Having problems with message search?
KIND WORDS
"Friends For Life"
Edited by Shmuel Greenbaum
Printed with Permission of http://www.TraditionOfKindness.org
Twelve years ago, my best friend was told that she would die of cancer before Chanukkah. I moved into an apartment with her so I could take care of her. At the time I felt so strong, I could be there for her until she breathed her last.
Two months before Chanukkah, I helped her get into an experimental treatment that would prolong her life but not cure her. It used intensive radiation, far beyond the level allowable by federal guidelines and available only on a trial basis. It was horrible chemo that made her hair fall out and gave her violent vomiting.
Midway through the treatment she decided she would rather die than go to more treatments. I bribed her with the promise of plastic surgery that she wanted so badly and she continued the treatments to come into remission. Since then her cancer came back several times and went into remission each time as she tried new experimental treatments. I wasn't really saving her life but I was able to help keep her going for the past twelve years.
This past Monday, it was Labor Day and we were cleaning up the apartment. I went to ask her a question and found her lying face down on the floor. She couldn't move; she couldn't talk; her eyes just stared at me. I called 911 and in about three minutes the paramedics were there and rushed her to the hospital. She had a stroke and by the grace of G-d, I was simply there to find her and call the paramedics.
Before this episode, she had been having unexplained headaches for over a week and a day or so before she complained of a temporary hole in the vision of her right eye. I didn't recognize it but these were classic symptoms of a stroke.
It would be a real kindness if everyone on the "Kindness" list could have a list of the obvious stroke symptoms and perhaps learn to identify an oncoming stroke and get proper treatment before it happens.
The information below is from http://www.strokeassociation.org/
Stroke is a medical emergency. Know these warning signs of stroke and teach them to others. Every second counts:
- Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
- Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
- Sudden, severe headache with no known cause
Call 9-1-1 immediately if you experience symptoms!
Time lost is brain lost!
. _____________________________________________________________________________
"Stop Harming Yourself"
By Zelig Pliskin
Printed with Permission of Shaar Press
Imagine someone who is totally discouraged. For a while now nothing is going right. Everything in his life is falling apart. With each blow he becomes more deeply depressed. He has no energy left. He’s not eating and not sleeping. Thoughts of putting an end to it all become stronger. He’s walking near a bridge. Below is a turbulent river. It’s tempting for him to jump. As he’s contemplating this drastic decision, you walk by. He looks to you as his last chance. "Do you think I should jump?" he asks. Here’s your opportunity to save his life. You will use every persuasion tactic and strategy that you can possibly think of. His life is up to you and you will do whatever you can to save him.
Not everyone is approached by people contemplating suicide. But we all encounter people who are harming themselves and putting their lives in danger. Did you ever see anyone smoking a cigarette? These "coffin nails" are certified dangerous. Did you ever see someone crossing a street without looking both ways carefully? He is asking for trouble. Did you ever see someone driving excessively fast or passing another car in defiance of basic rules of safety? This person might end up killing his family, innocent strangers, or even himself.
Whenever you see someone doing something that is potentially harmful to himself or others, speak up. Use the persuasion abilities you have stored in your mental library and influence this person to stop doing things that are harmful and potentially destructive.
What if you have no inkling how to motivate people in these situations? Learn how. Read. Take a course on selling or persuasion. Consult experts for advice. Do whatever you can to gain the necessary knowledge. Saving a life is the greatest act of kindness. Make it a priority to learn how.
I heard this story from one of my students:
I am forever grateful to the person who successfully insisted that I go on a diet. I was obese and was consistently gaining weight. "Diets aren’t for me," I thought. I tried many of them but didn’t have the willpower. Then someone who barely knew me said to me with total compassion. "Do me a favor. Let me save your life. I’ll speak to you daily and give you encouragement to stick to a healthy diet." This person called me up two and three times a day. When I asked how I could repay this kindness, I was told, "Just be there for someone else like I was there for you."
. _____________________________________________________________________________
Shmuel's Speaking Engagements
* September 18
Philadelphia, PA
* September 23 - 24
Israel
* October 17 – 26
Boston
* April 28 – May 1
. _____________________________________________________________________________
Join Us!
Be a "Partner In Kindness."
http://www.TraditionOfKindness.org (Daily Jewish e-mail)
http://www.PartnersInKindness.org (Weekly Non-Sectarian e-mail)
French:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Potentiel_de_Bonte (Weekly e-mail)
Spanish:
http://espanol.groups.yahoo.com/group/LapracticadelaBondad/ (Weekly e-mail)
Portuguese:
http://br.groups.yahoo.com/group/ParceirosNaBondade/ (Weekly e-mail)
Volunteers Needed
To translate our e-mails into these languages and others
. _____________________________________________________________________________
Kind Words
is a free weekly e-mail distributed by Partners In Kindness.Although the content of these e-mails contains copyrighted material, Partners in Kindness allows users who register at our website to reprint them in print, on a website, or on an e-mail distribution list at no cost.
If you have permission to reprint this e-mail, please ensure that you reprint the entire e-mail (including this notice).
Kindness is like music, art, sports or any other discipline -- it can only be mastered with practice, training, and lots and lots of encouragement. That is what PartnersInKindness.org is trying to promote.
The archive for Kind Words e-mails is located at:
For further information, please visit our Website http://www.PartnersInKindness.org
e-mail: info@...
. _____________________________________________________________________________
To un-subscribe send a blank e-mail to:
Kindness-unsubscribe@...
To subscribe send a blank e-mail to:
Kindness-subscribe@...
Yahoo! for Good
Click here to donate to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort.
Offline 
Send Email