July 27, 1999 - revised biography Biography on Helen Simmons Conroy
Born with congenital hip
dysplasia, Helen grew up with a limp. Though her handicap gave her some limitations it did
not prevent her from being very active physically as a child and young adult. She spent
much of her youth outdoors, with her pet cats, homing pigeons, and doves. Her other
childhood love was horses. She enjoyed English riding lessons for six years. Helen
discovered a love for writing in college, but did not continue that pursuit for many
years. After college, she worked in advertising for several years, before leaving the
workforce to start a family. When she was thirty-five, her defective hip began to cause
her severe pain. It was the pain from her handicap that made her begin to start writing
again. At night the pain would become so severe that she couldn't sleep. So to kill time
and find a new release she began to write poetry. She decided to submit some of her poetry
to her town's local flier, and after seeing her name published, caught a writing bug that
hasn't left her since. The following June, Helen had a total hip replacement that rid her
of pain. Focusing more time on writing, she wrote her first short story. It was published
in her local paper, The Sierra Madre News, in February of 1997. In November of 1997, Helen
became a designated contributing writer for the Sierra Madre News. Helen has also done
publicity work, with submissions published in all three Sierra Madre newspapers. Her
publicity work has included covering events for her church's Ladies' Guild and children's
school. Helen has also written articles for her church's parish council, with a regular
column called "Connecting with the Catholic Church". With this column she
explores how and why Catholics connect with their faith by interviewing fellow
parishioners as well as sharing experiences from her own faith journey. In addition, Helen
covers local events that interest her.
Helen grew up in Sierra Madre,
a small town situated in the San Gabriel Mountains of Southern California. Though she
moved to the beach area for nine years after high school, she returned to Sierra Madre
when she was twenty-six, and hasn't left since. She loves her hometown, and has found it
to be an ideal place to raise her kids. Aside from writing, Helen enjoys spending time
with her family, which includes her husband, Pat, 10-year-old daughter, Lauren, and
8-year-old son, Brian. She has a strong passion for classical music, enjoys studying piano
and composing music. Other favorite pastimes include baking gourmet desserts, gardening,
making crafts, and walking. Helen also enjoys her family pets - two black cats, and two
gold fish.
Born with congenital hip
dysplasia, Helen grew up with a limp. Though her handicap gave her some limitations it did
not prevent her from being very active physically as a child and young adult. She spent
much of her youth outdoors, with her pet cats, homing pigeons, and doves. Her other
childhood love was horses. She enjoyed English riding lessons for six years. Helen
discovered a love for writing in college, but did not continue that pursuit for many
years. After college, she worked in advertising for several years, before leaving the
workforce to start a family. When she was thirty-five, her defective hip began to cause
her severe pain. It was the pain from her handicap that made her begin to start writing
again. At night the pain would become so severe that she couldn't sleep. So to kill time
and find a new release she began to write poetry. She decided to submit some of her poetry
to her town's local flier, and after seeing her name published, caught a writing bug that
hasn't left her since. The following June, Helen had a total hip replacement that rid her
of pain. Focusing more time on writing, she wrote her first short story. It was published
in her local paper, The Sierra Madre News, in February of 1997. In November of 1997, Helen
became a designated contributing writer for the Sierra Madre News. Helen has also done
publicity work, with submissions published in all three Sierra Madre newspapers. Her
publicity work has included covering events for her church's Ladies' Guild and children's
school. Helen has also written articles for her church's parish council, with a regular
column called "Connecting with the Catholic Church". With this column she
explores how and why Catholics connect with their faith by interviewing fellow
parishioners as well as sharing experiences from her own faith journey. In addition, Helen
covers local events that interest her.
Helen grew up in Sierra Madre,
a small town situated in the San Gabriel Mountains of Southern California. Though she
moved to the beach area for nine years after high school, she returned to Sierra Madre
when she was twenty-six, and hasn't left since. She loves her hometown, and has found it
to be an ideal place to raise her kids. Aside from writing, Helen enjoys spending time
with her family, which includes her husband, Pat, 10-year-old daughter, Lauren, and
8-year-old son, Brian. She has a strong passion for classical music, enjoys studying piano
and composing music. Other favorite pastimes include baking gourmet desserts, gardening,
making crafts, and walking. Helen also enjoys her family pets - two black cats, and two
gold fish.