As I got out of work this morning, Yannai was waiting for me for our daily meeting before he heads to work (actually he was a little late, but we won't hold it against him). As I got inside the car, he told me that we had to go meet with the surgeon to discuss an offer for a liver they had just received. Now, just about two hours later, we have said our goodbyes and Yannai is finally getting his upgrade. We thought we would have more time to prepare ourselves. Yannai had a whole schedule planned. He wanted to shower, shave, and update everyone on his blog before going into surgery. Since he clearly didn't get the chance to do those things, he wrote out this post for me to share with everyone. In terms of the shower, it's a good thing I'm a nurse. I promised him some nice bed baths once he's out.
This morning at 8:45 am I was offered a liver, and to be completely honest, it couldn't have come at a better time. The last few weeks have been particularly tough as I've felt my body slowly breaking down and my mind slipping away.
I had thought about and planned for this event for a long time now, but now that I'm here, I feel completely unprepared. As opposed to being excited and thrilled, I'm nervous and anxious. I know the upgrade will get me more energized, healthier, and ultimately, give me a better life.
When I spoke to my Rabbi a couple of weeks ago, he told me about the concept of "noble suffering". The plain and unsympathetic explanation being that you should handle any suffering without complaint since G-d will ultimately heal you. My Rabbi explained the concept to mean that one should turn their suffering into a noble trait. He said that one accomplishes this by sharing their pain, letting others hear his story, letting others come and visit, and in this case, writing a blog. Interestingly, the hebrew word for liver has the same root meaning as the work honor. A lot of people have told me how meaningful the blog is to them. For me, it's been a true honor. Thank you to everyone for their support and prayers.
2 comments:
Thinking about you. All our best from Israel for a refuah shleyma.
-Alyssa & Eli
Jacob just forwarded me an email that told me what happened from Frisch..I am really very sorry that i did not know about this before, but you are on my mind now 100% and you will be the focus of my davening on RH through Yom Kippur (and afterwards). You and Aviva are truly special people and you are with us in heart and prayers.
Love,
Vicky and Jacob
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