OUR INSPIRATION
A Note from Sheryl Berk, Creator of BIG MAN
People often ask where the idea for BIG MAN came from. Like so many families, we were navigating the uncharted waters of dementia. My father-in-law, Alan (whom we affectionately called Papa), had recently moved into a memory care community. We were all searching for ways to connect.
One afternoon, he was quiet and tired. I had recently visited a Frank Sinatra photo exhibit, so I pulled out my phone and began showing him some of the photographs. Then I asked, almost casually, “Papa, did you ever see Sinatra in concert?”
In an instant, everything changed. His face lit up. His eyes sparkled. He smiled from ear to ear. Then the stories came pouring out. He told me about seeing “Frankie” in concert, shaking his hand, and even sharing a drink with him. Whether those memories were fact or fantasy didn’t matter. They brought him joy.
As the weeks went on, I realized I'd planted a seed. Papa's imagination grew even more vivid. One day, he stood outside staring up at the sky, watching for the helicopter he insisted was coming to pick him up. "The Man," he told us, was waiting for him in Las Vegas. Another day, he was headed to Paris or Costa Rica. Instead of correcting him, we got curious. We asked about his itinerary, who he was traveling with, and what time his flight was expected to land. With every question, his smile grew wider, his stories became richer, and we discovered that the greatest gift we could give him wasn't pulling him back into our reality—it was joining him in his.
So, we leaned in. My husband hung a large Rat Pack portrait in Papa's room. My brother-in-law created playlists filled with Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. The nurses and therapists quickly learned that all they had to do was press play on "My Way." Within moments, Papa was singing, smiling, pedaling the exercise bike, and engaging with everyone around him.
Amazingly, some of our happiest moments as a family came after Papa's diagnosis. By embracing his world instead of resisting it, we found laughter where we expected heartbreak, connection where we feared loss, and joy in places we never imagined. Those moments became the heartbeat of BIG MAN...
