Cyndy Noel has drawn on many of her life experiences in sharing about the journey she had with her husband who had Alzheimer’s. Prior to retiring to care for him, she worked at a local hospital as a Patient Representative, supporting patients and their families who were having a difficult time navigating the health care system. As a result, she brings a wide-ranging perspective on what people go through when facing difficult health-related challenges.
Throughout much of her adult life, Cyndy has recognized that there are numerous ways to perceive the situations we encounter. After being introduced to the Mindfulness-Based StressReduction Program developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, she understood that more clearly. Caring for her husband during their Alzheimer’s journey gave her many opportunities to put that to the test.She experienced the value of mindfulness as it helped her see the challenges and uncertainty from a different perspective. She then began teaching mindfulness to others who were caring fora loved one and went on to develop classes in mindful aging.
In addition to her Master’s in Counseling and Human Services from the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs, Cyndy attended the Semel Institute at UCLA where she became certified asa mindfulness facilitator. She is committed to a daily meditation practice, and occasionally meditates with local groups, either live oron-line. She also participates in silent meditation retreats lasting for up to a week.
Courageous Hearts is Cyndy’s first book. She was inspired to write her story after caring for her husband, as she learned that Alzheimer’s is difficult to understand and can be hard for a caregiver to navigate. Yet caring for him turned out to be a very rewarding experience, as she learned so much about herself and about life, in the process.
