Hanora Vaughan-Lombardi was born in Ireland, in the aftermath of World War II. Her family immigrated to America when she was five; just two years later, Hanora faced devastation in her mother’s death. Her life, and the lives of her younger sister and brother, were altered forever.

Hanora was an unconventional child, whose creativity her mother had very early recognized and nurtured. Reared in a convent from the age of seven, Hanora’s natural talent in singing, acting, and dancing—as well as her intrepid and independent spirit—soon became evident to the nuns who fostered her, and she received a scholarship to the Children’s Guild of the Metropolitan Opera.

In the years that followed, as the young woman came of age in New York City’s burgeoning mid-century, in the mid-sixties, 22 eye-opening opportunities knocked on the door of her life; she avidly opened to receive them. Encouraged by friends and loved ones to share her experiences more fully, Before I Forget is Hanora’s story of the gifts, challenges, and opportunities life has brought her.