighted for him.

Our family has lived in the same home in Canada since we moved here in 1990 but our lives and my fathers? have changed dramatically since then. The most significant change for my parents is probably the quiet; my sisters and I now live in London and Cambridge in England and Vancouver on the West Coast of Canada. He is working at bribing us to return home. We have also been able in the last several years to enjoy our cottage, on Otter Lake, two hours north of Toronto. My parents take great pleasure in entertaining our friends there, hosting their book club and leading a more relaxed pace of life. It is here too that my father?s mid-life crisis manifested itself: rock sculptures and rhododendron planting. To call his hobby gardening would probably be giving him too much credit but this garden and property are certainly one of his greatest enjoyments.

The time left over from coping with empty-nest syndrome, working long hours and moving rocks about is frequently spent travelling both for work and pleasure. My parents returned to South Africa as tourists and tour guides to non-SA friends last year, have also spent time in India and will be in Peru this upcoming February. Another joy for dad is Opera, despite the stories of his tuneless Habonim singing remaining as relevant as ever. I?m thrilled that my dad has begun to enjoy and pursue the things that make him happy after working so hard for so many years (and continuing to do so). I?m even considering capitulating to his bribery. I look forward to an opportunity to hear stories of my father at an age younger than my sisters and I are now but until then,

 Yours sincerely,

Zoe Shapiro

Links found on the web

University Health Network

Sleep and Health Interview