For Esther, loving life begins with paying attention—to beauty, to others, and to her own sense of worth. Her kindness and compassion have deep roots. Esther remembers her parents as gentle people who cared for others, and the women in her family as dynamic, highly educated role models. She carried their example into a fulfilling career in speech and language therapy, helping children find their voices and giving preschool teachers tools to support them. The connections she formed in her private practice endure: families still keep in touch.

Married for 65 years, gratitude, connection, and contribution continue to energize her. She wants to keep doing the things she loves, finding the good, and making life better for others.

Esther embodies the possibilities we celebrate at Women Over 70: a life enriched by curiosity, sustained by community, and expressed through compassion and contribution. Her joy grows from both giving and receiving—and from choosing, every day, to remain fully engaged in life.

"First, matter inside yourself. Giving and receiving brings joy." - Esther Emmerman

For Liz DiCarlo, 77, activism isn’t something separate from everyday life. It is how she lives—seeing a need, stepping forward, and working alongside others to create change.

Now retired after a long career as a registered nurse and community organizer in central North Carolina, New Bedford, and throughout Cape Cod and the islands, Liz and her wife of 38 years, Bev Baccelli, are creating a new chapter together. Retirement has simply given Liz more time to continue the work that matters to her.

Liz grew up in Newton, Massachusetts, in a community where Italian families lived alongside people with different traditions and backgrounds. Her mother was her earliest role model, demonstrating how people could respect their differences while working and playing together. Liz carried that lesson into a lifetime of community action: “I’ll play whatever role needs to be done.”

And she has.

Combining her nursing experience with her skills as a community organizer, Liz helped establish the first street outreach program in her community to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS and hepatitis. A grassroots effort to unite women and men against sexual violence grew into a rape crisis center. Decades ago, she organized a campus drop-in center where students could obtain birth control.

Liz has also long been an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ equality. When she and Bev first became a couple 38 years ago, they chose to be open about who they were. Liz came to see herself as an ambassador for the lesbian community, helping create understanding through visibility, conversation, and action.

Her belief in bodily autonomy extends through the end of life. Active with Compassion & Choices, Liz advocates for medical aid in dying and for legislation that would make it available in Massachusetts. Affordable housing is another focus: “Everyone is entitled to secure housing,” she says, and everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and

respect.

Her activism can also be wonderfully practical. Today, Liz contributes to the development of South Coast Massachusetts bike trails and has helped provide more than 400 bicycles to area children.

Liz knows there will come a time when she can no longer do this work herself. So she is already preparing the next generation—encouraging younger people to recognize the issues that matter to them and helping them discover how they, too, can step forward.

“My work wasn’t done in isolation. I worked alongside others who cared about the same

issues.”

Perhaps that is the heart of Liz’s story: activism is not only about standing up. It is about standing with others—and leaving behind people who are ready to continue the work.

"Everybody has a right to quality health care. You must advocate for yourself and advocate for one another.” - Elizabeth (Liz) DiCarlo

THANKS TO OUR PLATINUM SPONSOR, AARP ILLINOIS a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With nearly 1.7 million members in Illinois, AARP volunteers advocate for better health, financial security and stronger communities.

Visit AARP.org/IL to learn more.

At 76, Magda Bogin describes herself as an “a-typical international,” drawn

to the sounds of languages, the cello, and the power of words. A poet,

novelist, journalist, teacher, librettist, translator, and cellist, she has devoted

her life to exploring how we make meaning and express what we know.

For 25 years, through her retreat center, Under the Volcano, in the heart of

Mexico, Magda has brought together world-renowned teachers and

accomplished and emerging writers from English- and Spanish-speaking

countries. In this intimate setting, participants deepen their craft in poetry,

fiction, bearing witness, and investigative journalism—while forming bonds

that enrich both their work and their lives. Growing older, Magda reflects,

has given new meaning to “living in the moment.” It is less about holding on

to what is familiar and more about embracing more.

“I love the sounds of languages, the cello, and words—and helping

others find their own ways of knowing and expressing truth.” - Magda Bogin

Connect with Magda

Email: magda@underthevolcano.org

Website: https://underthevolcano.org

Thanks to our Platinum Sponsor, AARP Illinois, a nonprofit, nonpartisan

organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how

they live as they age. With nearly 1.7 million members in Illinois, AARP

volunteers advocate for better health, financial security, and stronger

communities. Visit AARP.org/IL to learn more.