Count Your Blessings
Brendan Hunt
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IMAGE TO VIEWOne family’s approach to Jewish healing helps others
find balance and gives them hope.
When Devorah Medwin learned that her sister Elisa had leukemia and only a single-digit chance of survival, she dropped her life on Martha’s Vineyard and flew to Arizona. “I went from being a hippie writer-reporter to Scottsdale housewife and mother of three in a 24-hour period,” she said.
Devorah quickly realized that the doctors at the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Arizona were doing everything they could to save Elisa’s life. Devorah wondered what she could do to create a more comforting environment amid the tangle of IV lines and beeping machines. Her knowledge of feng shui, meditation and healing environments inspired her to make some changes in her sister’s room, which was “the color of wilted endive. That seemed to be the place to start because your surroundings affect who you are and what you’re experiencing.”
With her family’s help, Devorah transformed Elisa’s room into a more uplifting and soothing space. They placed silk flowers around the room and brought lamps from home to soften the harsh fluorescent lighting. They covered the walls with brightly colored scarves, pictures drawn by Elisa’s children and quilts handmade by members of Temple Chai, a Reform synagogue in Phoenix where both sisters are members.
The environment changed from hopeless to hopeful.
deanna dent
Medical personnel noticed a more positive energy in the room. During invasive procedures such as spinal taps, the sisters meditated and did visualization exercises. Doctors and nurses said Elisa’s level of anxiety and pain was significantly less than most patients.
The concept of healing in the Jewish tradition embraces physical, spiritual, mental and emotional repair, according to Sharona Silverman, director of the Deutsch Family Shalom Center at Temple Chai. To facilitate healing, Silverman says, people with an illness, whether physical or emotional, must find ways to bring balance and wholeness into their lives.
Jewish teaching emphasizes stimulating the mind through study of Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) and reaching out to others through mitzvot (commandments of Jewish law) and tzedakah (charity). Other important teachings include strengthening family relationships by celebrating rituals such as Shabbat (Sabbath) with prayer and song and taking care of the body through exercise and proper diet.
Devorah helped her sister find that balance. Rather than focusing on the negative aspects of Elisa’s illness, the family concentrated on finding the blessings. Some days, they were small—maybe the IV lines didn’t get crossed or Elisa vomited only 17 times instead of 20. Other days, the blessings were enormous, such as the day the sisters’ 77-year-old father turned out to be a perfect match for a bone-marrow transplant. Elisa underwent the transplant and has since made a complete recovery.
During the year that Elisa was in and out of the hospital, Devorah walked through the corridors and noticed people alone in their bleak and sterile rooms, staring blankly at the television. She realized that not everyone had a sister who’d schlep scarves, lamps and flowers to brighten a hospital room and champion recovery.
Devorah tried to think of a way to miniaturize the healing environment in Elisa’s hospital room and help people remember to count their blessings in the midst of a stressful situation. Something they could carry with them to chemotherapy or radiation or doctor’s appointments.
deanna dent
She came up with the idea of making fabric medicine bags that would unfold into something beautiful. The bundles could hold pictures of loved ones, stones inscribed with inspiring messages, healing crystals and a miniature labyrinth to focus on during meditation. She contacted Silverman at the Shalom Center, who put her in touch with Nona Siegel, a creative Temple Chai congregant. Siegel helped Devorah design what has become known as a blessing bundle.
During the year that Elisa was in and out of the hospital, Devorah walked through the corridors and noticed people alone in their bleak and sterile rooms, staring blankly at the television. She realized that not everyone had a sister who’d schlep scarves, lamps and flowers to brighten a hospital room and champion recovery.
deanna dent
Devorah tried to think of a way to miniaturize the healing environment in Elisa’s hospital room and help people remember to count their blessings in the midst of a stressful situation. Something they could carry with them to chemotherapy or radiation or doctor’s appointments.
She came up with the idea of making fabric medicine bags that would unfold into something beautiful. The bundles could hold pictures of loved ones, stones inscribed with inspiring messages, healing crystals and a miniature labyrinth to focus on during meditation. She contacted Silverman at the Shalom Center, who put her in touch with Nona Siegel, a creative Temple Chai congregant. Siegel helped Devorah design what has become known as a blessing bundle.
Contact the reporter at mhawkes@cox.net.