By Yael Rotlevy
PETACH TIKVAH, Israel — I am a woman, mother, daughter, sister, pre-school teacher – and a victim of cancer.
Anyone spotting me in a crowd would never guess. He surely would think to himself – a young mother, hair cut into a stylish, short bob, spending the summer vacation with her husband and four children.
But the young mother – meaning, me – did not cut her hair to be fashionable, and the summer recreation is not just another family vacation. It is Ezer Mizion’s Summer Camp for Cancer Patients with Their Families: a hiatus in the insane race for life, a break from the hospital wards, jam-packed days of pleasure and merriment, and all with the reassuring accompaniment of a doctor and nurse. It is a very special way to enable us and our families, who have gone through so, so much over the past year, to take a breather and simply – enjoy!
I, Yael Rotlevy, wife, mother, daughter, sister, pre-school teacher am also what is known as a “cancer patient.” This unenviable title was added to my resume a little more than 10 months ago. I was entering my ninth month of pregnancy, when I started experiencing pain in my breast, which led to a check-up by a surgeon, which led to an ultrasound – biopsy – results showing that the lump in my breast is malignant – and whoop, into the delivery room to give birth to my baby. All this, within less than a week!
The steps that followed also took place at high speed. After obtaining a more accurate picture of the situation (thank G-d, the cancer had not metastasized), I began chemotherapy treatments four weeks after the birth. Since then, I have undergone 5 months of chemotherapy, treatments and surgeries. Within the next few days, I will begin getting hormone treatment, and in another two weeks – radiation.
But make no mistake. This journey, long and treacherous as it may be, is not only a journey of pain. Along this journey, I learned what it means to give. It began with my natural circles – family, close friends, more distant acquaintances, the community. Everyone wanted so much to help. But before long, we discovered more and more good people… people who dedicate themselves to the lofty purpose of assisting the ill – helping them feel better and giving them the physical and emotional tools to cope with the crisis into which they and their family members were cast.
I am referring to a rare breed of people who coalesced into one amazing organization called Ezer Mizion. From the day I latched onto this organization, I, my husband and my children were enveloped – no exaggeration – in a tight, loving embrace, that just does not let you fall. The page is not long enough to hold all the different things this “embrace” encompasses. It begins with the “angels” – the Ezer Mizion contact women at the oncology wards in the hospitals – who visit, support, show interest and offer assistance in every area to the patient and his family. Suddenly thrust onto a strange planet of fear and confusion, the patient and her family desperately hold onto these ‘angels’. They are an inseparable part of the wonderful staff of a very special home – Oranit, Ezer Mizion’s cancer patient guest home in Petach Tikvah.
I was invited to join the ‘family’ at Oranit. And family is exactly what it feels like. I generally visit Oranit once a week for a rehabilitative art group for sick mothers, and once a week with my kids – to enjoy the art room, petting zoo, gymboree or music room, all operated by wonderful therapists and young volunteers. Oranit is our safe haven. It is at Oranit that I and my family can relax, knowing that everyone around us understands. The insightful and experienced therapists do all they can to help us allay our fears and learn to cope with the new reality—all spiced with fun, fun, fun.
In addition to the regular activities, there are special events over the course of the year, generally around holiday time – parties and fun days. A great deal of effort goes into every event. They are always perfectly organized and run like clockwork, down to the last detail.
But without a doubt, the crowning glory is the summer camp for families of cancer patients, run by Ezer Mizion every year with its abundant moments of joy – great and small…and unforgettable.
The summer camp includes an amazing number of attractions – an amusement park, magic show, circus, parachute gliding, a performance by Lior Narkis and another by Moshe Lahav and the Tish, a plethora of craft projects and prizes and visits to museums. I was most deeply touched by the unbelievable attention to small details and the thought invested to determine how to make us happy at every single given moment. For example – the toys that awaited the children in the rooms, the sweet volunteer that was appended to every family, the snacks and sweets that were given out without a stop, and more and more – no end!
“The summer camp was clearly in the works for months. It touches the heart to see all these amazing people, who seem to be composed of just goodness and love, through and through, who give and give and give some more. And for that, I express my love, my gratitude – and my admiration .
Take a peek inside:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/60145637@N06/sets/72157626565796853/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/60145637@N06/sets/72157626523009595/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/60145637@N06/sets/72157626647250790/
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Rotlevy’s testimonial was provided by the Ezer Mitzion organization