‎“Dmai Hanuka” in Hebrew is traditionally known as Hanuka gelt ‎‎(money) or chocolate coins. In Hebrew “dmai” also may refer to dues. ‎

Sweet Stuff

A few years back we vacationed with my brother and his family. While ‎exploring the funky town of Hood River, Oregon, my brother came ‎back to the car with the coolest baseball cap ever: on its front was ‎stitched “Old Guys Rule” and on the back, the priceless “The older I ‎get … The better I was”.‎

The older I get … The sweeter I was.‎

I’ve seen sweeter days, I have.‎

I recall the norm in the kibbutz baby house was to put sugar water in ‎babies’ bottles. At the same time in the nursery, toddlers were to be ‎found toting bottles full of purple colored “Mitz Petel” (made from a ‎raspberry flavored sugary syrup concentrated goop).‎

I liked my cola and was a sucker for a Snicker’s bar or a slice of cheese ‎cake…‎

Hubby added three heaping teaspoons of sugar to his coffee…‎

Priceless, huh?!‎

Illness Strikes

Last week I had my girl Tziona’s back as I accompanied her for a ‎chemotherapy treatment. As usual, I made sure to have plenty of ‎nutritious food on hand including vegetable patties, homemade trail ‎mix, apples and a green smoothie of course! Like me, Tziona is very ‎health conscious. She had busied herself the night before preparing ‎vegan sushi with whole brown rice. We were well stocked and each of ‎us had her own green smoothie in hand! We were armed and ready.‎

It was a good thing that we came prepared. It was a long long day. I ‎left the house at six in the morning and did not return until well after ‎eight in the evening.‎

Shell shocked, I entered the state of the art Assuta hospital of Ramat ‎Ha-Hayal, Tel Aviv. Not for nothing does its website proclaim: “Israel's ‎largest and leading private hospital”! Upon entering I was ‎overwhelmed with a very sweet welcome. Adjacent to the information ‎desk was a very large storefront sign: Sweet(s). I made a note to ‎myself to check it out later when I had some free time.‎

A few hours later sleeping beauty was out like a light, exhausted from ‎her magical light potions. I took advantage of the breather and left to ‎explore and stretch my legs. Once again I found myself passing the ‎"sweet shoppe"…‎

I cannot begin to find the words to express, neither the depth nor the ‎breadth, the wealth of the sweet choices packed into the tiny ‎storefront. I felt a wave of anger stunning me from head to toe.‎

How could a “leading hospital” allow itself to greet its patients like ‎this?‎

Was this the subliminal message behind its agenda?‎

Continue to eat sweets. Don’t worry; we’ll be here to take care of you ‎when you become ill…‎

Does a “leader” not have a moral responsibility for all who visit within ‎its gates? Should the message not be more aligned with Lady ‎Liberty’s: “I lift my lamp beside the golden door”?‎

Tziona is a well-known health advocate. She frequently appears in the ‎media: news, radio and television. A few months ago she became ill ‎and she used the social media to tell her story, her choices and her ‎message. I asked her permission to share here on my blog with you.‎

We each follow our own path, choosing our way. Some of us follow ‎the more trodden path while others lead and forge their way. At any ‎given moment, at any particular junction, circumstances may change. ‎He who once followed may lead and she who once led may follow or ‎anywhere on the spectrum in-between… ‎

In Search of Healing

Her letter begins:‎

Hello to everyone,‎

I have something important that I wish to share with you all, as it is ‎having a big impact on my life and ‎will have an impact, I think, on ‎yours too.‎

Never say never!!!‎

I have been feeling very tired for the last year, and was waiting to do ‎some functional medicine tests ‎to try see what the problem was. This ‎was all complicated by the fact that I have a serious needle ‎phobia. ‎

At the end of July I contracted a stomach virus and landed up in ‎hospital, and allowed the doctor to ‎do a blood test. That’s when the ‎alarm bells went off. ‎

After many tests and consultations, I was diagnosed with‏ ‏a form of ‎non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Of all ‎the 40 different kinds of lymphomas, ‎I have the least virulent and most treatable kind. I had always said ‎I ‎would never ever have chemo!

Well, never say never……. ‎

After calls to various clinics and doctors ‎who are also in the alternative ‎medical field, it became clear that the alternative treatments ‎for ‎lymphoma only have a 30% success rate, and I was told to do the ‎chemo. ‎

This was a huge shock for me and I did a lot of work on myself with ‎wonderful friends and ‎therapists, as I knew that I needed to change ‎how I thought about chemo and all the tablets I would ‎have to take, ‎including cortisone. So I decided to call the chemo – “my magic light ‎potion” and imagine ‎this stream of light and love flowing into my ‎body and bringing me healing, love and joy. The same ‎with the ‎medications I needed to take. ‎

Green smoothies – the best medicine! ‎

I was very fortunate to find a wonderful professor and man who is my ‎doctor, and who does not mock ‎or belittle me for my beliefs, what I ‎eat and the way I live, but is very respectful and open. I’m ‎truly ‎grateful. I have been eating the food that I share with all of you, and ‎having green smoothies ‎almost every day. A number of doctors were ‎amazed that I was functioning and doing things all the ‎time, even with ‎a hemoglobin count of 7.9 (normal is around 12-14!). That meant I ‎had about ‎half the blood of a normal adult in my body, and many ‎other blood indexes were very low. My spleen was about 7 times that ‎of a normal spleen. I’m sure it was due to my lifestyle, food, and ‎smoothies that I functioned so well…. ‎

To read the rest of Tziona’s message and learn more use this link…‎

I wish Tziona much magical healing light. May she continue to be ‎optimistic and cheery and have faith in her path.‎

As written in the Talmud: Let us “be pliable like a reed, not rigid like a ‎cedar.” One can never know what lies on the path ahead.‎

I would like to thank you for your patience in reading this post to its end.‎

If you liked what you read and you are not on my mailing list, you can sign up ‎here.‎

Finally I would like to request that you please share my post which precedes the ‎release of my animated clip. I am so excited! Please share this ‎post…‎

Dreams do come true!

Next week, God willing, my film will be released to a theater near you☺

Thank you and have a great week!‎

You tell your future! The power is ours!