Shelly Yachimovich
@Syechimovich · Israeli opposition & former officials
Shelly Yachimovich is an Israeli politician.
This is going to be completely personal, an answer to those who are interested and asking but are not in the family-and-friends loop. Eight months ago my life suddenly changed. A cancerous tumor was discovered in my pancreas. Luckily, it was diagnosed at an early stage, with no metastases, and I was operated on immediately. Since then, the CT has shown for the third time that the tumor that was removed has not returned and that there are no signs of the disease recurring. But pancreatic cancer is a bastard of a cancer that has to be attacked on every front, so I am undergoing fairly tough chemotherapy once every two weeks. There are difficult days, but there is no misery or fear. Context also plays a role here. Somehow I do not feel that I have the legitimacy to make myself into a victim. On October 7 and in the three years that have passed since then, so many young men and women, boys and girls, were murdered and killed in such terrible deaths; so many dreams, hopes, and wishes were buried in the earth. Who am I, with the interesting, fulfilling, and good life I have had and continue to have in every respect, to complain or feel sorry for myself? It certainly is not fun, but it is not horrific either. Most of the time I feel good, ride a bicycle, and do almost everything I did before, but in moderation, because the chemotherapy weakens me. I go to the beach, meet friends more often, experience love and the willingness of the people around me to help in every possible way, and it is moving, sorry for the cliche. I have not developed mystical tendencies or alternative theories, nor have I formed some thrilling new insight into the meaning of life. I trust modern medicine, and I admire and appreciate the teams at Ichilov, at every level. They are buckling under an inhuman and unreasonable workload, and yet they maintain, in an astounding and heroic way, insane standards of professionalism and dedication. I am grateful to them, and also to the staff of the Ben Yehuda clinic at Clalit, for the entire supportive framework. I am doing everything necessary to recover and to keep the disease from returning, and the odds are not bad, but with a practical frame of mind and at peace even with less optimistic scenarios. If you have questions, feel free to ask here or in private, and I will feel free to answer if I have the energy. In the photo: during one of my chemotherapy treatments, with Oved, my wonderful and beloved partner of six years.
Translated from HebrewKahlon, I am the last person who needs to warn you about him. You are an outstanding graduate of the unbearable time spent at his side. You are too good to go through the very brief heyday in which you will serve as bait for those who have had enough of him, and after that the campaign of humiliations, belittlement, and lies. And this is said out of sincere appreciation for you. @KahlonMoshe @netanyahu
Translated from Hebrew