Helen Christine Bezbak, MD

Helen Christine Bezbak, MD, a devoted mother, grandmother, physician, and lifelong resident of Old Metairie, passed away peacefully on November 28, 2025, after a courageous eight-year battle with cancer. Born on December 4, 1953, to Włodzimierz and Anna Schmid Bezbak, Helen was the daughter of a Polish father and an Austrian mother and was a first-generation American. She remained deeply connected to the community that shaped her from childhood through her final days.

Helen graduated from St. Mary’s Dominican High School in 1971. She continued her education at the University of New Orleans before earning her medical degree from LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans in 1982. She completed her residency in Internal Medicine at LSU and went on to care for patients across the New Orleans metro area for decades. She was known for her steadiness, sincerity, and the genuine care she offered to every person she treated.

More than anything, Helen loved being a mother and grandmother. She is survived by her daughter, Marissa Kuo (Jeffrey), and her treasured granddaughters, Stella and Natalia Uhlich. They were the center of her life and her greatest joy. She is also survived by her step-grandson Skyler, and by her nephews Bernard III, Eric, and Joseph Desantis.

Helen was preceded in death by her parents and her siblings, Peter and Mary.

A devout Catholic, Helen lived her faith through action and community. She founded Handmaids of the Lord, a prayer group that met weekly in her home throughout Marissa’s childhood and remained active in the Catholic community across the metro area for many years. She cherished her time with the women in the group, as well as traveling and being with Marissa and the girls.

Helen’s life was defined by her resilience—strong, determined, and unmistakable. She faced every challenge, including her long illness, with a level of strength that left an impact on everyone around her. Her endurance, her clarity, and her ability to push forward through hardship were central to who she was.

Above all, Helen’s greatest devotion was to Marissa, Stella, and Natalia. They were her heart, her purpose, and her greatest source of pride. Everything she did—every sacrifice, every effort, every moment of strength—was for them. Her legacy lives on most powerfully in the lives they lead, the love they carry, and the strength she instilled in them. And in that love, she will always remain.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend Helen’s funeral services on Thursday, December 4, 2025 at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd. New Orleans, LA 70124. Visitation begins at 12 noon lasting until her Funeral Mass at 2:00 PM. Interment will be private. A celebration of Helen’s life, along with a gathering to honor the birthday she shared with Marissa, will be held on Friday, December 5th at 6:00 PM at the Kuo residence.

In lieu of flowers, please donate in Helen’s memory to Catholic Charities USA, https://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/ways-to-give/give-now/.