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LEGAL BRIEF
DECEMBER 2022 FriedmanSimon.com 516-800-8000
PLAYING THE CARDS WE’RE DEALT
LESSONS FROM MY OLDER BROTHER
Hello Friends,
to my brother Mike, who was seven years older than me, as a “Big Brother Plus.” I’m writing this article on what would have been his birthday, and it’s the first time I cannot wish him a happy birthday directly. When Mike was given a terminal diagnosis by his doctor, who told him that all medical options had been exhausted and forecasted a very short life expectancy, Mike reflexively responded, “Okay, so what’s the plan?” As long as he drew breath, he was determined to keep fighting.
As we near the end of the year, I hope 2022 has been kind to you, or at least not too unkind. More importantly, it is my heartfelt wish that you can feel hopeful that the new year will be better than the one now ending. If you’ve read my previous contributions to this newsletter, you’ve likely noticed a specific theme. A number of my articles have described how I admire our clients and how I am inspired by their courage in the face of tragedy. At Friedman & Simon LLP Injury Lawyers, we are in the business of fighting for clients’ rights during what is, for many of them, the very worst time of their lives. One of our most important goals is to help them build a better life after their accident injury, no matter how devastating their circumstances may be.
In last December’s newsletter, I wrote about the maxim “seven times down, eight times up.” Resilience to keep fighting has always fascinated me. Observing this quality in our clients empowers me to confront many challenges as we prosecute cases on their behalf, working to win the justice they deserve. This year, I am thinking of the same ideas, and a different phrase comes to mind: “You have to play the cards you’re dealt.” No matter the
Mike Friedman, 2022
Of course, grieving sad news is part of being human, but so is taking action to meet our values and goals. A very noble part as I see it. In leaving this world, Mike reinforced essential lessons for me.
If there is something you want to tell or ask a loved one, do it.
If something is important to you, don’t put it off.
Appreciate every day and make the best of it.
Mike Friedman, circa 1960
I am hopeful that 2023 will be a better year. Whether you knew my brother Mike or not, I hope our firm can continue paying forward his determined attitude. “You have to play the cards you’re dealt.” This year, let’s rededicate ourselves to playing those cards as lovingly and powerfully as possible.
circumstances, we must soldier on trying to reach a better place in life. As Teddy Roosevelt said, “Do what you can, where you are, with what you have.” Complaining has little value. Working on the next step toward our goal, whatever it may be, is so much more powerful. In May of this year, I lost my older brother, Michael “Mike” Friedman, of blessed memory, to illness. The line about playing the cards you are dealt was something I heard him say many times over the years. Because our father passed away when I was 13 years old, I looked up
–Eddie Friedman
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THE DIFFERENCE SUM COVERAGE MAKES A Tale of Two Clients
Home Alone — Is Your Child Ready? Consider These Details First
Deciding if your child is ready to stay home alone is an important milestone every parent will face. It’s natural for a parent to worry when leaving their kids unsupervised. Although this concern will never fade away completely, you can prepare yourself and your children for this day with some planning. IMPORTANT THINGS YOU SHOULD CONSIDER: • Child’s Age: Do you believe your child is mature enough to stay home alone? Will they be able to care for themselves and their younger siblings? Can they respond to an emergency? There isn’t a set age when children are ready to be home by themselves. It depends on your judgment and whether you’ve seen signs your child is prepared for that responsibility. • How Long You’ll Be Gone: Will you be out of the house for a couple of hours or all day? For the first few times that you leave your child alone, you only want to be gone for a relatively brief period of time. Feel out how long that might be. This will help you see if they are ready to take on this responsibility and how they feel about being alone. • Safety Awareness: Would your child remember and follow the safety rules? Can they make good judgment calls on their own? Do they have common sense? Establish clear ground rules to keep them safe and trust they will follow those rules. So, you’ve asked your child if they feel comfortable being home alone, and they say yes. Here’s what you can do to prepare your child for this new experience and responsibility. • Leave Emergency Contacts: Write down your and your spouse’s cell and work numbers in case your child needs to contact either of you. You can also list out other relatives they can contact if needed. Keep this list in a place where it’s easily accessible such as the refrigerator. • Plan for “What if” Scenarios: Inform your child about what to do if there is a fire, storm, medical issue, or a stranger comes to the door. Make sure they understand the solutions and can follow them without question. Also, leave an emergency first-aid kit with them. Don’t worry; their experience won’t be like Kevin McCallister’s in the famous Christmas comedy “Home Alone.” By communicating with your adolescent and preparing properly, they are one step closer to fulfilling new responsibilities and taking the first step into adulthood.
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times …” –Charles Dickens, “A Tale of Two Cities.”
“I wish I had better insurance coverage.”
“I’m so glad I had adequate insurance coverage.”
Those two statements reflect the regret and the relief expressed by two different accident injury victims. Ever since Dickens’ classic novel was assigned to my Glen Cove High School English class, the powerful opening line impressed me because it arguably describes every time in human history. In helping accident injury victims rebuild their lives over the years, I have also been struck by how that best/worst phrase can apply to the aftermath of a serious or catastrophic injury, depending upon a person’s insurance coverage. Many people have never heard the acronym “SUM” applied to automobile insurance. SUM stands for Supplementary Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage. SUM offers covered persons protection from situations where they were injured in a car accident, and the at-fault party was either unidentified (as in a hit-and-run accident where the license plate information was not obtained) or was driving without insurance coverage. It also protects against situations where the damages created by the at-fault driver’s negligence exceed their insurance policy. Purchasing additional SUM coverage, which may be relatively inexpensive, can provide a source of recovery for yourself and your family members. We have seen many cases where an injured client with SUM coverage made an appropriate recovery. Tragically, we’ve also seen cases where an injured client could not win the compensation they deserved because they didn’t have the necessary insurance protection.
Please speak with your insurance carrier or broker about the cost of raising your SUM coverage, and always maintain it at the highest level you feel
comfortable with. It may be impossible to think of a post- accident period as “the best of times,” but hopefully, with ample SUM coverage, you will be spared “the worst of times” with a source for the recovery you need and deserve.
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Locks of Love SON MAKES A WIG FOR HIS MOTHER
Melanie Shaha is currently fighting her third brain cancer battle. For 15 years, she’s been suffering from a benign tumor on her pituitary gland. Although she courageously faces the challenges of being ill, going to her appointments, focusing on her treatment, and talking to loved ones about her cancer, she doesn’t like looking sick. If you didn’t know Shaha, you wouldn’t realize she was battling cancer. But this suddenly changed once she lost all of her hair. She had two surgeries, in 2003 and 2006, in hopes of removing the tumor on her pituitary gland, but they weren’t successful. Then, when she began radiation therapy in 2017, the treatment caused her hair to fall out. “Not having hair [makes] you stick out like a sore thumb, and well-meaning people can say things that break your heart,” Shaha
told TODAY. She didn’t like all the attention and the looks people gave her in public. So, her 27-year-old son Matt had an idea. At first, Matt joked about cutting all of his hair off to make his mother a wig. But the joke soon became a plan, and Matt followed through in 2018.
Creations, a hair company in Newport Beach, California, that created a wig for his mother.
Now, Shaha has a piece of her son to take everywhere with her beautiful new tresses. “The color is spectacular, and we had it cut and styled with a hairdresser.
Matt said it looked great on me. It sure fills your emotional cup,” Shaha says.
After graduating from college, Matt began growing his hair out. In no time, he had long and luscious hair. His
If you — or someone you know — would like to donate your hair to cancer patients, you can donate to Locks of Love, Wigs For Kids, Chai Lifeline, and Children
mother tried to dissuade him from cutting it, but Matt wanted to help
her feel confident and comfortable in her skin. So, he chopped it off and sent his locks to Compassionate
With Hair Loss. Research donation centers in your area if you would like to give back locally.
SUDOKU
No-Bake Peanut Butter Snowballs Inspired by TheFoodieAffair.com This year-round treat is the perfect dessert for any holiday party. Since you don’t need to worry about a hot oven, it’s a great recipe to make with the whole family — including the little ones!
Ingredients
• 1 cup powdered sugar • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3 tbsp softened butter • 1 lb white chocolate candy coating
1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or wax paper. 2. In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar, peanut butter, and softened butter. Mix until evenly combined. 3. Shape the mixture into 1-inch balls and place them on the lined cookie sheet. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or until firm. 4. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt white chocolate candy coating in increments of 30 seconds, stirring occasionally until smooth. 5. In the same bowl, use skewers to dip peanut butter balls into the chocolate before placing them on a lined cookie sheet so they can harden. 6. Chill until ready and then serve! Directions
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE 1 2
What Eddie’s Brother Taught Him Being Home Alone Isn’t Like the Movie Avoid the Worst With SUM Coverage What Started as a Joke Became Reality No-Bake Peanut Butter Snowballs Tired of Feeling Anxious and Fearful?
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TIRED OF FEELING ANXIOUS AND FEARFUL? READ ‘YOU ARE NOT A ROCK’ BY MARK FREEMAN
We’ve all felt anxious, guilty, fearful, and sad — it’s a part of life. Perhaps you’ve tried to avoid or suppress these emotions, but you’re
your values, and understand your fears. The strategies in “You Are Not a Rock” are the same tactics Freeman used in his personal life, and he shares some of those stories in the book. There are exercises at the end of each chapter that
not a rock. As humans, we experience these feelings all the time. Trying to control them may only make matters worse. So, instead, focus on something you can control — your actions. That’s the central premise of Mark Freeman’s mental health book “You Are Not a Rock.” He aims to teach readers how to build emotional fitness and overcome their struggles and hardships with different techniques. The book is divided into two sections titled “The Basics” and “The Transformation.” The first half is about learning basic mental health skills and unlearning ways of thinking about mental health that cause us challenges. The second half focuses on how to create and build what you want to see in your life instead of trying to avoid and control what you can’t see.
Freeman highly encourages you to complete. By performing these exercises, you can better understand the book’s contents and implement Freeman’s tactics in your life. Before Freeman helps readers begin their journey, he states that strengthening your mental health is like working on your physical health — you won’t see instant results. “Changing your brain takes time and effort … I’m not going to share with you any magical supplements or special mantras. This is simply a book about actions,” Freeman says in his introduction. If you’re interested in reading “You Are Not a Rock,” you can purchase your copy wherever books are sold online or in bookstores.
As you read, you’ll learn how to recognize your problems, practice mindfulness, prioritize and follow
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