Ten years ago, I responded to a request to volunteer to document the daily routine and special moments at Schneider Children's Medical Center.
More stories:
However, nothing prepared me for meeting Anat, a three-and-a-half-year-old girl who, at the age of five months, was found to have a liver tumor.
Anat was the first child I photographed in the Oncology Department on the seventh floor at Schneider. She loved the camera and constantly asked me to see the pictures I took.
Meanwhile, her mother Sandy told me about a smart, pleasant, and joyful girl who, since she was a baby, spent days and weeks in the hospital for treatment.
I have since met eight-year-old Christina, who had just started chemotherapy; four-month-old Chaya, who underwent open-heart surgery and has been treated in the intensive care unit almost since her birth; Daniel, a one-day-old baby, one of two twins born weighing just 1.7 lbs; Riman, who at one and a half months old came to Schneider from Gaza to undergo life-saving surgery; Uriah, who is four and a half years old, and was admitted to the children's ward due to a complicated case of pneumonia, as well as many other children.
The interaction with each child was unique, each child responds differently to the camera and each child actually allowed me to capture their feelings and emotions at a given moment, even in uncomfortable moments, during treatment or in other hospital situations.
The project, entitled "Heartbeat," reached its peak with the production of an impressive book and a moving exhibition.
The years have passed, and I have also moved on to other projects, but I often wondered what happened to the kids in pictures. To be honest, I was afraid to ask.
In early 2017, I was approached by Jenny, the mother of Christina, who was being treated in the oncology department. Jenny told me that her daughter is now a healthy and beautiful 13-year-old, and that the pictures I took in the hospital still moved them.
This sparked the idea to meet the children again, along with their parents, and photograph them once more in the same location where they were documented five years ago.
In 2017, the project was revived and those same children were photographed again, in the same location, this time five years older - and healthy.
For most parents, returning to that complex time was not easy. Going back to the hospital, to the same ward with the same staff - was a real challenge. I can't even describe how happy I was to meet Anat back then, who grew up to become an amazing eight-year-old girl.
I wish I could go back in time to 2012 and show her parents these pictures, to show them that their infant daughter, for whom they are fighting for her life, is about to become such a lovely child.
Five more years have passed. In 2022, everyone agreed to come back to the hospital and take pictures in the same places where they were photographed a decade ago. We met again, children and parents, so excited to have the opportunity to meet in the same place, to reminisce about a distant yet significant time in our lives, to express gratitude for our lives here and now, and to appreciate everything that is not taken for granted.
Around us were babies and children in care, their parents close by, fighting their life battles for them. I know that this project is so important, especially for these children and parents, who sometimes do not see the end and sometimes lose hope.
The "Heartbeat" project was created, even if unintentionally, to give hope and faith even when everything seems dark and the sky is falling.
'I like to brag I had a rare disease and overcame it'
Anat Yarom, 13, Kibbutz Ayalon
When Anat was a few months old, she was found to have a malignant tumor in her liver. She underwent chemotherapy and complex liver transplant, donated by her father. Subsequently, she underwent radiation therapy and additional surgeries to remove mets from her diaphragm and lungs.
Today, she is a middle school student who loves learning languages and painting.
"I liked the attention," she recalls about her first photoshoot. "It did me good. There were always many people around me who came to pass the time with me in the hospital and the unpleasant treatment experiences. Mom and dad read me books and were with me all the time.
Today I feel very good. And as time goes by, I see how much I cannot separate myself from this experience. My life has become the life of a regular girl, but the illness will remain with me in my memory and in the scars on my body. On the other hand, I increasingly appreciate the experience, because it contributed a lot to my personality. I even like to brag that I had a rare disease and overcame it."
'I went through a heart event, so my heart is wide'
Chaya Shor, 11, Modi'in-Ilit
Chaya was born with a complex heart defect that endangered her life. She underwent open-heart surgery and was treated in the pediatric intensive care unit at Schneider Children's Medical Center from day one until the age of four and a half months.
Today, at the age of 11, Chaya is a joyful, sociable and friendly child. She was given her name at two weeks old.
"My parents told me that it wasn't an easy time, but hope and faith gave them a lot of strength," she says. "Many people prayed for me to be healthy, and in the end, that's what happened.
Today, I feel good and have a lot of friends. Mom says I went through a heart event, and that's why my heart today is wide, loving, and warm. It's a bit difficult for me in school because of delayed development, but we worked hard and my parents worked hard to overcome these obstacles along the way. We're all still excited to see my doctors again on the fifth floor at Schneider. We're all like one big family at the Heart Institute."
Staying positive
Christina Kryukov, 18, Haifa
Christina grew up in Petah Tikva and was diagnosed with an abdominal tumor at the age of eight. She underwent surgery and chemotherapy in the oncology department at Schneider Children's Medical Center.
Today, at the age of 18, she lives in Haifa with her friends and studies at the Air Force Technical School.
"Today, I feel great and make sure to do follow-up tests. And it's important for me to note that although I don't remember much from that time because I was really young, one of the things that helped me cope the most is to be optimistic and strive to be in a good mood as much as possible. Personally, it was one of the things that helped me the most during that time."
'I didn't like being sick'
Uriah Zulfayev, 14.5, Petah Tikva
He was hospitalized in the children's ward at Schneider when he was four and a half years old due to severe pneumonia. Today, ten years later, he is a happy and healthy child who has not been to a hospital since, except when his sister was born.
"I remember from that time Daniela - a clown who had a blue doll, and that was the only thing that made me happy at that time. But nothing remained since then, I feel great. I love playing basketball, I play in Elitzur Petah Tikva. I didn't like being sick then, today I am proud of it."
'I learned things about myself'
Max David Chai, 17, Kfar Saba
At the age of seven, Max underwent a liver transplant surgery. Now, at the age of seventeen, he is a teenager who loves computer games and is a member of the Scout movement.
"I remember when I was little, I didn't feel well. I had to spend a lot of time in the hospital, undergo surgeries, and it made me sad. Not many things encouraged me except for my parents.
Today, I feel good. I enjoy watching movies, reading books, and being with friends. I learned things about myself during that period of illness, how to overcome difficulties, and I wouldn't erase that time even though it was painful."
'The thing I want the most is to become a doctor'
Nabba Mahajna, 12, Um al-Fahm
It has been a long time since Nabba underwent a life-saving liver transplant surgery when she was just one year old. Today, she loves sports, especially basketball and swimming.
"I don't remember many events from the days I was hospitalized, but I remember being well taken care of, and I know that the thing I want the most is to become a doctor in the future, like the doctors who treated me. Thanks to them, I feel good today," she shares.
"I really love sports, especially going to the beach, swimming in the sea, feeling the sand and the sun, and I'm grateful to those who helped me grow and become who I am today."
Riman Abu Gazar, 10, Gaza
Riman was only one month old when she was transferred to Schneider Children's Medical Center for life-saving open-heart surgery. Today, at the age of ten, Riman is a good student, a happy girl who loves to draw and she feels excellent.
'I feel strong'
Daniel Dabul, 11, Alfei Menashe
Daniel is one of twins, the brother of Oz. He was born in the 26th week weighing 1.7 lbs. He was treated in the neonatal intensive care unit at Schneider. Today, at the age of 11, Daniel excels in mathematics and studies game development.
"I was born prematurely. And because of that, I didn't feel well. I was born very light, small, but I grew and strengthened since then, and today I feel strong. I love riding long bike rides, I made a lap around the Sea of Galilee, that's what I love doing the most. I'm also good at chess now. And drawing is something that brings me joy. In my opinion, the most important thing is to be positive and believe in yourself alongside all the challenges on the way."