Linda Gellman ................................................Ashley Ziomek

Linda Gellman

BY ASHLEY ZIOMEK

Local photographer, artist, and Master Reiki Healer Linda Gellman

Photo by Elliot Cramer

Even after death knocked on her door an astonishing five times—or perhaps because of that—Linda Gellman now strides through life with light and positivity. “My obstacles have been varied,” Gellman says of her survival incidents that included a knife attack, viral meningitis, and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) diagnosis, among other miscellaneous accidents. “I thank my lucky stars for my beautiful life,” says Gellman. “I am so blessed.”

After the knifepoint attack at age eighteen, Gellman was determined never to feel helpless again. She began lifting weights and, after over twenty years of rigorous bodybuilder training, the self-proclaimed “gym rat” realized that her workout regimen needed adjusting. “I was slinging really heavy weights,” she shares. “I was really buff; I couldn’t put my arms down.” At age forty-five, Gellman rearranged her life and started walking to stay active. During the pandemic, Gellman began Zoom fitness classes and continued her five-mile daily with her dog.

A health enthusiast and gardener, Gellman also grows her own food. “I have to be conscientious of what I put in my body,” she says. She proudly eats organic and has helped friends adjust their diets as well.

Gellman’s passion for life extends to volunteering. In the early days of the pandemic, she joined “Mask Up Buffalo,” a project started by two fellow block club members. These volunteers provided more than 2,500 masks to seniors in Buffalo housing centers. Prepandemic, Gellman had taken a first responder training course, so, during the pandemic, she was able to provide neighbors with emergency kits and valuable information.

As if she weren’t busy enough, Gellman also runs her own photography business, organizes neighborhood events, is involved with the Green Code Preservation Committee, serves on the CEPA Gallery board and as president of her local block club. “I’m just always on the go,” she laughs. Gellman is also a Master Reiki Healer, gardener, and artist. She takes pleasure in life’s simple joys, like admiring the sky and watching the bees in her garden.

“I love Buffalo and I love being in my sixties; it’s the best age yet,” says Gellman. Her best advice comes from her late grandmother: “You have to keep moving. Every day: get up, and just keep moving.” FY

Ashley Ziomek is a freelance writer living in WNY.