Media

"You don't look 90." 

People constantly tell me that. Why? People keep posting on Facebook that Regina Brett is 90. No wonder so many people write comments like these:

“It seems you are aging rapidly. God bless you and your aged bones.”

“You sure look good for 90 years old! Do you have a painting of you in your attic that is getting really REALLY old looking?" 

No, there's no Dorian Gray picture decay going on. 

I’m officially an Urban Legend. You can find me on Snopes.com, right up there with myths about baby carrots. 

The Internet aged me. The day before I turned 45, I wrote a column of the 45 Lessons Life Taught Me. I added five more lessons when I turned 50. My Life Lessons ended up e-mailed around the world. Then someone changed my age on one email to read: "Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old." Another person attached a picture of lovely older woman older. No, that dear senior citizen isn’t me. It’s fashion designer Iris Apfel.

After having breast cancer at 41, I’m thrilled to grow old. 

Growing old beats the alternative – dying young. That’s one of my life lessons. People have shared my lessons across the globe. That’s why I turned them into books, God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons for Life's Little Detours, Be the Miracle: 50 Lessons for Making the Impossible Possible, and God Is Always Hiring: 50 Lessons for Finding Fulfilling Work.

The lessons reflect what I learned from life as a single parent for 18 years, struggling to find the right partner in life, battling breast cancer and healing the bruises from a bumpy childhood. And they reflect what I’ve learned from readers in nearly 4 decades as a journalist.

I'm grateful to all who forward my life lessons and keep my name on them. One day I received an anonymous essay about the cost of raising a child. It seemed oddly familiar. 

"What do you get for your money? Naming rights. First, middle and last. Glimpses of God every day. Giggles under the covers every night. More love than your heart can hold. Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs. A hand to hold, usually covered with jam . . ." 

Wait a minute. I wrote that. Ten years ago. 

When I was 80. 

This lovely lady keeps my 50 Life Lessons in her purse, as captured by Humans of New York

Regina’s Awards

Pulitzer Prize Finalist
2009: The Pulitzer Board named me one of three finalists for commentary "For her range of compelling columns that move the heart, challenge authority and often trigger action while giving readers deeper insight into life's challenges."

2008: The Pulitzer Board named me a finalist for commentary. "For her passionate columns on alienated teenagers in a dangerous city neighborhood." http://www.pulitzer.org/bycat/Commentary

National Headliner Award
2009: I won for a four-part series called The Inheritance. I told the story of my daughter's decision to have a double-mastectomy after learning that she carried a genetic mutation that increased her risk for breast cancer.

1999: This was for columns about having breast cancer. While going through chemotherapy and radiation treatments, I wrote extensively and candidly about my experiences in The (Akron) Beacon Journal.

I also won a 2nd place Headliner Award for my series of stories about the "Hicks Babies," a black market baby-selling ring operating out of Hicks Clinic in Georgia in the late 1950's. I discovered and broke the story that later ran in newspapers and on TV shows across the country.

The Silver Gavel Award

2009: The American Bar Association gave this award to me for my fight to change the legal system in Ohio. Defense attorneys will now have open discovery, so they will have access to police reports and witness statements to provide an adequate defense.The Batten Medal
1999: Knight-Ridder gave me this award for Lifetime Achievement. It is given to those who embody understanding, fairness, courage and a deep concern for the underdog.

National Society of Newspaper Columnists
1996: Humor Writing

Cleveland Press Club Journalism Hall of Fame
2009: I was inducted into the journalists' Hall of Fame.

The Gathering Place

The Gathering Place supports, educates and empowers individuals and families touched by cancer. All programs and services are free, including support groups, counseling, yoga, reiki, etc. It's run entirely on donations.

The Jesuit Retreat Center

I found this spiritual home in 1981. The retreat house offers a wide array of programs and solitude on more than 50 acres for anyone seeking peace.

Beds For Kids / Cleveland Furniture Bank

Every child deserves a bed to sleep in. For $120, you can give a child sweet dreams every night. The cost covers a twin frame and new mattress so no child has to sleep on the floor.