Covid restrictions prevent daughter in Romania from being with her sick father
Readers may recall the daughter of an elderly corona patient who was unable to leave Romania to be there for her father due to covid restrictions. A walker for her father– what would normally be a simple request – became a major undertaking and it was only after many, many calls back and forth from Romania to Israel and to various departments at the hospital and at Ezer Mizion that Devorah, director at Ezer Mizion , was able to procure one. The daughter was ecstatic and couldn’t stop thanking Ezer Mizion. But her joy was short-lived.
My legs are disabled but my mind is doing just fine
For most of us, the word ‘I’ permeates our conversation. I feel, I believe, I am worried about. But what exactly is that ’I’ ? We don’t think so much about the question since our various parts work together. We think of an idea, dial a friend to discuss it, click on the mouse to research it, walk to the appropriate place to procure what we need. But then there are the people whose parts do not work together. They’re bright, intelligent, creative. They have opinions. An idea may percolate in their minds but they are not able to make the phone call, use a computer, walk to the nearest store, speak to friends. And so the idea remains. Crying to be developed. Aching to be shared with others. Eventually deteriorating and dying the death of all its predecessors. And the ‘I’? The ‘I’ becomes embittered and withers away into nothingness.
There it stands, a picturesque chalet surrounded by luxuriant foliage in a rustic village located in Nechalim. From a distance it exudes a quiet loveliness but come closer and you’ll see that it is anything but quiet. Everywhere you look, there are motorized wheelchairs and their owners are going from here to there, busy, busy, busy, very intent on achieving their goals. Their goals are many – these severely handicapped young people. Some are unable to walk, others unable to speak but all have talents, opinions, desires.
We’re there for you for the big things and the small
Ezer Mizion’s ‘ Corona Alumnae’ have selflessly volunteered to help others now suffering as they did, not so long ago. A group delivering cake to hospitalized patients received the following note:
On behalf of the patients here in the ward, we want to thank Ezer Mizion for the delicious cakes that your volunteers brought us and gave out to everyone with all their hearts from the world outside.
(You might not believe this, but we actually saw patients licking the cake crumbs!! For real!!)
The volunteers passed the appreciation down the line to those volunteers who had baked the cakes.
Shoshi Charmatz, mother of six, has been battling cancer for seven years. Shoshi attends Ezer Mizion’s visual arts therapy workshop and the artwork she has created is currently on display at Ezer Mizion’s visual arts workshop exhibit. Shoshi’s called her moving work of art “The Surviving Tree and Me.”
As part of her battle with the cancer that struck her body, Shoshi underwent treatments in New York. On her way to one of the treatments, she encountered the “Surviving Tree,” a lone tree located near the site of the Twin Towers that survived the 9/11 terrorist attack.
Things can be bad. But they’re worse when you have to face them alone.
Take Avi, for example. He was in elementary school when his parents got the news: Cancer.
The lights went out. Their lives turned dark.
Uncertainty. Which treatment should we pursue? Is a bone marrow transplant the best option?
Concern. How would we juggle his treatment and still care for the rest of the family?
Fear. Would Avi make it?
His parents watched as the light went out — it dimmed from Avi’s eyes, it disappeared from their home. The darkness shadowed over their family, as it does for thousands of families across the world. Avi’s is far from the only one.
But whether dealing with cancer, mental health, or special needs — there’s a glow in the dark. There’s an organization that shines a little light and helps them navigate the darkness.
Ezer Mizion gets 650,000 calls a year. They answer each one. Yes, we will be there for you.
We will guide you through treatments.
We will drop off hot dinners.
We will find you a matching donor.
We will provide mental health support.
We will send volunteers to the hospital.
How do they do it? What does it take to change a family’s world for the better?
Not much — just a little bit of light chases away the darkness. Ezer Mizion is holding a historic auction — one of the largest ever — and with each ticket that you purchase, you have the ability to replace darkness with light.
The auction features dozens of brilliant prizes, and with tickets starting at just $18, you can win anything from your dream vacation to your own Sefer Torah (Torah Scroll) or from home renovations to jewelry. The two grand prizes give you the chance to win $100,000 cash or your own late-model car. By participating in Ezer Mizion’s auction, you can help the organization to keep glowing.
This year, because of COVID, not only did Ezer Mizion’s income lessen, but their call volume rose astronomically. More people than ever are relying on the organization and, more than ever, Ezer Mizion is relying on you.
Families in Israel and around the world are relying on Ezer Mizion. You’re the one with the power to turn on the light.
Purchase your tickets at emraffle.org today and be their glow in the dark.
Ran Sahar, CEO of Maccabi visiting Ezer Mizion’s 2020 Art Exhibit
Ran Sahar is CEO of Maccabi, israel’s leading HMO, certainly a very busy man. But Mr. Sahar deemed it important to take time off from his crowded schedule to visit Ezer Mizion’s 2020 Art Exhibit. The annual exhibit features work produced by the participants of the Art Workshop, one of the many programs of Ezer Mizion’s Cancer Support Division.
Under the able leadership of Ms. Lidia Rozanski, Multidisciplinary Visual Artist, Certified Art Therapist, participants are guided to explore their inner feelings and express them through visual art. The process that the workshop participants undergo, alone and together through this project, is unique and powerful with a significant impact on their battle with cancer.
This project, an expanse for emotional processing, offers the artists an opportunity to open up and cope and to break the stifling secrecy, while engaging in the process of creating an artistic object and exhibiting it. It enables them to set out on an internal journey that is emotionally, creatively, and practically challenging. This journey demands of the participants to leave their comfort zone for the sake of the change that is generated by the new perspective they acquire in the course of the process.
When a person is sick, he can experience depression, anxiety, disappointment, frustration, and fear. He can lose his life routine and his ability to create. This workshop provides participants with a place of belonging and identification, a place where they can find change through which they can restore respect – both for themselves and for those around them. Via the process of artistic creation, we try to restore to participants their strength and their ability to do, to create, and to accomplish in the present and to plan for the future.
The artistic works created by participants in the workshop and displayed at this exhibit reveal a little bit of this process and open a window to the world of people fighting cancer. Ofir Amitay uses the following text to illustrate her creation.
Cancer patient depicts family support as she herself experiences helplessness
Together Hand in Hand
How supportive can hands be?
To a child whose life has only just begun..
How supportive and strengthening can a family be?
Apparently, more than I could ever have thought.
Like the foundations of a building, strong and steadfast in the face of a storm,
Like the net for the fallen trapeze artist, flexible, soft, holding on, not letting go.
Hands so powerful, endlessly strengthening.
Where would I have been without you, my dear family?
Probably not among the living.. and thus, this exhibition
“Prepare a meal for a senior? No problem. Give me the address and I’ll deliver it, too.” Avigayil is one of Linked to Life’s indefatigable volunteers, who can always be counted on for a mission. Meal in hand, she entered the home of the senior. “Shall I put it in the fridge for you for later or would you like me to heat it up for you now?” He stood there unable to respond other than an “Ummm…”
