A beautiful smile and a good attitude have been two of the greatest assets of Mrs. Bernice Pearman, enabling her to celebrate her 61st birthday on February 3.

Along the way this resident of Cedar Park, Prospect has had more than her share of adversity tempered by some extraordinary blessings. The latter include the birth of two sets of twins to her only daughter, who happens to be Claudette Fleming, the well-known executive director of Age Concern.

Mrs. Pearmanis hailed as a Walking Miracle, having overcome some significant medical problems that culminated in a kidney transplant on November 30, 2006 at Brigham Women's Hospital in Boston. Now she has two-and-a-half kidneys, a rare state doctors call interstitial naphritis.

She had been undergoing dialysis treatment at the Beresford Swan Dialysis Unit in Paget for six years while awaiting the call from abroad for a suitable kidney. Twice before she had been to Boston but the kidney anticipated turned out not to be a match.

When the most recent call came there was more than the usual drama in getting her to Boston. A perfect match was awaiting her. It was a cadaver kidney from a 59-year-old man who had passed away after bleeding from the brain.

She had to be in hospital within 18 hours for the transplant. She was away from her residence when notification reached her that she had less than an hour to catch the next commercial flight out. Because of the rush, she and her daughter Claudette missed that flight by minutes.

A major emergency plan was activated, and they were air-ambulanced from Bermuda that evening, arriving at Brigham within minutes of the necessary timeframe to be readied for the transplant. During the operation it was discerned that only half of the defective kidney on her left side needed to be removed, with the result that the new organ was added to it.

To cut a long story short, she said she thanks God that all has gone well since. And as a matter of interest, the other organ from the 59-year old deceased donor went to an elderly white man, whom she befriended while they were recovering in hospital.

Mrs. Pearman is the eldest and only daughter of a single mother, the late Edna Elmes of Pembroke, who originally came to Bermuda from Antigua and Barbuda in her early 20s. She met her father, Alvin Hendrickson, who had migrated from Nevis and worked as a storekeeper at King Edward V11 Memorial Hospital.

"My mother was a hard-working, God-fearing woman," Mrs. Pearman said, adding that she was the organist in a Methodist church before coming here.

She worked many years for the Kitson family. Her passion was the education of Bernice and her two brothers, Hubert and Will Hendrickson. The boys grew up here and went to New York for wider horizons.

The brothers worked their way through New York City College. Hubert earned a bachelor's degree in Political Science and met and married his wife June, who has a bachelor's in Business Management. Will got his bachelor's in Engineering and later a master's from Columbia University. His wife Daisey has a bachelor's in Psychology. Meanwhile, it is most interesting to note what happened to young Bernice. Her mother wanted her to be a teacher.

She sent her to Central School (now Victor Scott School) and later to Mrs. Millie Neverson's school. Nowadays, we see young girls and boys after school and during holidays doing well packing groceries in the supermarkets. Back in the old days Bernice, like many of her peers, got her hustle folding papers at the Bermuda Recorder newspaper.

At the Recorder she earned 18 shillings a week, out of which her mother took seven shillings and sixpence which went towards the payment of her school fees. She also had a life-changing experience at the paper. Without trying to flatter this writer, Bernice said she that after observing how Ira Philip wrote shorthand and produced the news on his old Underwood typewriter, she made up her mind to become a secretary rather than a teacher which was her mother's wish in the first place.

She attended the Jean Jacques Secretarial School, gaining five certificates by the time she was just over 15. She got a full-time job in the bindery department of the Bermuda Press. She had earned enough by 1964 to acquire her own Underwood typewriter and enrol in the Monroe Business Institute in the Bronx, New York, graduating with honours as an executive secretary.

Bernice attended class from 9 a.m. until midday; and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. daily, she worked at Gazette Off-Set, a company that produced printing presses, including one acquired by the Bermuda Sun.

When she decided to come home, taking note of the job opportunities beginning to open up for young black women, her bosses, showing their regret as well as appreciation for her services, wrote in a certificate, that "The Gazette's loss is Bermuda's gain".

She got a job for five years as secretary to Commissioner Martin Grimes of the Hamilton Fire Brigade. She changed for a variety of positions elsewhere, including at the Bermuda Press as a cashier. The remainder of her working life was in the Civil Service, first at Immigration and then in the Probation Service.

Meanwhile, Bernice became the wife of Clifford Reginald Pearman, a plumber and engineer at the old Belmont Hotel. They exchanged vows in a ceremony in the First Methodist Church I Astoria, Queens, New York on January 4, 1969. Tragically, her husband died on Labour Day 1975 in a boat accident in the harbour, leaving her with Claudette, aged five, and her brother Clifford, Jr. who was four.

As a young widow she focused on the education of her children, Claudette earning the BA, BSc and master's degrees in Social work; and Clifford, graduating from the Bermuda College, becoming a carpenter.

Mrs. Pearman has received many citations, including a Government Merit Award for her skilful work. And it probably was her diligence on the job that led to her long undetected kidney problems, brought on by hypertension and burnout.

She has particularly requested that this writer put on record her heartfelt thanks to the many organisations and individuals who have given her support in one way or another. Especially to staff at the Dialysis Unit; the Curving Avenue and Cedar Park families; the Wesley Methodist Church and Brighton Hill Church, and of course to her son and daughter, and as we stated in the beginning, to Almighty God.

Photo shows Mrs. Bernice Pearman (centre) with her happy family. Front left: Daughter Mrs. Claudette Fleming is with her two sets of twins born 16 years apart. Akilah holds Joshua while Oquilah holds Kaelyn. In the rear is son Clifford Pearman, Jr