Roslyn Franken knows about survival and perseverance in the face of adversity. Her mother survived the concentration camps of Nazi Europe, including Auschwitz. Her father survived the Nagasaki atomic bomb as a prisoner of war in Japan. At 29, Roslyn survived cancer. She wrote a book about her parents’ amazing story of survival and strength entitled Meant to Be: A True Story of Might, Miracles and Triumph of the Human Spirit.
On April 12 the Hernando County author travelled to Parkland, Florida to speak to survivors of the February 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that killed 17 people. She addressed the class that was attacked by the gunman and gave each student a personally autographed copy of her book as a gift.
“Just driving up to the school I was getting butterflies in my stomach, seeing all the signs everywhere like the one that says, ‘Never again,'” she said. “But once standing in front of the students, I knew this would become the most important and meaningful presentation of my speaking career to date.”
Ivy Schamis, Educator at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School said, “Roslyn was able to bring such a positive experience to my students as they were feeling so down about everything. She not only spoke about her parents’ wartime experiences but also about their positive outlook on life. She brought so much brightness and hope to the students and just watching the way they were watching her when she spoke was just amazing. The kids were very enraptured by what she said and we are so thankful she was able to come to our school because any little bit of healing helps and Roslyn Franken did a lot of healing.“
Franken’s Parkland presentation marked the launch of her Student Speaking Tour. For more information, visit www.RoslynFranken.com.
For more information, visit www.RoslynFranken.com.
Story submitted to
The Hernando Sun.
