Story by Therese (Sullivan) West (BBO: grammaw)

I grew up in Bramalea, Ontario, Canada. I am one of 15 children. Yes, that’s fifteen! There are 10 boys and 5 girls. Our amazing parents lived to age 90. Hockey, baseball, cards, and other games filled our free time. My father and an older brother played bridge, but they never introduced it to the younger children.

I met my high school sweetheart, Kevin West, two days before my 16th birthday (50 years ago). He was a provincial level judo black belt, so I joined a new sport, which eventually led to competing at nationals and earning my own black belt.

At 18, with no interest in post-secondary education, I left school midway through grade 13. I was working full-time while that high school sweetheart, now my fiancé, was in university. I started playing bridge with the help of my future brother-in-law, an avid bridge player (Michael), and his best friend (Terry Palmay). After a couple of lessons, I joined the local duplicate bridge club, playing in a weekly game. I found that duplicate was the best and fastest way to learn to be a better player. You could see what leads and bidding earned higher scores almost instantly. The seasoned players offered guidance at every table, perhaps because I was only 18, by far the youngest in the club.

My husband and I eloped just after my 20th birthday. My interests turned to badminton, judo, and work for a few years with no time for bridge. After our first child, Glenn, I went back to bridge for a weekly game. After our second child, Sabrina, was born, I found my (one and only) bridge partner, Marilynn Moakler (RIP), and played two to three times per month for a few years. However, raising two young children, running a judo club, and playing women’s fastball left no time for bridge. Sabrina is a nurse, gymnast, coach, and circus performer. Glenn is an artist and magician who appears on Penn & Teller’s Fool Us this season.

We moved a few times, including a four-month stay in Japan, to support Kevin’s training toward the 1992 Olympics, which led to him being an alternate for Canada.

Kevin finally retired from competitive judo in 1993 after representing Canada for over 10 years and achieving his 5th degree. I applied and was accepted as the first mature student in the dual degree program (Accounting and Math) at the University of Waterloo. Still, while also coaching judo, serving on the board for our daughter’s gymnastics club, and running gym meets, there was no time for bridge.

Several factors slowed down my studies to part-time while working, until a 2002 car accident halted everything in my life. The resulting permanent cervical spine and brain injury changed every aspect of our lives. Several years of severe memory loss, seizure-like episodes, relearning how to spell words, multiple weekly medical appointments, and therapy followed. I would never be able to work again.

After starting nerve blocks in 2007, I was able to sit upright for longer periods. We started sailing on calm water days. I found bridge again with online Yahoo Games in 2008. Most players were patient when I explained I was recovering from a brain injury. I was able to play at a slower pace, regain some confidence, and increase my brain functioning.

At 50, I nervously joined the local Seniors’ Bridge Club for weekly contract bridge games. These players were also patient as I navigated playing in person again. Bridge gave me the confidence to return to university part-time (as a grandmother) and finish my accounting degree (Honours with First Class Standing). I was invited to join the Beta Gamma Sigma and The Golden Key Honour Societies.

When the Seniors’ Bridge coordinator was looking for a replacement, I wanted to volunteer, but I still felt my game was too slow to manage running the game while playing. At this point, I joined BBO’s free social games in an effort to gain more practice and speed up my game. Other than running into a few impatient players, I loved playing online. It took my game to another level, and I was able to run the Seniors’ Bridge Club for a couple of years until Kevin’s job took us to other cities for a few years and bridge was again put on hold.

In 2019, for the first time in over 25 years, I played duplicate bridge a few times while Kevin was skiing in Collingwood. The Blue Mountain Duplicate Bridge Club welcomed me to play with a kind partner, David Alexander.

I was looking forward to playing duplicate again when Covid hit. After a few years of playing social games on BBO, I considered joining the paid games. In July 2024, with only 25 masterpoints to my name, I started paying and playing for ACBL points. Since Kevin had retired and was now writing his first crime fiction novel (Slam! A Death in Custody), I had lots of free time for online bridge. Although I had always hoped to gain Life Master status one day, given my injuries and the journey my life had taken, I never thought it was a realistic goal. BBO will help make this possible.

It is now 23 years post-accident. I still suffer from migraines, chronic pain, cognitive struggles, and mental health issues. In an effort to help manage my symptoms, I attend weekly massage and osteopathic treatments, receive 10 to 15 sessions of nerve blocks annually, and take several pain medications to help me through the week.

Through all of this, playing bridge has helped keep me functional and alert enough to enjoy life, our children, and grandchildren.

Editor's note:
Therese is one of BBO’s most dedicated ACBL players. Starting with 118 points last year, she has already earned more than 540 ACBL online points in 2025, mainly through her regular play in ACBL Daylong games in ACBL World.

You can see all the previous stories here.

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