Hannah's Special Christmas - reprinted in honour of a dying woman

Storytime Tapestry Newsletter

The newsletter devoted tospreading love and cultural awareness around the world.

Carol's Corner

December 24, 2007

By now you have read the regular issue of StorytimeTapestry or my prayer request on gather.com and you know that my mother in law is dying.  My Matt has all the worries on hisshoulders.  He has a brother who is adoctor in the states but is unreachable at this point.  Matt has been very sick for over a month andthe stress of his mom's situation does not help.  Matt's mom has always been a strong woman andnever saw a doctor in over 40 years.  We thoughtshe was going to die in October and she recovered but for the last three daysshe is in a bad way again.  She finallyagreed to go to the hospital.  Matt is therewith her now, so I have no news as to what is happening.  I love my mother in lol she is one greatlady.  So I thought that I would reprintt his story I had written a while back for those of you to get to know her andsee for yourself what a wonderful loving individual that she is.

Hannah'sSpecial Christmas

CarolRoach

I know very little about her, even her ownson is not sure if she was born on August29, 1926, or August26, 1929. Judging by his age and that of his brother, I believe she wasborn in 1926.

I am a writer and a student of humannature. I care to learn about people; where they come from, what they thinkabout, and what they do. Matt on the other hand, is an accountant who dealswith numbers and he is an accomplished artist. He paints beautiful pictures,yet he doesn't have the same desire to learn about people as I do.

To me it is very strange that a sonwould not know the birthday of his mother. For him things like birthdays arenot that important. He tells me his mom does not celebrate birthdays. Howeverthere was a time that she did celebrate one very special birthday.

I cannot imagine what it was like for aJewish girl growing up in Iraq, a Muslim country. All I know is thatwhen Hannah was 14, her family hired an Arabic language teacher for her tostudy under. They felt learning Arabic, the official language of the countrywould serve her well; and so it did. Years later, she married that Muslim manand had two boys; Matt and his older brother Munir.

The family was considerably wealthy.Matt's father was a well respected lawyer and a pillar in his community. Theboys had the best that life could offer and they were very much loved.

Much to his chagrin, the father alsoknew that one day his sons would grow to be men and would have to serve in theIraqi army. Being a peace loving, god fearing man, he did not want that for hisboys. Therefore a plan was set in place so that the boys would each study in Englandand get away from Iraqfor good.

Since Munir was four years older thanhis brother, he left for Englandwhen Matt was still a young child. Mattcontinued to prosper at home. He was his father's pride and joy. At six yearsold he played chess and held intelligent conversations with his father'sfriends. His intellect surpassed his tender years. By the time he had finishedelementary school, Matt further proved his superior intelligence by placingfirst in the Iraqi school system. He also had plans for studying in Englandand becoming a doctor, like his olderbrother.

When Matt reached Englandhe attended one of the best schools inthe country for foreign students. He worked and studied very hard to achievehis dream. He had such big plans that were well within his reach until the dayhis entire world was changed forever.

At fifteen, when his illustrious futureshould have been waiting in front of him, his life almost came to an end. Hewas hit by a car and left for dead in the middle of an English highway. Thedriver sped by without a second thought.

Hannah and her husband flew in from Iraqto be with their son. The doctors saidthe prognosis was bad. They didn't expect Matt to live.

As any mother will tell you, doctor'sprognosis or not, a mother never gives up on her son and will try any means inwhich to keep him with her. Hannah was no exception. Here she was a mother oftwo boys living in a different country and one of them, her youngest, her baby,was about to die. She just couldn't wrap her mind around that terrible thought.It just couldn't happen.

The family visited their son everydaywhile he was in the hospital and in a state of a coma. The English nurses werevery compassionate with Hannah.

Hannah was a grieving mother, in astrange new land. There was so much that Hannah did not know or understandabout the West and Englandin particular. She could not even speakEnglish. But one thing she did comprehend was that it was December,Christmastime for people in the West.

The hospital was decorated for theChristmas season and everyone was in a festive mood. While here she was, aJewish woman married to a Muslim man with a dying child in a Christian hospital.Sometimes, life could be ironic like that.

Instead of cursing this strange new landfor putting her son in such a terrible situation, Hannah embraced the customsof the country. She prayed to the god of the Christians, whom she had known tobe a simple Rabbi all her life. She prayed to Jesus and begged that if hespared her son's life she would celebrate Christmas from that point forward.

Matt survived the accident. He came outof a coma nine months later, but his struggle was not over. The doctors saidonce again said that the prognosis was dismal. He was not expected ever to walkagain. The muscles and tendons in his legs were crushed beyond repair. But thefamily did not give up. Matt did not give up.

Hannah did not lose her new found faithin Jesus and remained steadfast in her prayers to Jesus for the continuedhealth of her son.

After two years of intense physicaltherapy and six major operations, Matt walks with a limp, and uses a cane, butthe miracle is; he walks.

How did the family turn out? Matt andhis parents migrated to Canada. Then years later, Matt's fatherreturned to Iraqto die in his homeland.

Munir is a very prominent doctor andrenown professor in the United States. He is married to a Christian womanalso a doctor, and has two children.

Matt is divorced from his first wife, aJewish woman and has two grown children. He is now my fianc? and lives here in Montreal. After all those operations and timespent in the hospital (over 2 years) he lost his desire to become a doctor. Hechose to be an accountant and painter instead.

Hannah, has been a widow for over 15years. She celebrates both Chanukah and Christmas. She lives with Matt. To her dyingday, she will never forget the miracle she received that Christmas back in1963. One day she will meet the great Rabbi in the sky who gave her back herbeloved son.

Carol Roach

winterose@videotron.ca