Cancer survivor now med student
Published: August 8, 2005
‘People look at me and feel that they can recover. My story gives them the hope,’ Sophia Levi says. ‘Sometimes, the simplest advice can be what helps someone get through the day’
Sophia Levi’s story is one of challenge, determination and hope.
Levi, 25, tells a story of a real triumph against cancer. Levi is a nice young woman, who belongs to a middle-class family from the center of Israel. She was attacked by a form of cancer called Hodgkin’s Lymphoma when she was only 15 1/2, the age of adolescence supposed to be filled with discovery and an active lifestyle.
At first, she did not understand what happened. They didn’t tell her a single word about cancer, but just told her that she had some disease.
“I wept a lot when I found out the disease is dangerous, but most of the time I was optimistic,” she said.
She realized that a period of time would have to pass until the nightmare would come to its end. The chemotherapy treatment continued for 10 months.
“I was obligated to go to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv (a division of Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center) once or twice every two weeks. The treatment would last for 5-6 hours,” she described. The chemotherapy treatment affected her body intensely. She vomited a lot and her hair fell out. She felt weak and lost weight.
“I always cried because of my hair. It was a difficult for me. I was 15 years old, how could I be seen at high school?” she said.
Even though she was undergoing treatment, she continued her studies as usual. Her teachers agreed to let her be absent for lengths of time and helped her when she needed assistance. It was a difficult period, but she had a feeling it would pass and have a positive ending.
“I didn’t think about despair or death, maybe it was denial,” she confessed. She didn’t have a boyfriend like most of her classmates, but she had good friends who helped her a lot.
Levi tried to stay active in school. She participated in organizing activities and ceremonies. Every time she took part in an activity at her school, she felt that was an escape from her near death story. It helped her to face her disease.
In September 1995, the treatment ended. The cancer stayed under control for five years but there was always the possibility that the cancer might come back.
“I felt that the cancer could be back. Every small thing that happened, even stomachaches or a pain in any part of my body stirred a fear that the disease was coming back,” she said.
Today, more than nine years have passed and she is in good health. Since her recovery, Levi has learned to benefit from her confrontation with the disease. She has become more optimistic and feels stronger to face life’s challenges.
Now Levi is in her fourth year of medical school at the Technion in Haifa.
“I chose to study medicine during the period I was sick,” she said. She started to volunteer in the section she had been treated at in Ichilov Hospital. She also works as a volunteer in the Israel Cancer Association . It has become very important to her to take care of sick people who help her feel strong and satisfied.
“People look at me and feel that they can recover. My story gives them the hope. Sometimes, the simplest advice can be what helps someone get through the day,” she said.
When asked about Palestinians who are facing cancer, she expressed remorse over those who don’t have access to treatment and may face unnecessary death due to military closures and blockades.
“It is difficult for me to see people not receive medical treatment. As doctors, we swear to give treatment to everyone in need,” she said.
She was glad to hear that some hospitals in Israel receive Palestinians who suffer from serious diseases.
If you enjoyed this good news Subscribe to Good News Blog
Share this
To share this simply copy and paste one of the below URL's: