Why am I sitting here with tears streaming down my face for a two-year-old toddler I have never met, and as it turns out, never will, meet? Why, throughout the day, as I am seemingly pulled together going about my usual business, does it catch me by surprise that lump in my throat when my eyes well up?
I, along with so many others around the globe, fell in love with Ayelet Yakira Galena. The tears I now shed join the ocean of thousands of others tears for that adorable sweet little angel. After so many long months of carrying her in the forefront of my heart, and becoming attached, its hard to let go.
Ayelet, together with her awe-inspiring parents, Seth and Hindy, were thrust into the public spotlight when they received the devastating diagnosis that Ayelet suffered from a very rare autoimmune disease and needed a bone marrow transplant to save her life. Immediately, a national search for a bone marrow match was launched.
Seth and Hindy started a blog, Eye on Ayelet, chronicling this harrowing journey.
For a terrifying public ordeal such as this with so much inherent drama, their updates were anything but attention-seeking or sob-story shmaltzy. Seth and Hindy shared their thoughts and updates with such class, understatendness, grace and believe it or not, humor. I learned so much from their love, strength and noble faith and humility that shined through their humorous posts, that even in the worst of times, brought a smile to the face.
To give you an idea, just last week, Seth teased us obessive Ayelet fans with this: I checked the Eye on Ayelet site this morning and realized in the past month we had over 60,000 visits. Uh…Hello Ayelet Addicts Annonymous! When I actually looked closer, I realized its only 14,000 people hitting the refresh button five times a day. Dedicated or just Jewish anxiousness at its best, not wanting to miss a thing.
Its true. We didnt want to miss a thing. I, together with the rest of us who came to be coined by Seth and Hindy Ayelet Nation, checked up on our little tiny and adorable Ayelet angel first thing in the morning and last thing before going to sleep. And who knows how many times throughout the day. Day by day, we hung onto each and every update. Ayelet became the rhythm of our days.
She was dressed as a little fashionista with the cutest mary jane style socks and accessories. By the end, it was mostly headbands and these feminine flapper hats. I will forever now think of her when I see flapper style hats.
It was an epic battle. Day by day, as each update came there was a rise or fall to the mood of the day, depending on how Ayelet was.
When Ayelet improved, our spirits soared. When she was in danger, we redoubled our fervent efforts in prayer, mitzvos, challah baking and extra acts of kindness.
One of Ayelets challenges was peeing. Seth and Hindy asked Ayelet Nation for special focus to be said on the prayer Asher Yatzar, recited after going to the bathroom. Many who never heard of this prayer recited it for the first time for Ayelet a two-year-old stranger they never met. And me, who has been saying it by rote my whole life, began saying it with intensity and fervor hoping to send the vibes of this prayer and the most private and intimate of our physical needs onto Ayelet. Asher Yatzar will never be the same again.
She was such an adorable little munchkin pie. But as the months were passing by, the daily pictures of Ayelet were becoming heart-wrenching to see.
Her round sweet face full of innocent baby beauty became swollen from the meds and she lost her hair from the chemo. The striking contrast that stared me in the face between her darling blog picture with her dimple, bob hair style, sparkling blue eyes and her finger playfully in her mouth-before she was ill, and the pictures of her current updates mostly asleep lying in a hospital bed with a web of tubes cloaking her, tore at my heart. And yet, through it all, what enveloped Ayelet the most was just so much unconditional love, you could almost feel it.
Seth and Hindy shared their journey in a way that felt like we were all right there with them. A life lived in the hallways of a hospital, from the love, the pain, the terror, from the day-to-day ordinary moments to the moments straddling life and death they shared it all with us.
I cant believe, after all the vicissitudes of this journey, the decision from above was to take Ayelets neshama (soul) back. What a tragedy. It is always beyond painful when G-d cuts a life, but especially when it was filled with so much pain in its brief span. And especially, to think of the profound, searing pain of bereaved parents. More than ever, it is at times such as these that we feel how much the ways of G-d are hidden from us. Since this was Ayelets destiny, I just feel so privileged that our neshamot crossed paths in this world.
Ayelet was two years old. In her short but significant time on this earth, she accomplished more than I ever have, and more than most people I have known. I dont know who this physically tiny Ayelet was, who came along and changed the world for so many of us.
Who by her mere existence taught us all so much about living, that no philosophical tome ever could. What I do know, is that this mighty battle of clinging to life fought with so much faith and love, prayers and acts of kindness is unforgettable. As is her legacy. Ayelet lives on in a piece of each of our hearts that she captured.
This was Ayelet Nations final update:
No words. Ayelet Galena zl.
With unstoppable tears and broken heart we regret to announce that last night around 5 a.m., after hours of fighting and holding on, our precious Ayelet the heart of our world, the light and strength for so many could not fight anymore.
She is gone.
She put up a serious fight, but her lungs collapsed, her blood pressure dropped and the blood could not get to her huge heart.
Baruch Dayan Emet. Her life, her strength, a blessing to so many.
Copyright © 2012 by the Intermountain Jewish News
