No hospital visit is pleasant, and out patients departments are at the best of times crowded, people feel stressed , agitated by long waits, But inside the Sharret building ( oncology ) of Hadassah En kerem there is a calmness, as one waits in the pleasantly air conditioned waiting area for your number and colour to be called over the loud speaker.All staff in this department from the security on the door, the receptionists, ancillary staff to the medical team nurses radiologists phlebotomists Doctors must be hand picked for their efficacy, language skills, decorum and warmth.
This is the waiting room of hope, on the surface there is no despair, everyone sits giving encouraging smiles or nods of the head to the other patients . A drinks machine maintained by a local charity dispenses free teas and coffees to the awaiting crowd, while calming silent smiling volunteers with the air of pure gentleness glide between each patient and their family’s offering home made humas and cucumber sandwiches for those waiting to see the doctor.
It is here that fleeting friendships are made, as cancer knows no ethnic or cultural boundaries, it isn’t subject to age size or income it is a leveler of all. Here Arab Christian and Jew, sit side by side, here the Haridim, Dati lumi ,traditional observant and the non observant exchange greetings, news, names for tefillias along with fruit chewing gum and anti nausea remedies .
Here the “newbies” are gently schooled into the routine by the vetrans, who offer silent encouragement to the often terrified newly diagnosed.
There is a low mumble of chatter and a continual hum of the statutory news program on TV, Although some people visiting the unit are indeed running out of time, there is no jostling for places, the majority entertain themselves as they wait , knitting, greeting their “hospital friends” making kippots some people read books or Kindles some read tehillim, chat or sleep, others like me escape into the high tec world of their lap tops.
Patients support patients, family’s support families , some come with huge entourages others like myself chose to come alone, but `no one is alone here, as all over, even in the lift as it takes you too and from the various departments within the building there is the opportunity to give and receive support, to dry someone’s tears; to briefly squeeze a hand to nod smile and mouth or say “ libriout geveret “ to someone who up to an hour before was an unknown stranger, but is now your comrade in the battle for complete health.
Far from a place of despair and defeat this state of the arc building houses, fighters of immense courage and strength , dedication, medical miracles and optimism. on both the part of the medical team and the patients who in a partnership work step by step towards each and every patients destiny.
This is an incredibly special building that houses faith hope and love.
Libriout….everyone Libriout.
