To Stand as a Witness

Wednesday October 23rd, 2013: Elias Feinzilberg (96 yr old Holocaust survivor), and ICC

 

Today I had some really neat experiences! First of all we had our ICC for Nursing which included Trachea care/suctioning, neonate resuscitation, and neonate respiratory distress scenario. To be honest I was dreading this day.  Sister Garbett is such a nice lady but honestly she takes way to long to spit things out and seems to waste a lot of time. Time is of the essence here, it can't be wasted! So I kind of went into ICC with a bad attitude. The trachea care started off rough. Sister Garbett didn't bring any materials really, which I don't blame her without 50 lbs limit, but it made things a little hard. We had a shoe box for a baby, a premature resuscitation bag for the trachea, a shoe lace for the straps, and luckily a suction kit to suction with. Overall it ended up being pretty amusing to watch but surprisingly we didn't all get to go through the steps because we ran out of time. Then Sister Whitchurch came to help with the neonate resuscitation part. This previous month there was a team from Primary Children's Hospital that came to neighboring hospitals to teach a seminar about resuscitation and stayed in the Jerusalem Center. Sister Whitchurch and Sister Garbett were fortunate enough to go with them on one or two of their expeditions to teach. She brought her kit to help teach us and help us to be comfortable with the basic skill of resuscitation. She said it was so surprising to see the midwifes and hospitals not realize they can save a baby. She told of one lady who said she had never lost a baby but then after the seminar came up to explain that she thought if a baby wasn't breathing when born it was dead. She then would just bury the child without any further intervention. She was so grateful for this new knowledge. It was so fun to learn on a warm water filled baby. I was just so impressed with this group traveling across the world to increase the knowledge and materials of other hospitals. I really hope that one day I have the chance to do something like this! It was also nice to see how you can save a life in just under a minute with this new skill!

Another experience I had today was the Forum. Usually I dread forums also because they seem to be a waste of time and lose my interest quickly. I was however excited for todays! Today we were fortunate to have a Holocaust survivor come to tell his story and insights. He was the cutest old man who was accompanied by a Pilipino caregiver. He told basic statistics such as 6 million Jews were killed with 1 1/2 million being children. He told of time frames and countries/people involved. Then he began his story. The first thing that happened were posters being put up that said 400 men were needed for work. They would need to be strong and healthy, checked out by their doctor, and report to a certain place. Elias was able to pass and was then hired and taken for work. Part of the deal was that the family would also be paid. Throughout his story he tells of being in 9 concentration camps, of volunteering for work any chance he can get. Of getting sick and being sent home only to find his house abandoned his 7 brothers and sisters gone and his parents nowhere to be found. His neighbor then prepared him for the news that his dad died of hunger and his mom and siblings had been burned to death. Still he persevered, he continued to press forward not knowing how long he would last. I was amazed at the little details he remembered as a 22 year old man and the emotion his story was filled with. He told of the blunt violence and hatred that the German soldiers and SS had and the beatings he endured, and the little food he received. He then told of the liberation and of going to work in a kitchen where he would then meet his wife. This couple fled to Guatemala where his Uncle lived and there established a family. The part that struck me the most out of this experience was his last comments. He said he is part of a "club” of survivors, yet he is the only one to talk. He believes that God saved him to be a witness, to tell others what has happened so they can learn and prevent this in the future. I also adored the true love he had for his wife and how you could see in his presence that he cherished life in every form but that he truly missed her presence. I sure hope that I can cherish the life I have been given and share my testimony as a witness of Christ and all he has done for me.