Save your sanity, time & money!

Need solutions for the medication, medical appliances and/or medical travel that you can't afford? READ EMPOWER Yourself.

A Health Information Management professional, I survived a life-threatening emergency with information that only a person of my professional experience would know. And I’m sharing it!

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Violence Against Women is a Man's Issue!

B'SD

21 Sivan, 5773

From time to time I've dealt with abuse issues as a former Health Information Management professional, as a friend, neighbor, writer or researcher, and as an individual eager to facilitate the end of any form of abuse. I've even blogged about the topic.

TEDTalks recently posted this phenomenal look at the troubling issue of male violence against women - and  children - with a most sensible technique for ending the horror! Listen in:



 
Listen to what Sir Patrick Stewart
aka Captain Picard,
has done to end violence against women.


 



Males who abuse women - and children - can fill some occupations that would surprise you.



holds the caveat to end relationships with "therapists" or clergy who fail to display total respect for your dignity and safety. It is my effort to prevent abusive events, to protect vulnerable people from predators.

Buy the E-book or print edition of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. Use it to protect your physical, emotional and medical welfare.

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism. 

Face facts: Men owe it the rest of humanity to end abuse upon anyone, including females, other men, and children.


 

Friday, May 24, 2013

Celebrating Spiritual and Natural Beauty - Haveil Havalim #407

B'SD

15 Sivan, 5773

My country is smaller than Delaware or New Jersey, but it tends to dominate headlines. Living in the Holy Land sometimes feels astonishing. Some days I eat breakfast wondering what's next on life's actual history channel.

I made some minor history by becoming today's hostess of another Haveil Havalim blogpost roundup. I hostessed the most recent one, too.

Today's HH fun honors the middle of the Jewish month. Judaism's holidays are predicated on determining times and season with signals from the sky, particularly the moon. Though women worldwide have felt - and been - rather downtrodden, the insight-rich book The Moon's Lost Light explains that this situation will reverse with the advent of Mashiakh (hurry up, fella!). You can buy a copy from Targum Publishing.

Did you know my first break as a writer was with Targum? My content appeared in the first several Horizons magazines.

OK, back to facts on the ground. Anthony Reich looks at the Importance of Israel's Preemptive Strikes.

History books reveal that, as Tom Lehrer once sang, "Everybody hates the Jews" in his National Brother hood Week song.



Wasupp with that app? We were the first people to ban infanticide, suicide, murder, kidnapping, theft, adultery, a lack of social justice systems, and idol worship (Jews are into MORALS, folks). Read the World Perfect series (click on the bottom icons to see all 12 parts of the series)

Esser Agoroth (nom de plume) focuses his thoughts on a daily act of sincere decency for many Jewish males aka a glorification of Jewish principles/GOD's Name at Avner Netanyahu's Qiddush HaShem

What's a Jewish gathering (cyber events included) for if not deep consideration of spiritual concepts and goals? Daniel at the Heart of Adam shares Two Types of Reasoning Regarding the Menorah and Mizbeach(Psst! to answer your readerly question, YES, Jews who study relevant texts with competent guidance actually do understand and care about that kind of stuff. And more!)


Batya Medad is a real life friend and gosh she thinks a lot.  Check out There's NOTHING Like Machaneh Yehuda Market (I so agree).

Whee, it's the New Shilo Bike Path!

Batya memorializes a man I also miss with In Loving Memory of Manny Winston. Here she is noting the Problems with legally built Jewish homes versus illegal arab contruction in Judea

Added treats per 17 Sivan:




Sondra celebrates Her Spot at the Kotel (I - Yocheved - used to lead groups of women there)

Clarifying a mystery  for fans of the Shirat Devorah blog  (Now if Mashiakh would just show up we'd end another mystery - as in WHEN are you getting here already???)

In other news...

I so enjoy horseback riding that I recently shared an evening ride in the Judean Hills with some friends. We looked at historic areas, smelled the rich aromas of ripening grapevines and blooming flowers, and spent quality spiritual time together.

I protect my legs from harsh horsehair by wearing cotton scrubs when I ride in summer heat. Why is the horse's head down for the photo-shoot? That's a sign of its relaxed mood. She didn't even freak when my hip sack rang from the cellphone inside it.



Those hills in the background have historical meaning. Manoah, father of Samson (yes, the man who destroyed Philistines gloating at his mauled body and betrayed existence), is buried nearby. In Israel you just about trip over history wherever you go. I actually live near the spot where David killed Goliath.

Here I am with a fellow rider. 


The horse I rode is enjoying another snack.

Other friends pondered life at that pond, 
while sunset progressed.



One of the men on our ride prepared mint tea for me and coffee for the others.

We savored the flavors and quality time spent together. Being in the moment is so valuable.

I kept up with the group though I have a vision disability. My heart and soul don't sit back to watch life pass us by.
We're in it!

By the way, your seat won't hurt if you sit exactly in the middle of the saddle.





Buy the E-book or print edition today to EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism.

Have fun not despite, but with and because of your disability.



 

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Boosting Self Esteem - Quick Get the Kids!

B'SD

14 Sivan, 5773

I want to share this lovely video with you. Replay it on days when your self-esteem seems to be in short supply.


A medical, emotional or other crisis - you'd cry too, if it happened to you. Use your tissues and handkerchiefs with my blessings borne of experience. GOD gives you Permission to Weep. And you can say that to any critics after explaining that "It's MY Crisis! And I'll Cry if I Need To."

Re-visit the video and its upbeat message as needed.

My thanks go to Rabbi Lazer Brody, who posted the video at his Lazer Beams site.



There are many, many self-esteem boosters in



Buy the E-book or print edition today for a brighter look at your medical, disability and/or mental health life. Click on the words EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge

                         
Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity.
Face Your Future with Optimism.

Fill your soul with life-affirming messages.



Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Lessons Learned from My Horserides

B'SD

12 Sivan, 5773

I took up horseback riding some time ago. I find the animal therapy experience exhilarating. A recent ride was a gateway to some wonderful experiences.

One of the women in my group did not enjoy riding her "spicey" horse Topaz, a new one at the stable. Topaz had not yet become accustomed to the new routines she's expected to follow. Since my male horse, Rich, is so calm, I switched animals with my fellow rider in the middle of the journey, giving her a better chance to have a  pleasant time with our group.

Topaz is a female horse and golly I felt a difference in her body language as soon as I landed in the saddle. She was not obeying my commands. I had to assert myself very definitively with her to clarify who was leading the ride. Once she understood, I was able to love the ride for about 1.5 hours. She responded correctly and immediately to my feet and to my body weight shifting in the saddle "signals." At one point I hardly felt the reins and realized I hadn't used them for more than a half hour. WOW we'd worked as one, just as I do with Rich.

We saw a flock of storks circling above, rode through meadows and saw many shades of greenery during our ride. HOT as blazes, I was glad I'd worn 100% cotton scrubs with my skirt. I wiped my perspiring face repeatedly to keep salt out of my eyes. 

Anyway, we rode on in peace and calm all over creation, up, down, through farm fields etc. That let me keep a clear, open mind to think through some thoughts and puzzling problems I want to solve. 

At the ride's end, I hugged her head and muzzle; She batted me with her head a few times (a sign that Topaz considers me a safe scratching post). I'm thrilled to report that I mount and dismount without assistance on my regular horse Rich. I even did that with "spicey" Topaz - on the very first try. It took a few lessons to build clumsy practices into smooth "automatic pilot," so to speak. I'm excited that the effort paid off this way.

I am so loving my time with nature I thanked GOD over and over, out loud,  during the ride. It was heaven on earth. Here I am on Rich, weeks ago, wearing a lavender-colored sweatshirt (third person from the front of the photo). 




I hope to share a photo of me riding pretty Topaz, in a meadow full of grazing goats and sheep, after I upload the picture a friend took of us. 

If all turns out as planned, I'll post pictures of this evening's planned ride. I'm wavering between fear and wonder as I resolve to find out if I can ride a horse in darkness. Making that achievement will be so exciting.

The main reason I ride is to find out if this sort of relaxation and introspection can help me to overcome vision limitations that persist almost 8 years past my emergency life-saving brain surgery. Many innovative efforts to heal the long list of visual problems that resulted from my long-gone brain tumor, and the surgery to remove it, have worked.

My vision therapy at a local hospital is paying off. I'm giving animal therapy a chance, too. Here's how it is helping me:


  • I've learned that I can develop a new skill
  • I've learned to do a sort of introspection that shortens the way to new insights
  • I've gained confidence in myself
  • I've seen beauty that could only be available to me if I took a safely calculated risk



I've come a long way from the terror and tears 
of learning about that long-gone brain tumor.

A medical crisis - you'd cry too, if it happened to you. Use your tissues and handkerchiefs with my blessings borne of experience. GOD gives you Permission to Weep. And you can say that to any critics after explaining that "It's MY Crisis! And I'll Cry if I Need To."

You can also discover that it's possible to shed tears of joy as your soul grows with and past some of your suffering. I haven't always believed clergy or mental health therapy claims that this was possible. It's been a privilege to learn the truth first-hand. The lessons are in my gut, the very cells of my being.

 


Ride into your future with ever-developing optimism. Buy the E-book or print edition of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge to learn ways you can do just that. 

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism. 

Fill your future with pleasant options.


 

Friday, May 17, 2013

Friending Disabilities

B'SD

8 Sivan, 5773

The world can be a sweeter place for all of us once we realize the value of friendship for people with and without varying levels of ability.



A disability is not an end. It's a "New Normal."

 

Want to learn about becoming gainfully employed despite a disability? Read E-book or print edition  EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical (or Disability) Challenge.

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism.

Friendship makes the world a more pleasant place.

 

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Humor and Harsh Medical Realities: What do YOU Think?


B'SD



5 Sivan, 5773


 I've toyed with the idea of making the EMPOWER Yourself book funny in specific spots. But I've never felt confident about doing that.

I'm wondering now if  I should. Michael J Fox is terrific with this take on a harsh medical life.



If you've ever read



or even if you have not, what do you think?

The 3rd edition is being prepared for publication.

Should it go for the giggles?





Buy the E-book or print edition today for a brighter, lighter look at your medical, disability or mental health life. Click on the words EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge.

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism.

Feed your Inner Giggle.

 

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Life Lessons about Ovarian Cancer and How to Comfort Someone in Distress

B'SD

28 Iyar, 5773

Here are two eloquent essays about important health issues:

1) Ovarian Cancer, aka The Silent Killer, is addressed at If Ovaries Could Speak.

2) Know that awful sensation when you're at a loss for words or just did something you DEEPLY regret while trying to comfort people? Here are 5 Ways to Foster Comfort in Times of Illness or Distress.




Learn more about protecting your health, plus the heart-warming etiquette of what to do and what to say in distressing times, with the E-book or print edition of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism. 

Face awkward situations with increasing courage and gracious behavior.


 

Monday, May 6, 2013

Life Lessons from a Hospital: If We Could See In Someone's Heart...

B'SD

26 Iyar, 5773

I saw this on Facebook and knew I must share it with you.




I've often wondered how medical professionals deal with the stress they find in their patients. Some doctors are heartwarming geniuses. Others... are not.

I remain sad that the woman whose cruel remark resulted in the first half of the title for



has never, to this day, realized that she reacts to ill people in a destructive, condescending manner. Utterly clueless.

A medical crisis - you'd cry too, if it happened to you. Use your tissues and handkerchiefs with my blessings borne of experience. GOD gives you Permission to Weep. And you can say that to any critics after explaining that "It's MY Crisis! And I'll Cry if I Need To."


 Learn what to say and how to behave with rude people at your bedside and beyond, plus lots more. Buy the E-book or print edition today for a brighter holiday season: Click on the words EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge.

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism.

Face rudeness with confidence and a healing sense of humor.

 

Thursday, May 2, 2013

May is Brain Tumor Awareness Month

B'SD

22 Iyar, 5773

With a whole month of international educational initiatives going on, this blog is ready to alert you to several resources for helping people with brain tumors:

The American Brain Tumor Association.

The American Neurological Association (this news item lists brain tumor symptoms)

Brain Tumor Buddies of the UK.

The Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada.

The Musella Foundation for Brain Tumor Research and Information.

The National Brain Tumor Society.




Need inspiration, maybe more information about dealing with brain tumors? Click on the words EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge.  

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism. 

Fill yourself with information you need.


 

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Another Way that YOU can Help Boston Marathon Bombing Victims

B'SD

21 Iyar, 5773


I posted tips on how you can help injured Boston Marathon Runners, the other day, and let you know I'd sent a few copies of






to the Boston Athletic Association 
which organizes the annual marathon.

The Global Resources section follows 
the soothing content for increasing courage 
and peace of mind despite 
medical, disability and emotional setbacks.

It clues readers in to charitable organizations 
willing to pay some or all 
of an applicant's medical needs 
(medical care, medical appliances, medication, 
medical transportation and more).

It's good to know that the The Coalition to Walk and Run Again plus the American Prosthetic Association have donated their expertise and products to the defenseless civilians who'd posed NO threat to the men who maimed them.
BUT...

But the over 200 people maimed at the marathon 
need more than prosthetics! 

Headlines are letting us know that the Boston Marathon Victims Face a Lifetime of Medical Bills! 

You can help by contributing your money, time or medical expertise to the assistance effort. Or you can send copies of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge (print or E- book) to the Boston Athletic Association, as I did.





Buy the E-book or print edition today for a brighter holiday season: Click on the words EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge.

Want to give out copies to your organization members or some other large group? Bulk discount orders (for any purpose) can be made at https://secure.booklocker.com/booklocker/wholesale/order.php

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism.


Fight despair with increased courage. Lower your bills. The book shows you how.