One from Chicago, one from Massachusetts and they met in Israel. Dr. Rothenberg has had a successful career in Naturopathic Medicine in Massachusetts and Connecticut. She has practiced Neuropathuic Medicine, been invited to speak for many groups and written several books. And then it all seemed to be coming to an end. She was only middle-aged. Too early to retire. And she had so much more to accomplish, so many more families to help. But the cancer paid no mind to her wants and continued its ruthless battle against her. In 2014, she had survived two (!) separate types of cancer. She was feeling great and continued her career. Until, more recently, a 3rd diagnosis descended upon her sunny life. This time leukemia. And this time, chemo was not the answer. Her medical team agreed that a stem cell transplant was the best route. And so the search for a genetically matching donor was on.
Dr. Rothenberg is Jewish. Ezer Mizion, the largest Jewish registry worldwide, was her best bet. The computer whirled and everyone held their collective breath. Beep! A match! A good one!
Maya ben Yitzhak grew up in Chicago with a love for Israel. It was not long until, her family still in America, she enlisted in the IDF As she went through the many steps of enlistment, she found herself at a desk with an Ezer Mizion logo. Many others were signing up and she joined the crowd, giving the coordinators a swab, filling out the form and becoming one of the 1.2 million members of the Ezer Mizion Bone Marrow Registry. Some registrants wait and wait, longing for the day when they will be called. For Maya, it was only a year and a half till her phone rang. Exactly on her birthday! “You have been found to be a match and can save a life of a woman in her sixties with leukemia,” the voice said.
“Being a part of Ezer Mizion is a life-changing step. What a birthday present!” exclaimed Maya. “I couldn’t ask for anything better!”
“I thought it took a lot of generosity to agree to donate like that – to help someone from another part of the world and save their life – when you don’t know who it’s going to, who it’s saving – and still say yes – that’s incredible!” says Dr Rothenberg with a passion. “Thank you very much for saying yes! Thank you very much for investing your time. And especially, thank you for saving my life,” said Dr. Rothenberg when she and Maya met at Ezer Mizion in Israel.
“I’m feeling wonderful. It’s great being ‘back in the saddle’, so to speak. I love my work. I’m sixty-four now. Many would thinking about retirement but I have no intention of leaving my practice. So many of my patients feel more comfortable with a medical practitioner who has also been a patient. I’m feeling great and hope to work for many more years. So on behalf of myself and my patients, thank you, Maya and thank you, Ezer Mizion!”
