A Can-do Message Far Beyond the Medical Sphere

B'SD

17 Kislev, 5775

Kislev is reputed to be a month of miracles. The life-saving Hanuka miracle of the Maccabees took place, then.

Maybe you can make a miracle, too,
no matter which holiday you celebrate. 

Want to be a hero as you do your best to save someone's quality of life, despite their diagnosis?

Here are some thoughts on that topic by mental health professionals:

"It's MY Crisis and I'll Cry if I Need To can be of enormous help
both to people with an illness and to those near to them.
Yocheved Golani's sharing of hope, courage and faith
will bring relief to many sufferers."

Rabbi Dr Abraham J. Twerski, MD, PhD, Psychiatrist, Director of Gateways Rehabilitation Center

http://www.booklocker.com/books/3067.html

"… This book is lifesaving, emotionally rewarding, spiritual, funny and helpful…" 
 Judith Guedalia, PhD. Director, Neuropsychology Unit and Chief Medical Psychologist ER Trauma  (MCE)Team at Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel

"… a powerful 'can-do' message to those most in need of it… It could save your life or the life of your loved one. This combination of positive attitude and positive action makes this guide useful and complete. Its lessons extend far beyond the medical sphere to life challenges whatever they may be: lessons we can't afford to ignore." 
 Life Coach Y. Ives, England

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. 

Give the gift of confidence to forge on.


 

Wishing YOU a Happier, Healthier New Year Full of Life

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. 

Returning to Our Best Selves

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.

 

לחברינו ולקוחותינו היקרים!

שנה טובה ומתוקה

שנת בריאות, שנת אושר

שנת ברכה והצלחה

מתוקה מדבש!!!

How to Restore Your Sense of Joy for Inner and Outer Health - Despite a Disability!

B'SD

4 Elul, 5772

One of the limitations of an illness or disability is on leisure travel. Thrilling views and experiences seem out of reach. 

I believe in finding solutions to  problems and came up with today's idea for a blogpost. I hope you'll enjoy this praise of deep sea diver's Jacques Cousteau's Calypso boat and adventures, courtesy of John Denver.

If you want to sing along, click on Lyrics to Calypso. Have full-throated fun!

When you're ready to consider how to travel with your disability, be sure to read page 98 (plus a few other pages) in the Global Resources section of

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

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

CST and Me: What it Can Do for You!

B'SD


18 Nisan 5772


Back on April 5 I alerted you to the chance for meeting one of my healing helpers, the craniosacral therapist who restored the use of my surgically paralyzed eyelid. The corresponding nerve had been affected by the now-gone meningioma, and life-saving surgery to remove it.


Here's how that CST introduces me to readers in EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge:


Introduction


It was 5765/2005, a week before the Passover holiday. I was busy installing a new kitchen. While I attended the mundane my dear friend Yocheved Golani, whom I would actually meet a year later, developed a sudden case of blindness.


Alone in Hadassah Ein Kerem's emergency room, Yocheved discovered a terrible reality that would dictate the course of the next few years of her life. She had a brain tumor growing on top of the section in the brain that controls breathing and heartbeat. What's more the tumor nestled in a bed of nerves that control movement to the right side of the body, facial sensation, hearing, neck movement and vision.


Yocheved was at risk for permanent deafness, blindness, paralysis, and dying a slow painful death of asphyxiation that could not be stopped by medical professionals. She had little time left for successful rescue efforts.


It was not the worst news that Yocheved learned that day.


The part that nearly devastated her was finding out that the tumor had been identified eighteen months earlier, but never revealed to her. She had lost a critical window of opportunity to remove the tumor safely and completely with user-friendly Gamma Knife Radiation when the tumor had been quite small and relatively harmless. It would have involved one doctor appointment as an outpatient in the hospital. It would have cured her in an hour. At this point in time, it was too late to use Gamma Knife successfully. Yocheved needed surgical removal of the tumor.


Two prominent neurosurgeons refused to operate on Yocheved at this late date for fear that they would kill her by merely trying to remove the now enlarged growth. A miraculous event led Yocheved to the surgeon who agreed to try to save both her life and its quality. But, he cautioned, substantial risks would present themselves throughout the effort to save her. The doctor offered no guarantees, only his world-famous surgical skill and his experienced hands. Yocheved decided to take the chance. "GOD commands us to choose life. I refused to turn away the one opportunity I had for saving my life. I gave the doctor and myself the possibility to succeed. I agreed to let him operate on me."


Yocheved resolved to live past this crisis, and she did. Beating the odds for survival over the tumor that was slowly killing her, and the odds regarding devastating potential consequences from the dangerous surgery awaiting her, Yocheved clung to core beliefs.


She also developed some new emotional and spiritual muscles in order to remain alive and to recover from the effects of her medical condition. "I also needed to put everyone around me at ease so that we could work as a team to make me well," Yocheved explains.


This workbook is designed to help you to cope with a medical challenge, perhaps a medical crisis. It is based on actions that Yocheved took, ideas she embraced, and emotions that saved her life. Her new updated version gives you even more resources to use in this process.


You can adapt Yocheved's coping mechanisms to your life so that you too can face a medical crisis with dignity, skills that can improve your mental and physical health, and as much healing as HaShem (GOD) will bring to you.


"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." Ralph Waldo Emerson


Sincerely,


Andrea Kornfeld, LMT, C-CST
www.chanabracha.com





Craniosacral therapy did far more for my overall health than to restore the use of my formerly paralyzed eyelid. Chana Bracha and I hope to see you in the audience tomorrow night, where you can hear about that, and how CST can help you.

Ready to read about other forms of standard and alternative/complementary healing techniques that help people around the world? Buy E-book or print edition EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge.

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

Love + Health = Making Medical Miracles Happen

B'SD


10 Nisan 5772


There's nothing like the boredom, anger, despair and resignation that go with a medical problem or disability. Some days the sense of rage is more that you or anyone can bear. You only want to be completely well.


But coping with a medical challenge doesn't necessarily mean recovering 100% perfect health. It does mean, however, strengthening yourself in emotionally, spiritually and physically meaningful ways. You can seek ways to make your life meaningful with your condition, and sometimes even more meaningful than it was before your diagnosis. A productive perspective: That's health!


Listen to this news report about Janne Kouri's Medical Miracle. List everything that went into his optimism, tenacity and success. Then list all the things YOU can do to help yourself, and perhaps other people as well.

Love + Health = 

Making Medical Miracles Happen

If you need some help to get that can-do list and better perspective going, read a book that medical and mental health professionals plus clergy of different faiths recommend:

Please let me know how  E-book or print edition EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge  has helped you and what you've accomplished because of your efforts.

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity.
Face Your Future with Optimism. Add love and tenacity, too.

Craniosacral Therapy Opens Healing Possibilities!

B'SD


18 Cheshvan 18 5772




One of the remarkable events of my healing journey concerns the eyelid paralyzed by life-saving brain surgery. Yes, the surgeon removed the benign tumor crushing my optic nerves and all the others caught in its hold. But the experience traumatized my body. It left me weak, in need of physical, speech and occupational therapy. And I needed to see again.


My entire medical team knew I could see only glimmers. And, those medical professionals predicted that the glimmer would fade to black, forever. They expected me to be blind lifelong. None of them seemed especially concerned at the paralyzed eyelid that would otherwise block my view. But as you read EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge you’ll learn how I revved up my motivation to be as functional as possible with the life left before me. That motivation included lifting the eyelid with nerves too weak to make it rise or even to flicker a bit.


I went for craniosacral therapy from a practitioner trained by a leader in the field, John Upledger himself. That practitioner, Andrea/Chana Bracha Kornfeld, quickly made my craniosacral fluids move in a more optimal fashion (CSF fills our spinal cords and surrounds our brains, helping them to function). The once paralyzed eyelid fluttered open, though at half mast. With further treatment, we watched it rise to an increasingly normal position. Today, few people can detect the slightly off-kilter position of the rather normal-looking oval.


Andrea/Chana Bracha and I worked together for months to promote other healing. My skull, damaged by surgery, regained strength, correct positioning and – years after the surgical event – healthy new bone!


I’ve watched Andrea/Chana Bracha and other craniosacral practitioners effect miraculous results in babies, children and adults of all ages. The process is rather pleasant. The patient sits comfortably or lies upon a treatment table as the craniosacral therapist (CST) lightly touches them to promote the improved flow of the CS fluids.


Not every medical procedure needs to be painful or frightening. Want to learn about other medical miracles you or a loved can benefit from? Read

EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge for the holidays and beyond. 

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

Good Wheels: Fully-Abled Fun for Disabled Riders!

B'SD

25 Cheshvan 5771


As promised, here's some follow-up to a feature story I did last year. The action takes place at ISCD, Israel's (PHENOMENAL) Center for the Disabled. It's home to people recovering from acts of terrorism, sport injuries and other matters. Many patients here graduate to mainstream into the rest of society. (Psst: The 2nd rider on the 2-person bike above is a partially sighted woman).

This is a letter that ISCD's super fundraiser Stu Nitzkin recently shared with me:

Good Wheels 2010– Israel
October 17-20th

Do you know how you feel when you finish a 10K run, a Marathon, a triathlon, or actually any athletic goal you set for yourself? It’s that emotional high that you feel by knowing you were successful in achieving your goals. Well, that’s how my husband and I felt last week after completing four amazing days of the Good Wheels Ride that was sponsored by the Israel Sports Center for the Disabled in Ramat Gan. Together with over 400 bike riders, we conquered and converged into the Negev landscape as we road together- able and disabled bodies riders for 400 km .

We were roped into this project five months ago when we had dinner at friends of ours; Ella and Izik Kohn. Ella’s father was a disabled athlete who grew up in Spivak (the Israel Sports Center), and as a young adult with polio he represented Israel in a number of Olympic and Maccabi competitions. Ella suggested we all go on the ride and as good friends we of course agreed it would be fun. Each rider is required to pledge 5000 shekels donation for the event. We had five months before the ride, and I started to train.

On Sunday morning, the 17th of October, we arrived at the ISCD in Ramat Gan at 5:00 a.m., together with another 150 riders – loaded our bikes and ourselves on to buses and rode to Kibbutz Tze’elim in the Negev. There we met another 250 riders who came directly to the Kibbutz. Together we took off, over 400 riders on the first day of the tour.

There were over 100 disabled riders who participated on tandem bikes, hand operated bikes, and various modified bikes to accommodate their specific needs. A large group (130 riders) came from Bank Mizrachi, as well as Bank Hapoalim, Amdox, Radvar, Perdego, Migdal, and many other companies. There were also 50 participants from Etgarim (Challenge), a unique organization that specializes in bringing the physically challenged to the great outdoors.

On the first day, the police closed the roads for us, and we rode on two different route lengths: the long route – 86km and the short route – 50 km. We started and ended at Kibbutz Tze’elim riding thru the Western Negev and its surrounding farmlands. The day was a mixture of socializing with our fellow riders and acclimating ourselves to the hot, dry landscape. All along the route, we were met with cold drinks, fruit stops, and loads of backup support from the organizers of the Good Wheels Ride.

The next day was the longest and hardest day in the tour. We started early in the morning, now only around 100 riders, 25% of them were disabled riders with their guides ready to ride tandem on special bikes for the blind and disabled, or on the hand operated bikes. Today the long route was designed as a 126km route, while the short route, also quite challenging, was 70km long. We rode from Zte’elim to the Gaza Border at the Kerem Shalom crossing, watching the many trucks queuing to cross the border into Gaza with building materials, produce, and many other commercial products.

From there we turned South West down Route 10 parallel to the Egyptian border. The route took us through the varied landscape of the Haluza dunes, Agur dunes, Nitzana, Kadesh Barnea extension, and the Negev Mountain Nature Reserve ending at the second highest mountain in the South. We passed many bored soldiers from both sides of the borders – Israeli and Egyptian, who were surprised to see the long trail of riders passing their outposts. We continued for 95 km, stopping every few hours to refresh and refuel – the temperature was 38 C [Yocheved's note: 38C is well over 105 Farenheit].

At 2:30 pm we started to climb, covering the over 850 meter climb in an hour and a half. Unfortunately, we never made our full goal of 126km to the top of Mt. Harif (in English it means spicy, hot) because the army closes the road at 4:00p.m.; only 8km short of our goal. We were exhausted but exhilarated from the ride.

That night we slept in Har Hanegev Field School. The third day titled: “Crime and punishment”, started with an amazing ride from the highest mountain in the south to the Arava desert. We departed from Mitzpe Ramon toward The Ramon Crater, an erosion crater, the largest of its kind in the world, through the many descents and ascents of the local landscape and ending at Kibbutz Ketora where we jumped head first into their blessed swimming pool. The temperature outside was 43C when we finished our last descent into the Arava. I must admit, I wasn’t a huge fan of riding on Route 40 down and up the mountains – with trucks and buses roaring by, but riding downhill at over 65kmh (Adi was going over 80kmh), it was both a thrilling and frightening ride.

Wednesday was our last day, a relatively easy ride from Mitzpe Rimon to Yerucham, rolling hills and flat routes. Truthfully, we were all so absorbed in remembering the incredible evening we had the night before – here the Sports Center for the Disabled introduced us to the next generation of athletes – the real Heroes of this story. We meet Boaz Kramer, assistant director of the Center; Boaz was born paralyzed in both legs and one arm, having completed medical school, and is the number 14th in the world in Disabled Tennis. Boaz introduced us to Ashel Shabo, 17 years old who lost his leg in a terrorist attack 9 years ago. Ashel also lost his mother, and three siblings in the same attack. Ashel, now a swimmer, is Israel’s future medal hopeful in the 2012 London Para Olympics . The last athlete was 14 year old Caroline Tabib, also born paralyzed from her hips down, number one in Israel in ping pong, and was a delight to hear her enthusiasm and love for the sport and the Center. It was enough to meet these kids and realize that they have achieved goals that many able body people can only dream about. They are the true inspiration for this whole week.


Finally, after almost 400 km, and 4 days, we gathered together in Tel-Aviv, and rode as a group from the Tel Baruch beach through the Hayarkon Park into the Center in Ramat Gan. There we were greeted with shofar blowing, drums, cymbals, and hundreds of family members for a memorable final ceremony with all of the participants.

If I compare the physical efforts of the able body versus the disabled body participants in the Good Wheels 2010, I can truly say: there is no difference between the two groups. We both endured long hot routes, saddle sore rear ends, blazing temperatures, healthy but not gourmet meals, and sparse accommodations. But we laughed a lot, we cried together, and we made lifetime friends with wonderful people. So we are inviting you to join us next year on this adventure. We’ve already signed up again, so please go to the website of the Israel Center for the Disabled at: www.iscd.com and read about Good Wheels 2011. Start collecting your pledges already – and hopefully we’ll see you next year.

Best Wishes,
Adi & Hildy Karev



If you want to donate to ISCD and help its patient population to rise above present limitations, see Israel Sport Center For the Disabled.

Contact information in Israel:


Phone: +972-3-5754444
Fax: +972-3-7511649
Mail: 123 Rokach Street, Ramat Gan, Israel, 52535
E-mail: info@iscd.com





Use this convenient E-book to EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge: http://www.booklocker.com/books/4244.html

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