[HANASHIR:12471] Re: the latest... from the source...

[Francine Berg <songberg...>]

Shalom Angela
,  I am sure the entire Hanashir will say a misheberach prayer for you this 
week, and we know that G-d will be  with you as you heal from this medical 
problem.  Surgeons today do incredible things, and you will be one of those 
miracles.  Take care, and the best of everything will come your way.  
Francine Berg


>From: MoVFTYite (at) aol(dot)com
>Reply-To: hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org
>To: hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org
>Subject: [HANASHIR:12468] the latest... from the source...
>Date: Sat, 12 Oct 2002 10:15:59 -0400
>
>Hello Hanashir Community Friends...
>
>I wish I could write a more upbeat, happy letter to all of you right now, 
>as I'm still just at the beginning of my time here in Hong Kong... but as 
>many of you have probably heard already, something terribly scary and 
>unfortunate has happened.  On Tuesday evening, October 8th, I headed to a 
>Congregational Executive Committee meeting after having spent my day off 
>relaxing at home... I was the first person to walk into our auditorium.  
>Four other people walked in a few minutes later.  We stood around chatting 
>for a minute or two, and suddenly I fell to the floor and had a seizure.  I 
>do not remember having the seizure or even falling to the floor.  This has 
>never happened to me in my lifetime.  It didn't last very long, just a 
>couple of minutes at the most.  I woke up with people around me, asking if 
>I knew who they were.  I was very confused and it took me a few minutes to 
>get my thought processes working again.  The paramedics came and put me in 
>a wheelchair and took me to the ambulance.  One friend accompanied me to 
>the hospital.  They tested my blood sugar and it was very low.  They 
>thought perhaps this was a hypoglycemic attack.  I got to the hospital, 
>weary from all the shocking events but with all of my personality and with 
>color coming back to my face.  I was so very lucky that this didn't happen 
>to me when I was alone all day, or when I was on my way to the meeting.  I 
>had people around me who I knew, and who knew me, and who made sure I was 
>taken care of properly and immediately.  I am so grateful for them...  I 
>waited for some tests to be done.  My friend Sharon kept me company and 
>kept my mind off of being overly scared.  She stayed with me until 
>something like 4 in the morning.  I had a CT scan later that night which 
>revealed a shadow on the right side of my brain near the top of my head, 
>above my ear.  I stayed in the hospital and the next day they did an MRI, 
>which revealed more detail.  The team of 4 doctors that reviewed the 
>results came to an agreement that what they saw looks like it could be a 
>tumor.  This news, needless to say, is incredibly scary for me.  On the 
>"bright side", they say it looks to be of the more tame variety... and it's 
>just below the skull, which makes the operation a bit easier to do.
>
>The community here has been so amazingly supportive.  I have hardly gone a 
>moment in these last 4 days in the hospital without at least one visitor.  
>Many people have called me as well.  The hospital is excellent -- in fact 
>the medical system here in Hong Kong, in many ways, is better than that in 
>the U.S.  Still, we are looking at the options and trying to figure out 
>what the best route would be as far as surgery is concerned.  We are 
>looking into having it in St. Louis.  My sister flew here from Taiwan 
>yesterday and my parents arrived here this morning.  I was given permission 
>to leave the hospital to be with my family until tuesday, when I have to be 
>back for a blood test.  So we are making the best of the situation... I 
>showed my family around a little bit today.  It is so nice to be away from 
>the hospital.  I felt like I didn't belong there, even though most people 
>in my ward had similar medical situations to mine.  I am feeling energetic 
>and upbeat most of the time, largely a result of the incredible communities 
>of people who have come together in my support.  The medication I am on is 
>making me feel a bit like I'm drunk... I suppose there could be worse 
>effects...
>
>Anyway, that's the story, in a nutshell.  No, this was not in my contract.
>
>I'm not sure how often I will get to check my email, but if you are needing 
>to reach me you can try my mobile phone... the number is:   country code 
>(852) 9427 6633
>
>Okay, I don't know how to end this email, but please know that I am smiling 
>right now, trying to be as positive as I can be.  People have asked what 
>they can do to help... I say sing a song with everything you've got... and 
>smile and laugh... and hug each other.
>
>Thanks,
>Angela
>?©Ú²«²¦jÈh®?¢Ë^u¼??©?²áx?°?ÈMzÜ(®Hm¶?ÿ²¦jÈh®




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