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Home > Featured > Why I'm Celebrating My 6th Anniversary of Being in a
Wheelchair by Shoshana Yossef
Why I'm Celebrating My 6th Anniversary of Being in a Wheelchair by Shoshana
Yossef
Posted by JewishMom on Sep 26, 2011 in Featured, Inspiration, Jewish Moms,
Motherhood | 6 comments
It is now the 6th anniversary of being called a physically challenged
mother. Or in more technical terms, a quadriplegic.
I was hospitalized 6 years ago just before Rosh Hashanah. From that day on,
I wasn't able to walk properly and since then I have mainly been confined to
a wheelchair.
Every year, when the anniversary comes up I have a dilemma. Should I just
ignore the day, should I cry all day long or should I celebrate the day?
This is the first year that I have felt like celebrating. Why?
There is a lot I have lost. For me, the most important thing is
independence. I am always reliant on other people to help me. Like getting
out of my house, like getting on to public transport and like getting my
meals. Before this happened to me I was always proud of how I
super-independent I was. I could run a home, look after 5 children and earn
an income to support the family.
Now that independence has gone I am able to reflect on whether it is really
important at all. At the end of the day, however much we think we are in
control of running our lives, we are not. We can put loads of effort into
finding a new job and nothing happens. We can want 5 beautiful healthy
children and we get given a child with a serious heart problem. We can want
the perfect marriage and we end up arguing all the time.
No, independence is not important. We are not in control of our lives. Only
the One above knows what we deserve and what we will be given.
What about achievements? For me this was always important. I have an A1
personality which means I have to get the top grades in college, the top
career and the top salary. Now I can't achieve half of what I want to
achieve in a day. Even the simplest of tasks like getting myself dressed
takes an eternity.
So after 6 years have I achieved anything?
Yes. I am still in this world! Three of my close friends have passed away
over this period. With all my physical limitations I can still breathe, talk
and think. In fact, the first question I asked the neurologist on finding
out that I was disabled was "Is my head OK?". I have all my faculties, and
believe me, this is something to celebrate.
Yes I am celebrating life, albeit a different life.
A little more about me: I am a real old-fashioned Marketing Consultant. Yes,
an "old" Britt with more than 25 years of old media experience. TV, radio,
print, PR and even brochures.
Leaving behind glamorous London, I settled in the holiest place in the world
JERUSALEM. During and after 5 beautiful children, I have specialized in
Internet Marketing, starting as Marketing Manager at Jpost.com.
Hooked on Internet and Jewish Media, I joined The J Media Group as their
expert on pay-per-click advertising on Google and Facebook. As well as
advising and buying online advertising to the Jewish and Israeli world.
But always one to be different, I became the only person in Israel to be
disabled from an overdose of Vitamin B6. This was the turning point in my
life: humor, giving and smiling is now my motto.
With my love for marketing and the Jewish world, I added Social Media into
my portfolio. Selling email lists, Facebook/Twitter updates and banners, I
can assess every medium objectively.
Follow me everywhere, but always expect a reply. Visit my website JewNet
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