The wedding hall was filled with happiness. Joyful music would soon fill the air. The family would join hands and with one heart surround the kallah (bride) as jubilant dancing gives expression to their heightened emotions of exhilaration. Grandmothers, mothers, sisters, nieces…all forming a circle of oneness.
Except for her.
She was missing. It was her youngest brother-in-law’s wedding and she was not there. She had hoped to join for at least a few minutes just for a quick hug with the kallah. But even that was not to be. She was too weak. Too weak to get dressed. Too weak to get in and out of a car. And too weak to even pretend that it was ok. And so she cried.
A monster named Cancer had stolen so much from her. And now this. As she lay there sobbing in the hospital bed that had been home to her for so long, she thought she heard the strains of wedding music down the hallway. Yes. It was definitely wedding music. And coming closer. Speechless, she watched two of her loyal Ezer Mizion volunteers place a lovely white tablecloth on a real table. Within seconds, it was graced with a mini bride and groom, 2 settings of gold rimmed china, an elegant napkin ensemble, a bottle of women’s liqueur and a complete wedding meal. Two wedding chairs were placed in front of it. An IT staff member set up a hookup and there she was, participating live. The reception, the chupah (ceremony), the seudah (festive meal), the dancing… ‘Is this a dream?’ she asks.
Continue on, they will. Even if there is no thank you forthcoming from the patient. As members of the Ezer Mizion family, it’s in their blood to give.
Like the woman from Savyon whom our devoted Ezer Mizion ambulance drivers have been taking regularly from Savyon to Shaarei Tedek Hospital in Jerusalem. Cancer has entered her brain. It has affected her mobility, leaving her wheelchair –bound. It has affected her speech, leaving her completely non-communicative. The debilitation is extreme yet the doctors say that the treatment is helping. May they soon be proven correct. Halevay! Amen!
Along with cancer’s frightening medical repercussions, the dreaded disease brings with it a host of other challenges, and drains families’ physical, emotional and financial resources. The Ezer Mizion Cancer Support Division offers cancer patients and their families comfort, love and support, as well as an array of services tailored to meet their unique needs. Our staff and volunteers are everywhere. Part of the woodwork? A lot more than that. They are the warm and solid shoulder that patients and their families lean on the entire time. “The message that it is most important for us to convey to families is: You are not alone. We are with you on this journey, hand in hand. We are your shoulder, always there to lean on.
