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Friday, July 06, 2012

Cancer Blogs: RivkA, Superman Sam, Heather...

We all blog for different reasons.  One thing that has motivated many of us is the need to let off steam.  My Shiloh Musings blog is for that political "steam" aggravation, letting the world know the truth of what's going on here in Israel, especially Shiloh.  I consider it a public service of sorts, my own way to broadcast for the hasbara  pro-Israel information efforts, even when I'm writing about the mundane.  This blog is more for the mundane and personal.

But in terms of combining the personal and the mundane in a very different mix, there are the "cancer blogs," which are very important for those involved and to put a real face on those who are fighting for life and for their families.

In the jblogging world the first one of that genre is/was RivkA's Coffee and Chemo in which she chronicled her losing battle with what was first diagnosed as DCIS, stage ZERO breast cancer, at age 39.  Even though you already know the sad ending to her story, it's still worthwhile going to the blog and reading her posts.  Cancer may have had destroyed her body, but it didn't damage her spirit.  I met her in person a few times, and she was a truly amazing young woman.

A few short weeks ago, the popular blogger the Bima Ima sadly blogged to us that her six year old son Sam had just been diagnosed with  acute myeloid leukemia.  She and her husband are now chronicling their fight to bring Sam back to full health on Superman Sam, a very honest blog about their feelings and Sam's health.  If you want, please add Sam to your רפואה שלימה refuah shleimah, complete recovery list, Shmuel Asher ben haRav Pesah Esther.

Honestly, I don't go looking for these cancer blogs, but recently a writer of one, Heather, contacted me via comments on my blogs.  She didn't say what she wanted from me,  just that she needed to hear from me.  I kept wondering if I had made a mistake by sending an email to a mystery person, terrified that I had set myself up for a computer virus or something like that.  The fact that she wrote her email with the word "dot" rather than "." did make me feel a bit safer, but still...  It ends up that Heather wanted me to either give her a chance to post on my blog or at least that I'd mention it. 

Heather Von St. James, Courageous mother, wife and survivor of mesothelioma cancer. 

That's why I'm writing about cancer blogs this morning.  Good health to all and Shabbat Shalom
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3 comments:

  1. Yocheved Golani6/7/12 07:23

    The heartfelt communication at health-oriented blogs is a tool for building bridges to friendship, education, and possibly, to cures of the heart, soul, mind, and body. See an interesting example at http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/21/life-interrupted-fighting-cancer-and-myself/

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  2. Eliyahu S.6/7/12 13:08

    I knew RivkA z"l for many years; we were in an aliyah havurah together from 1991, before she married. Later we were neighbors - she actually got me to move to Har Homa because once she was there, not only did I "know somebody," she also made a point of "introducing me around." I guess especially because my mother's jahrzeit is coming up next week, and she, too, died of cancer, I've been thinking of RivkA lately.

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  3. Batya7/7/12 22:09

    Yocheved, I know that RivkA felt the blog was very important to her, to reach out and receive our love and support.
    Eliyahu, I had no idea that you knew each other until I saw you at the funeral.

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