Thanks

A few weeks ago we dedicated a Table Talk to the recovery of Mindel Sara bat Chaya Nechama Sheindel. Since she is in Israel, it’s hard for most of us to do “bikkur cholim”, but we can have her in our thoughts. Here is her latest report:

I had a parasinal tumor that had pushed into my frontal lobe. It is/was malignant. And tomorrow we go to Tel Hashomer/Sheba Medical Center to begin the set up prior to radiation therapy. The therapy will take 6 wks of 5x/wk. I'm assuming we will begin on the 25th.

Due to the extent of the tumor and it's invasiveness I will not be able to smell again (small price for life, thank G-D!!) and had to have my eye sockets rebuilt. They took out punches of bones and stuff, but you'd never know it to see me!! Thank God - no sinking face syndrome!

Through most of the procedures and hospitalization I maintained a fairly positive attitude, humming when the procedures took a long time or singing in key with the beeps of ICU that drove me bonkers!

But it took a low point when they were preparing to give me a unit of blood, when my veins had had enough and the pain of the IV was excruciating for me to have my epiphany of why during most of this I had been positive. As they were comparing the details of the unit of blood the doctor said to the nurse: B positive? And the nurse responded: B positive. And I started to giggle. "What's up?" they asked.

"Well," says I, "I suppose I have no choice but to look at the good side of everything. I have 'Be Positive' blood! I'm stuck with being positive!!” It took them a second to understand, but when they did they laughed with me!

Question for your table: Is it possible always to be positive whenever the chips are down?


Shabbat Shalom


Yiddish of the week:
Bikkur cholim – the mitzvah of visiting the sick