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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!
B'SD 13 Sivan, 5777 It's been an unusual week for me. I want to pause from all the busy-ness and share this marvelous video with you.
Read the remarks about men who built inner strength, though they struggled with their concept of GOD, in the E-book or print edition of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. Celebrate your victories. Celebrate your courage. You're becoming extraordinary. Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity.
Face Your Future with Optimism.
Fill your heart and soul with character-building strength.
B'SD 18 Adar, 5777 It's been a powerful 48 hours since I wrote my most recent blogpost. I wrapped up my writing of the speech I'll be giving in May. Barring unforeseen miracles, I doubt that I'll change any of the words by then.
Though I'm a professional writer, I prefer to have my public presentation work reviewed by colleagues before I make my comments to an audience. Personal remarks are not impartial, as most of my writing would be. That can be a problem. So, yesterday, I sent the document with my speech to a few medical and mental health professionals. I asked them to critique my work so I could improve on it and make sure that my points were clearly made. Responses were favorable. One stood out from the rest: "Your experiences are so moving, and your personality so optimistic and unflackable [sic] despite the difficulties, it's no wonder that you have the ability to inspire. "Your piece inspired me to look at my own life. I've never broken a bone, so it wasn't as easy for me to see the hand of shamayim (heaven) giving me a such clear sign. Still, the hand of Shamayim is there, obviously. "I asked myself, what were my most difficult trials for? Because I too have had very difficult health trials, only different ones. Baruch Hashem (thank GOD), resolved. "I believe that these trials were for growth, maturation, and self definition. Who am I? How can I compensate? (Compensation is not only a cover for weakness, it is also an exercise in strength in of itself.) How should I approach this situation and others like it, in order to be more rather than less as a result of this trial? What can I do with my life to make it a life best lived? "I think of Young, who, after developing a new philosophy and methodology for the treatment of mental illness, fell into a psychotic period for a number of years. Fully aware that he was psychotic (which is unusual in of itself) he studied himself while psychotic. Then he came out from his mental illness. That subsequent period after his mental illness was to become most productive period of his life. "I also think that throughout my life I have had deep desires in my heart that I didn't know how to vocalize, for which I had no idea how they would be realized. Then Hashem (GOD) made them happen. I look back and I see that the things that I wanted the most, the things my heart prayed for without my mouth praying, were the things that Hashem gave me and keeps giving me. "So for me, most of what I see coming out of shamayim in my life, is not "stay away from this or that" (although surely those things are in the halacha - ED: Jewish law) but rather a deep chesed (kindness) that just keeps coming. Anyway, keep writing and keep inspiring!" I plan to share the speech with you after it's been spoken to my audience in May.
OK, back to your regular programming.
I wish you an inspirational day!
Buy 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.
Fill your efforts with positive thinking.
B'SD 15 Shvat, 5776 The answer to my blogpost's title is this: With focus on the wholesome goal you need. Read on. Today is the Jewish holiday of Tu B'Shvat, the New Year for trees. I spoke of the ecologic, historic and spiritual reality about that to participants in the party I made at my synagogue last night. Here are a few photos of the fun we enjoyed.
Israeli law forbids citizens to post online photos of minors without the documented permission of their parents/guardians. This is to protect them from evildoers. So, I can't post more party pix as kids tend to show up in several of them. But their families have the pix to treasure. This photo is of the craft project they worked on: Coloring a tree, folding the bottom into a square, decorating the whole thing with stickers, and setting the colorful item into a square holder. Then they planted sprouting garlics and inserted the live greenery into their pot holder. I took a shot that I call The Kidcraft Garden.
People with special food needs enjoyed my home made sushi, gluten-free crackers, those coconut mint carob rounds, plus quinoa mixed with sweet potato and sauteed onion. The regular diners enjoyed the couscous I'd made plus the home cooked food that other participants brought..
The healing efforts I make are blessed from Above to help me to see ever-better. It was a blessing to be part of the fun depicted in today's blogpost. Here's a picture of me wearing the 21st pair of prescription lenses since 2006.
I'm in the gray hat, standing next to one of the artists who displayed their works at the event I'd arranged. Yes, my glasses are hard to spot: the lenses are so thin that I bought wire frames instead of recycling an older, thicker pair that are no longer suited to the job. Want to listen to a song I'm following this week?
The lyrics speak of a man whose heart cries with pain at the suffering of his beloved. He tries to grasp her hands as he speaks words that he prays will soothe her; "GOD sees and hears everything from above, forgets nothing, and will fulfill the heavenly promise to sweeten our lives.The blood of innocents, including soldiers who died defending other people's lives, the agony will never be forgotten nor forgiven. A new light will shine throughout the universe. A lovely dove will inscribe peace upon blue and white skies. We'll be safe in our ancestral home."
It is the metaphor for GOD's relationship to His People. Meanwhile, let's do the best we can to perfect our personalities.
Happiness strengthen our minds and bodies, let alone our potential. How do I, and how can YOU stay strong, despite painful setbacks in life? Find out in 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.
Fill your life with happy possibilities.
B'SD 5 Av, 5775 The Jewish month of Av is full of somber thoughts and images. Personal reflections are an integral part of the pre-Rosh Hashana season. I just joined a health-oriented listserv, and compacted my health plus healing story into a few paragraphs. The timing was conducive to some introspection. If you're new to this blog, or familiar with it, here are some of the main points I shared in the above-referenced message:
My story in brief: ... In February 2005 I awoke completely blind, and very physically weak.
To make a long story short, I underwent life-saving emergency brain surgery in August 2005. Surgeons removed a benign brain tumor called a Petroclival Tentorial Meningioma. It had crushed my optic nerves and badly damaged other nerves.
Western medical experts doubted that I would survive the ordeal let alone ever see again. I consulted with expert naturopaths. Under their guidance I became an organic vegetarian in 2006, and beat big odds. I am a rarity in the medical world, having recovered my vision - which keeps improving - after that specific diagnosis and setback. I am also physically active.
A former supervisor of medical coding who wrote feature stories about medical experts and their innovations plus other medically-related topics, and someone quite familiar with teaching calming techniques (I eventually earned counseling skills certification), I used a knowledge base about healing and centering unknown to average laymen. I remained composed despite horrific fears, physical pain and unknowns (most of the time, anyway. I definitely advocate the need to cry so that a person can go forward despite emotional turmoil).
I wrote a book about how to cope with medical challenges. Published in 2009, updated in 2011, it received cover praises from medical and mental health professionals http://booklocker.com/books/3067.html. People around the world LUV the motivational and healing information in the book plus the Global Resources section that clues you in to worldwide organizations willing to pay some or all of your specific medical bills.
Organic foods and a natural lifestyle restored my vision plus my physical strength (I had needed to learn how to speak again, how to walk, how to use my hands and arms, etc).
However, I still see double and have difficulty getting my eyes to move together. My eyes move at different speeds, as do the eyelids. One of those lids had been paralyzed. Craniosacral treatment ended the problem, restored symmetry to my face and ended post-surgical pain that could have been life-long.
The prescription for my glasses has dropped 18 times since going organic vegetarian in 2006. Ridding my body of toxins allowed damaged nerves and muscles to heal. My sight improves daily, and my health - according to medical experts - rivals that of women half my age, thank GOD.
In February 2015 I became vegan. That has provoked a most unexpected development: More and very rapid recovery of my sight. I'm at the threshold of ending double vision due to damaged optical nerves plus not needing glasses anymore. I'd like for that to happen with my 10th anniversary of a life-saving event. It would be a miracle. I believe that I can coax that miracle along with a macrobiotic diet.
I've spoken all over Israel, in the USA, on TV, radio and online media about my unusual recovery and coping mechanisms. I remain available for motivational speaking engagements as I maintain my content provider business (I edit other people's writings and prepare speeches, brochure, website, plus journalistic content for various clients).
I look forward to interacting with the rest of you either online or in person.
Buy 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.
Fill your sense of priorities with good sense and productive action.
B'SD 15 Shvat, 5775 I've been savoring and preparing this blogpost a few days, wondering how to put a BIG miracle into words. I wrapped up five months of vision therapy this week, and went home crying. I've been blessed with a HUGE miracle. When you read the EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challengebook, you'll learn how and why I went blind in 2004/5. A completely terrifying experience, my situation was compounded with negative prognoses by the medical people on my case. NONE of the professionals believed I'd survive, and even if that happened, that I'd ever see again. I chose to envision the future, and went wa-a-a-a-y outside the medical prognoses, diagnoses and treatment box. The choice has paid off well. My attitude remains upbeat by choice (I work on it daily). People like having me around. And over time I can see them more clearly. Yes, some time ago all I could make out were blurred bodies and faces. I recognized voices and walking styles, not facial features. A walk down the street was full of danger for me as I struggled to interpret street signs, traffic patterns and whatnot. The alternative healing strategies I use (I'll need them forever to prevent regression and to continue progression) are working. Some did not help me, but most of the strategies are improving my health and sight. One successful strategy isn't even "alternative," it's classic, but not regarded highly enough in the medical world. I've been working with a graduate student of my phenomenal eye doctor cited in this years-ago Glimmers of Light article. We've pursued proven and innovative exercises that optometrists use to improve visual acuity in their patients. In my case, we're overcoming severe optic nerve damage, forcing my optic muscles to compensate for the problem. Along the way, some of my optic nerves have become more powerful. The huge percentage of visual progress in my case these past five months is simply miraculous. The therapist and I hugged each other as the evidence was recorded onto an official report. She credits my intentional optimism. I credit GOD and my willingness to let The One Above work with me.
We're making medical history. Again.
Want to join the fun, no matter the diagnosis?
Learn how in
PS - the therapist asked me to supply her with an explanation of all the alternative healing practices I use. My entire medical team has grown to respect the reality they represent. They're learning from me how to help other people with my situation. PPS - Today is Tu B'Shvat, the Jewish New Year for Trees (it's springtime in Israel. The air is filled with lacy new greenery, luscious scents and color!) and I'm celebrating my inner growth. Before my now-gone brain tumor and crushed optic nerves temporarily turned my life into a nerve-wracking vortex, I was not as insightful about change as I am today. And the medical team on my case knew nothing about the miraculous possibilities they'd observe in me over time. All of us are relieved and excited about the phenom.
The life lesson I want to share with you is floral/tree-themed: "Don't be deceived by superficial appearances. Sometimes a plant appears to be dead or destroyed. Much is going on (under the soil) out of sight. It's life-giving goodness. Give it time to grow." Buy the E-book or print edition of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge for yourself or someone else. Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity.
Face Your Future with Optimism.
Replace fear with fun and progress.
B'SD
29 Elul, 5774 I pray that the world will be blessed with genuine, enduring peace this eve of Rosh HaShana/Jewish New Year.
The classic Jewish custom is to bless people for a "Good, sweet, healthy" year, not a "happy" year. Happiness is fleeting, sometimes based on mistaken ideas. Focus on decency, compassion, patience, forgiveness. For YOURSELF, and for others. Progress happens when you are kind towards yourself. So does happiness.
I was offered employment suitable for a person under thirty this week. Puzzled by the phenomenon, I asked friends what they thought of the situation. Several people remarked to me that I appear young and energetic, shocking as that may be when we consider the physical/emotional ordeal I faced with that long-ago benign-but-a-killer brain tumor. My present appearance and behavior deceive onlookers unfamiliar with my realities.
The secret is in the sauce, so to speak. I knew on the day I learned of the diagnosis that I had only one chance to remain alive and thriving. I seized it, indulging in compassion for my clumsy efforts to survive
I went on to make medical history, seeing again after having been blinded by a brain tumor and seeing ever-better over time, shocking the teaching doctors handling my case.
Had I indulged in bitterness, anger, hatred, vindictiveness (name the negativity), I'd have died a miserable death - inside and outside.
Heaven has rewarded me with astonishingly remarkable friends and achievements. I am wealthy in the truest sense. I feel the love lavished on me hour by hour.
Negativity destroys lives inside and out. I sweated and struggled my way to life, never knowing if my efforts would pay off. My self-respect grew. So did other true riches in my life. I pray that my experiences can help other people to stop flailing and failing to meet difficult goals.
I share this essay, by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, with the wider world, and pray that each reader absorbs its universal lessons.
As I once taught when I used to be an EMETT leader, "You don't need to feel positive when you begin to improve your character and outlooks on life. You need to behave positively. Your actions will convince your mind that you are indeed happy. Then the universe opens to you. GOD fills your life with blessings. Learn to recognize them; they are specific to you and your needs."
Want to know how I achieved that life-giving mindset despite a dire diagnosis? Buy the E-book or print edition of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. It teaches you the steps I took to stay alive emotionally and physically. Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity.
Face Your Future with Optimism. Forgiveness begins with YOU. Forgive Yourself.
B'SD 14 Elul, 5774 What a conversation! Someone called me this afternoon, my time. The caller related her several severe medical issues and that a friend in another country calmed her with the words "You need to get a book written by this Israeli lady, Golani is her name. It motivates you to take the actions you need and even tells you how to take those actions! I know someone who has it. It changed their life." So, the counseled caller looks up my contact info and asks, "How do I get the book?" "Easily," I told her. "Go online and order it from the publisher, Booklocker, which sends it faster than any book shop, even faster than the online book outlets." She breathed a sigh of relief and mentioned that she felt better already. I'm always impressed at how far word travels, and so grateful that my efforts help people. I have no idea who the people mentioned above may be. It's an exciting feeling to know that I've helped people I might never meet.
Buy 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. Find out how to help yourself as your friends might recommend.
1 Iyar, 5773 Whew, it's a new Jewish month and I ended the previous one with some impact. I'm back from yesterday's exciting and insight-packed encounter with those vision rehabilitation medical students. Class was directed by my personal eye doctor, whose innovative and pro-patient assistance over the last few years helped me to attain self-sufficiency when I'd faced a future of despair and physical decline. I've been reflecting on how much laughter the professor, students and I shared. The students were
shocked, mystified and amused by my medical case (they were looking at, or
listening to verbal accounts of, my medical records) then scared to respond to
the professor's questions about it all (my case made medical history. It
baffles bigtime experts let alone students). They tested my sight, flipped out
at what I can do, fell silent at what I struggle to do, and realized "Yeah,
those prayers must help her somehow. And the vegetarian diet sure seems to help.
Nobody who eats meat ever recovered sight after such a medical experience." I
told jokes, played games with the eye exams (one of the pluses of my limited vision is that I can detect things that people with normal vision do not), explained personal decisions about
choosing life and forced courage over death and despair. We talked about our
private lives a bit, they looked at copies of the EMPOWER Yourself book and
invited me back every two weeks of the remaining semester. The BEST part was that
my craniosacral therapist Chana Bracha aka Andrea Garden Kornfeld who succeed at
opening a formerly paralyzed eyelid drove me to the appointment (she wrote the Introduction to the 2nd edition of the book). The staff was impressed
with her and she is now booked to speak at the college! There was an interesting interlude when my eye doctor informed those college students of an arrogant eye surgeon who'd once demanded that I permit her to blind me in one eye to end my double vision (I wrote of the encounter in the EMPOWER Yourself book), and that I declined the hopelessness she'd prescribed and proposed that there might be ways to restore my sight. I jumped into the conversation and explained that the long-ago surgeon shook her head "NO" to my optimism. She recommended psychiatric intervention to convince me of the "need" to sign an agreement for the permanently blinding surgery. I shouldered my purse and responded with a LOUD slamming of her office door as I announced "I will not permit you to maim me. I see the future and it looks ever-better" or something like that as I walked off into my ever-more-visible future. Yesterday's college students were speechless after hearing the story. I then gently explained to them that the average patient lacks the stamina or quick-witted poise to resist bad medical attitudes. Part of my effort in interacting with the medical school's student body is dedicated to teaching future doctors to listen better, to think broadly rather than in limiting points of view, and to dedicate their medical work to helping the person before them - not merely to deal with tension by arrogantly or abruptly dismissing medical problems with harmful procedures and processes.
The students flipped through copies of
and asked why I'd written it.
"To help people who need to know how to deal with drawbacks in the medical world," I replied. "Not everybody can vastly re-engineer their personalities to become so assertive, nor do they know the wonderful resources I've been exposed to as a former Health Information Management professional (I used to supervise medical records rooms, legal requests for information, prepare statistics, communicate with medical innovators and more). The book whispers over the reader's shoulder and helps them to face their medical and mental health problems with dignity and solutions." I left some teary-eyed people in that eye exam theater. We plan to meet again, several times over. I hope you'll respond to the scenario I've described. Your comments are welcome! 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 (the license to do is in the book!). And you can say that to any critics after explaining that "It's MY Crisis! And I'll Cry if I Need To."
Buy the E-book or print edition to EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity.
Face Your Future with Optimism. Face frightening people with the right response!
B'SD 28 Nisan, 5773 I've been offline to protect my PC from hackers. I'm sorry to be limiting my communication with you. I hope that things will be back to normal after April 10th. Life does have its fun, rewarding side, though. Tomorrow I'm scheduled to meet with vision clinic college students. They're interested in testing my eyes plus hearing about the natural healing techniques that restored my sight. They'll be examining my eyes with machines you've probably never heard of, marveling at the physical evidence that shows how I could have been left blind forever.
I might have some interesting comments
to share with you after the adventure.
If any students planning to attend that class tomorrow are reading this blogpost, keep your heads up, ears and mind open. I have surprises in store for you. Buy the E-book or print edition today for a brighter tomorrow: Click on the words EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism. Look forward to making life fun, despite the setbacks.
