Last evening, I had the privilege of attending a Siuym on Shas Mishnayos by a young man upon the occasion of his Bar Mitzva. His name is Akiva Brand. What was unique about this particular event was that all the learning was dedicated to the Zechus, to the benefit of my grandson, Reuven Ben Tova Chaya. For those who may not yet be aware, Reuven is my 4 year old grandson and was diagnosed with stage four of a rare bone cancer known as Ewing’s Sarcoma . Reuven is on the right side of this photo taken with his older brother Elisha (on the left) and his cousin Shimon the day before the tumor was discovered.
As explained by his father, David, when they found out about Reuven, they immediately decided to dedicate all their learning to Reuven’s recovery. What is amazing about this Siyum is that is coincides to the day with Reuven completion of his chemotherapy treatment. At the moment of this posting at approximately 12:30 PM CDT Reuven’s treatment ends. And to date, no there has been no visible cancer detected in any of the tests they have run since the tumor was excised several months ago in a rare and complex surgery.
As I have said in the past and as was amply pointed out last night by both David and myself, things do not happen by accident in a world run by God. There has to be significance to the fact that a Siyum upon the completion of the full corpus of Mishnaic law happened at the same time as the “Siyum” …the completion of Reuven’s chemotherapy treatment.
Divine providence was certainly evident in the success of Reuven’s treatment so far. As reported here earlier, the reduction of the size of the tumor (before it was removed) by the chemotherapy treatment was significantly greater than was expected. And the surgery that saved his arm from amputation was a complete success. He has almost total function in his arm where the removed cancerous bone was replaced by a bone from his leg. And that leg has now readjusted to where he is now walking, running, and jumping. And as I said he appears to be cancer free.
As I also stated this was a stage four cancer. The original prognosis was not that great. It has now improved. But unfortunately tumors have been known to recur in cases like this. The doctors made sure that the family realizes this. As hopeful as we are, we know that the danger has not completely passed.
What happens now is that for the next six months, Reuven will be on medication that will boost his immune system which the chemotherapy has weakened. In a month or so he will be given a complete evaluation. A full battery of tests will follow, including numerous bone scans and an MRI. The hope and prayer is that he will continue be free of any cancer just as he is now. After that he will be tested every three months or so.
The good news is that if he stays cancer free for two years his chances of survival go way up and he will be considered almost completely cured. We are told that 90% of all relapses happen during the first two years. And after five years they consider it completely cured. So it is going to be a pretty tense time for us for the next few years. But just as we have been blessed with God’s good graces until now we are hopeful that we will continue to receive His blessing. Until then we continue to pray for Reuven's complete recovery.
I am extremely grateful to the Brands and to all those who have been praying for Reuven’s welfare, and to those who have been involved on Reuven’s behalf in various Mitzvah projects… be it in learning Torah or in doing Chesed. The response from Jews and even non-Jews all over the world has been both heartwarming and overwhelming. And those prayers have certainly found their targets in the ‘heart’ of God and have benefited my grandson and our entire family. May God, the true Healer of all illness, grant all the sick of Israel a complete and speedy recovery.
As explained by his father, David, when they found out about Reuven, they immediately decided to dedicate all their learning to Reuven’s recovery. What is amazing about this Siyum is that is coincides to the day with Reuven completion of his chemotherapy treatment. At the moment of this posting at approximately 12:30 PM CDT Reuven’s treatment ends. And to date, no there has been no visible cancer detected in any of the tests they have run since the tumor was excised several months ago in a rare and complex surgery.
As I have said in the past and as was amply pointed out last night by both David and myself, things do not happen by accident in a world run by God. There has to be significance to the fact that a Siyum upon the completion of the full corpus of Mishnaic law happened at the same time as the “Siyum” …the completion of Reuven’s chemotherapy treatment.
Divine providence was certainly evident in the success of Reuven’s treatment so far. As reported here earlier, the reduction of the size of the tumor (before it was removed) by the chemotherapy treatment was significantly greater than was expected. And the surgery that saved his arm from amputation was a complete success. He has almost total function in his arm where the removed cancerous bone was replaced by a bone from his leg. And that leg has now readjusted to where he is now walking, running, and jumping. And as I said he appears to be cancer free.
As I also stated this was a stage four cancer. The original prognosis was not that great. It has now improved. But unfortunately tumors have been known to recur in cases like this. The doctors made sure that the family realizes this. As hopeful as we are, we know that the danger has not completely passed.
What happens now is that for the next six months, Reuven will be on medication that will boost his immune system which the chemotherapy has weakened. In a month or so he will be given a complete evaluation. A full battery of tests will follow, including numerous bone scans and an MRI. The hope and prayer is that he will continue be free of any cancer just as he is now. After that he will be tested every three months or so.
The good news is that if he stays cancer free for two years his chances of survival go way up and he will be considered almost completely cured. We are told that 90% of all relapses happen during the first two years. And after five years they consider it completely cured. So it is going to be a pretty tense time for us for the next few years. But just as we have been blessed with God’s good graces until now we are hopeful that we will continue to receive His blessing. Until then we continue to pray for Reuven's complete recovery.
I am extremely grateful to the Brands and to all those who have been praying for Reuven’s welfare, and to those who have been involved on Reuven’s behalf in various Mitzvah projects… be it in learning Torah or in doing Chesed. The response from Jews and even non-Jews all over the world has been both heartwarming and overwhelming. And those prayers have certainly found their targets in the ‘heart’ of God and have benefited my grandson and our entire family. May God, the true Healer of all illness, grant all the sick of Israel a complete and speedy recovery.
