Sybil's Friend
Shirley was my longtime friend and mentor. We met when she was my art professor at Rio Grande College We talked, visited, and wrote letters for over twenty-five years until her death in 1998. My last letter and phone call from her were in January, 1998. She died the following month from the breast cancer that had recurred after a long remission. I treasure the time we spent together for many reasons. Although she was the victim of horrific childhood abuse, she was a survivor in every sense of the word. She became a successful artist in Lexington, Kentucky, where she lived for many years. She also designed toys and formed her own company called Mason Arts. Shirley lived quietly, and died quietly, doing the things she loved. Shirley told me of her Sybil identity and swore me to secrecy before the book was published in 1973 . I kept that secret until well after her death. It would be fine with her that I am talking about her now. She would want people to know that you either rise above the circumstances of your birth and upbringing, or you sink beneath the mire. Others suffering from this disorder can find hope in her story.
http://www.sybilsfriend.com/
