One of the four workshops being offered by Beit Natan one
July evening in Jerusalem's Pearl Hotel was entitled, "The
Gift Within Us." Beit Natan, Women's Cancer Support &
Resource Center, was celebrating its first decade, and
inaugurating its second decade of distributing some very
special kinds of `gifts' to thousands of women and their
families.
25 women who gathered in the workshop room — like the
100 other women in attendance at this extraordinary event,
and the many others who were not present — were linked
by a serious illness that had touched their lives —
either as patients, caretakers or mourners. The women hailed
from different walks of life, represented various ages and
expressed diverse religious beliefs. It was difficult to
distinguish who was a caregiver, recovering patient, current
patient or volunteer.
And, that is perhaps the essential beauty of Beit Natan, the
organization that brought these women from Jerusalem's many
quarters, Ashdod, Kibbutz Massua, the Galilee, Afula and
other towns and villages throughout Israel, to an evening in
celebration of the goodness of giving, where the lines of
giving and receiving are frequently blurred.
Abundance Can Have a Double Meaning
For many of the women, their journey with cancer has been a
challenging one, impacting on every aspect of their lives.
But surprisingly, in spite of the challenges, or perhaps
because of them, the resounding theme that echoed throughout
the corridors was, in fact, a belief that there was much for
which to be grateful and hopeful.
Beit Natan offers a support system that enables women to
overcome the feelings of isolation, and emotional and
psychological pain that often drains them.
"Beit Natan evens the playing field for women suffering from
cancer. We cross the health and social divides. We provide a
place, where women can feel they are on an equal footing
within a safe environment," explains Chaya Heller, Founder
and Director.
The workshops were designed to help participants think about
their lives on different levels and from different
perspectives —from the practical to the spiritual, from
the tangible to the intangible, from the individual to the
family.
L., a heavy set 54-year old woman, talked about the word
`abundance'. "Normally, abundance means positive things. For
me, the word meant the opposite. When I finally did marry,
for the first time, at the age of 50, ten months later the
doctors discovered I had breast cancer," L. tearfully
recounted. "But, in spite of this abundance of problems, I
have found an abundance of blessings — my husband has
been unbelievably supportive, and of course there is Beit
Natan."
An Understanding Heart and Ear
Beit Natan, which now resides in a secluded private home with
a flower-laden path to the door in Bayit Vegan, Jerusalem, is
largely staffed by volunteers including recovered patients,
and some paid professionals.
Its first project, Lev Rachel Hotline is manned by recovered
cancer patients who handle calls from women diagnosed with
cancer. The trained volunteers get more than 500 phone calls
a year from women throughout Israel. Beit Natan also spawned
other programs, some of which enjoy international
recognition.
One of those programs is the early cancer detection program.
Representatives from both the Israel Cancer Association,
original supporters of the program, and Susan G. Komen for
the Cure (an international foundation in the field of breast
health education and screening and treatment) who has been
supporting the program for the past three years, joined the
event. Miriam May, Executive Director of the Massachusetts
Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, explains, "Having
an institution like [Beit Natan] is very important and a
model of the kind of programs we want to support and
grow."
Beit Natan's direct telephone outreach service for under-
served women's groups (e.g. Orthodox women, age 50+, elderly
Russian immigrants, etc.) initiates 10,000 calls annually.
Callers educate and encourage the women to go for mammography
exams. It has boosted women undergoing mammography by 10-12%
and Beit Natan has been asked to expand the program.
Beit Natan also offers support groups and individual
counselling, as well as bi-annual retreats.
Five years ago, Beit Natan opened yet another program —
Hatomechet — one of Israel's first volunteer home
hospice visitation programs — which sends specially
trained volunteers to patients during end-of-life illnesses.
This program, supported by the UJA-NY Federation, has
recently expanded outside of Jerusalem to the north (Afula
based) and south (based in Ashdod).
Closing the Circle
Forty year old E. spoke about "Renewal". "Just when I thought
I was at the lowest point in my life, I called Beit Natan and
the woman who answered the phone said, `We have a new course
starting next week. Can you join?' I did. They have given me
the strength and self-confidence that has made all the
difference in my life."
Perhaps, Chaya Heller summed up best. "Anyone with cancer
knows how precious and sweet each moment of life is. At Beit
Natan, we receive the greatest chessed when we see a person
in her darkest moments and can help light them up."
