Sheelagh Cooper shares her name with her mother Sheelagh Barrable.?I am proud to share that Gaelic spelled name with her,? she says.

Her mother was a twin and grew up with three brothers and two sisters, a father who was a doctor and her mother was an accomplished artist.

?My grandfather was a tireless crusader in his search for a vaccination and a cure for tuberculosis, a goal he eventually accomplished,? says Mrs. Cooper. ?He was able to virtually irradiate it among the indigenous people of Saskatchewan, Canada. And I suppose that is where my mother and thus I, developed our sense of responsibility for the welfare of those less fortunate than ourselves.?

Mrs. Cooper says her years growing up were spent sharing their dinner table with all manner of people in need.

?My three brothers and I learned from our mother at a very early age that the purpose of life was to make this world a better place to live and my mother led by her example,? she says.

?I?ll admit there were times when we wished the phone would stop ringing taking my mother away to console or counsel someone in need, but we knew how important it was for her to help others and we knew above all that we were very much loved by her.?

Mrs. Cooper says her mother is her ?best friend and confidante?.

?She lost my father, her love of 55 years just recently and with incredible grace and strength she has carried on,? she says. ?She is still much more concerned with the plight of others than herself. After being a full-time loving nurse to my father during his last years of his life, she is now able to travel, so I am delighted to have her here in Bermuda with me for a while.

?In June, I will be taking her to Germany for the christening of her newest grandchild in Berlin.?

Mrs. Cooper says she was glad her mother is who she is. ?I am so grateful for her presence in my life, her strength, courage and most especially her faith have guided me through the difficult times,? she says. ?Her great sense of humour and enthusiasm has given me joy. I treasure every minute I have with her.?