A New Year
Two more days to go. We have so much to be thankful for. Friends who gave birth to beuatiful healthy babies this year. Freinds who had miraculous recoveries from very grave illnesses. Despite the bombings we say Chamshich hala, as we go forward to bless Hashem and hope to receive a year of blessing and spiritual growth. May klal Israel be blessed for a sweet new year. 
My computer was hit by a virus and was destroyed. I received a new much more powerful one, a friend said Hashem takes away copper coins and replaces them with golden ones. I read this week in the Midrash says that suffering is a preparation for receiving Hashems blessing. My we all accept our suffering with love

This week we went to swim at Askelon. I sat in the sea with my 4 year old Downs syndrome son in my arms and gazed out. My 22 year old son was with us. I thought back to the time nearly 8 years before when I had sat in the same spot and gazed out to sea wondering what the future would hold for us. We had then recently made aliya. I wished I could see into the future. Well BH I we have blessed with everything good these past 8 years. Our lives could not have been better. I have seen my children change from young boys aged 12 and 14 to men aged 20 to 22. The Rabbis have done a good job, I am more than satisfied. We would never have grown like this if we had stayed in South Africa. I pray that the next 8 years will be just as good and I thank Hashem for His kindness

Last week I  stayed over at Hadassah Ein Kerem at night to look after my friends baby. She is recovering from a heart operation and she is not eating well, she is a  Downs syndrome  baby. The  staff are wonderful so caring. There is so much chessed in the hospital from  so many people who  come with food and toys. The next morning I met another friend at the post office. She had spent the night looking after another mutual friend of ours. Its amazing the baby and the sick friend have the same name. Last night I stayed over with the baby again and this morning I went to visit the sick friend she was sleepings so I  did not stay. Unfortunately the sick friend 's condition is very serious. I hope to visit her again this week maybe tomorrow

I have found in my experience as a lawyer that single women olim who are Anglo and do not speak Hebrew are in a very vulnerable position in Israel. Here I am referring to women who come to Israel when they are 30 and older.  Often they do not have the ability to earn a living. They do not have a social life, they are isolated and lonely. They do not learn to speak Hebrew and they feel very alienated here. What is worse some of them that I meet seem to have gross psychiatric problems and I wander whether they came here to escape from their lives elsewhere because they had psychiatric problems. Or maybe the stress and hardship of life here made them have these mental problems

I have come across so many people in Israel recently who avoid the doctor because they dont like him

In Israel we have a medical aid system that provides their own doctors

So we are stuck sometimes with doctors who we do not like

But by not going to him we are harming ourselves

My husband was suddenly nifta with a massive stroke he never went near doctors and did not know he had a blood pressure problem

For those people who come from countries where there was private medice and they could choose their doctors this is often very unpleasant

Moreover because of cultural differences and language problems people often do not get on with their doctors

When we came here I already knew lots of South African doctors, they were mostly on the same medical aid scheme. So I joined that scheme and went to them. I was very satisfied

Many people were not so fortunate 

When we go to the hospital we often meet very skilled doctors who have no bedside manner

I have been a nurse for years and I have found that many of the best doctors have no bedside manner especially the surgeons

I suppose that is because they choose surgery because they see their patients when they are under anaestetic and so do not have to relate to them

So what happens

People do not go to the doctor

Many of my pregnant ladies do not go and thus place themselve and their babies at risk

Many people in their 50s and onwards do not go to the doctor so they have unnecessary strokes and heart attacks which could have been prevented

So my advice is go to the doctor.  If you do not like him try and shop around.  Ask your friends to recommend a good doctor

Change medical aids if necessary. Phone me or email me, but do not stop going to the doctor

I am going to post a list of sites that help people with different problems eventually it will be in categories



Grief



Sudden infant death

http://sids-network.org/



Still born and neonatal death society

SANDS http://www.uk-sands.org



life issues

http://www.learningplaceonline.com

A very dear friend has a growth on her eye and needs an operation urgently within 3 weeks

She needs $4000 for the surgery as she has been recommended to a surgeon who is not on her medical aid

We are very fortunate here in Jerusalem there are organisations to help and she will get the money

She has to go out of town for the operation so we are waiting for a date and I will go with her as she is a single mother with no family here

If you have similar problems let us know immediately because we know where to find help