A Dream Never Broken: Cynthia Bernickow's memoir gives voice to survival and stigma
A Dream Never Broken by Cynthia Bernickow
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Author and former journalist Zubeida Jaffer recently sat down with Cynthia Bernickow for an intimate conversation on truth-telling, stigma and survival. The exchange, warm and deeply personal, offered the audience a profound glimpse into Bernickow’s spirit and strength.
“This book is not just about one woman’s life,” Jaffer reflected. “It’s about every South African who has been made to feel invisible because of their illness. Cynthia has given voice to those who were never asked to speak.”
The launch of A Dream Never Broken, Bernickow’s deeply moving memoir, took place at the Artscape Theatre Centre, where CEO Marlene Le Roux delivered a powerful keynote. Describing the book as “an essential read for young people,” Le Roux emphasised its impact on readers of all ages.
“I read the memoir in one sitting,” she said. “You can’t leave the book. It tells all our stories in one volume.”
Le Roux praised Bernickow’s courage in confronting issues that are often left unspoken, including gender-based violence and the urgent need for open conversations about mental health.
“Cynthia is my heroine,” Le Roux declared. “Her message is one of hope, strength and perseverance. This book helps us confront uncomfortable truths, not only as individuals but as a society.”
She added: “The things you’ve gone through — that hospitalisation should never have happened.” Her remarks challenged the audience to commit to a future where such trauma is no longer repeated. “This is more than a PhD. This is more than what professors can teach us. This is life. It is utterly full of sharing.”
A Life Marked by Pain — and Purpose
At 78 years old, Cynthia Bernickow’s memoir offers a raw and honest account of her life with mental illness in South Africa. A Dream Never Broken is a story of institutionalisation, survival and ultimately, transcendence.
Born and raised in Cape Town, Bernickow began working in factories and restaurants at just 13 years old — long before “mental health” became a recognised public issue. By 18, she had suffered her first major breakdown and was hospitalised at Valkenberg Hospital, where she would return multiple times and undergo 21 shock treatments.
“God raised me from deep waters,” she writes. “He lifted me from the worst depression, which landed me in Valkenberg and Lentegeur hospitals, year after year, where I moved like a zombie and underwent 21 shock treatments. I was pumped full of heavy medication.”
Her memoir details the stark realities of life in psychiatric institutions — the early morning routines, the indifferent staff, and the small, quiet acts of resistance that kept her spirit alive.
“I would wake up at four in the morning to reach the washbasin for a cowboy splash,” she writes. “By five, I would sit on my bed and watch the other 40 women rise to the wake-up call. The water was cold, and the nurses didn’t care if you were washed or not.”
Despite decades of hardship, Bernickow’s story is one of hope. Her daughter, Melanie, became her anchor — a symbol of purpose and persistence.
Her story makes clear that recovery is not a linear process. It is a lifelong journey often made harder by societal ignorance and prejudice.
“Mental illness is like any part of the body being sick,” she writes. “Only it’s your brain that gets sick — and then recovers.”
A Testament to Resilience
A Dream Never Broken is more than a personal account — it is a voice for the many South Africans whose struggles with mental health have been met with silence or shame. Bernickow details her working-class upbringing, her years of institutionalisation and her determination to build a meaningful life despite the odds.
“I would watch the trains pass and dream about the people on them — free people going to work, home or love. I told myself, ‘Cynthia, you have to get out of this place.’”
The memoir is rich with reflections on faith, family and humour — the threads that held her together during her darkest years. She speaks with gratitude about the strength of her parents and the enduring love that anchored her.
“Thankfully, the cycle of hardship was broken later in my life,” she writes. “When I look back, I often wish my parents could see the domain of love they built. I am the living dream of their strength.”
A Call for Compassion
Today, Cynthia Bernickow’s voice is a beacon for others walking the same path. Her message is clear: healing takes courage, and no one should be defined by their diagnosis.
“I share my story with the hope that I can inspire women and men who face similar mental health challenges,” she writes. “God gives us the strength of spirit to navigate life. I have been blessed with that strength.”
Her memoir not only illuminates the past but offers a vision for the future — one rooted in empathy, accountability and collective care.
A Dream Never Broken is available now. To purchase a copy, contact Lorna Daniels on 076 751 9457.
“Having a purpose in life does help,” she writes. “My daughter Melanie was my saving grace. She was my passion and purpose to do better.”
Breaking the Silence on Stigma
Throughout the memoir, Bernickow confronts the harsh stigma that continues to surround mental illness in South Africa. She recalls the cruel words of neighbours and acquaintances that set back her recovery time and again.
“There was always that one person who would comment: ‘Oh, so the madhouse let you out?’” she recalls. “Those words — a harsh judgment about my capacity to live a normal life — would upset me and put me back behind locked doors in Valkenberg for another three months.”