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Magazine I Special Project

A Story of Recovery Orly Tzahur, a married mother of two, was as a social worker at one of Israel’s most important health maintenance organizations. In 2013 she got diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer leading her onto a quest for recovery. We sat down with her for an open discussion on her journey thus far

“Nine years ago, I was giving a series of lectures to fellow social workers on how to support families dealing with sickness. Around the same time, I noticed a lump underneath my armpit. I didn’t think there was any reason to worry because seven months prior to that, I had undergone a mammogram and an ultrasound, and the results came out fine. I imagined it was nothing more than a momentary inflammation, but I still went to get tested because my family and I were about to go on holiday in Canada and I wanted to put my mind at rest before leaving. I underwent a biopsy, and my GP gave me the results. I heard her say the words ‘Orly, it’s not good. It’s cancer.’ The diagnosis was for breast cancer. Everything came crashing down. The toughest blow came after the CT scan, which revealed the disease had spread to the liver as well. I began chemotherapy and biotherapy, but I found it hard to accept that surgery was not an option, because in my mind, if they operated and removed the tumor, I’d be able to go on with my life. But in my case, a holistic approach was opted for since the cancer had spread - so

the day we were supposed to go on our family trip, ended up being the day I began chemotherapy at the Oncology Institute”. “Getting better became my full-time job” “Chemo knocked out all my energy. I decided to devote what energy I had left, to my family. It was clear to me that I was going to need help coping with it all and took time off work. The first hurdle was telling my daughters about the diagnosis. I discussed the best way to do it with Orit Spira, head of the Israel Cancer Association (ICA) Rehabilitation and Support Department, and resolved not to keep secrets from my family. I told my daughters about it all, including the hair loss and other side effects that come with chemotherapy. Getting better became my full-time job. My aim was to increase my energy levels, so I joined a NIA movement class and a chi gong class in the park. I went to acupuncture sessions and guided imagery workshops, spent time with my friends, and went to the Oncology Institute every week for chemotherapy. I decided to accept the medicine I was receiving with

love. I imagined it as a benevolent force working inside my body to crush the enemy cancer cells. I didn’t think about statistics – I just concentrated on getting better and only listened to stories of recovery. I joined ICA support groups for young women,

28 ATMOSPHERE OCTOBER 2022