I am forwarding this letter that I received from Bracha Toporovich updating
you on her daughter's family that was injured and killed in the bombing of
the bus in Jerusalem. Have a tissue handy.it is a really touching story.

Dear Esther and all you dear LACTNET friends,

We are so strengthened and encouraged by your outpouring of loving concern
and also by your outrage at the horrific acts of murder that we are
constantly being subjected to.  I thank you for myself and my daughter Hanni
and her family for your prayers and bond of closeness and timely words of
advice.  We pray that our faith will carry us through this tragedy and that
we will become better people for it.

I wish to clarify one point, for I do not wish to be misquoted or
misunderstood.  The Jerusalem Post article began by saying that I do not
hate my grandaughter's murderer.  Let me say this:  I hate evil!  I hate
acts of evil!  I hate to see people who are created in the Image of God
descecrating the divinity within themselves.  Murder can never be justified!
But I do not hate people, for evil people can repent and become good people
if they so wish.  If they choose to remain evil my feelings of anguish and
sorrow know no bounds.  Evil must be irradicated from the world.  "How?" is
another question.  It does not seem that the politicians are doing it.
Ofcourse, we have to keep trying somehow to stop the madness, but there is
another very crucial factor that has to be taken into consideration.  In our
belief system we know and feel that if people would only reconnect to each
other in love and acts of kindness we could irradicate senseless hatred.
If they would reconnect to God to become better people then we will move
into a new era of history.  We pray for the final redemption when peace will
reign forever more over the entire universe.

And now to update you on the Nathanson family's condition and mother and
baby's BF status.  I wish to begin by saying that we were witness to many,
many miracles.  Hanni is convinced that her and her husband's prayers at the
Western Wall saved four of the five members of their family.

Their six year old daughter Yehudit walked off the bombed out bus unaided
with light shrapnel wounds in her neck.  The doctor later reported that one
of the metal pieces was a milimeter or two away from the jugular vessel.
Had it been lacerated the wound would have been fatal.  Metanya, Hanni's
husband was thrown through the air from the blast.  He woke up 300 meters
distant from the bus!  He suffered fractures in the collarbone and feet,
numerous lacerations, an injury to one eye and his hearing in both ears is
impaired.  He is healing nicely in all areas.

The five month old baby Shoshi survived miraculously.  She was found under a
pile of dead bodies with her pacifier still in her mouth about an hour after
the explosion at a time when rescue workers were no longer searching for
survivors.  Although she suffered second degree heat burns on her face her
mouth was not burned due to the pacifier protecting it.  Additionally, the
doctors claim that the pacifier prevented her from inhaling fire, fumes and
debris which might have been fatal. The biggest miracle is that she did not
suffocate under the bodies and that they probably prevented her from being
struck by fire, metal and glass.  She has a fracture in her leg and numerous
deep and mild lacerations.  She has been able to suck without a problem
although she fought the bottle. After coming off the resuscitator she has
been fed alternately by bottle and NG tube.  Hanni was only able to provide
small amounts of pumped breastmilk and the supplemental formula did not
agree with the baby.  She developed diarhhea and lost wieght.  This was of
great concern.  She was put onto a special vegetarian formula.

One day one of my  married daughters was visiting Shoshi and offered to BF
the baby.  The pediatrician agreed and Shoshi nursed delightedly right there
in the ICU.  All of the doctors and nurses stood around in a circle watching
the touching scene, some with tears in their eyes.  In the middle of her
feast Shoshi removed her mouth from the breast and gave everyone a dazzling
smile.  She then went hungrily back to work on filling her starving body.
BF was definitely providing much more than physical sustenance!

From that point onwards we had aunts and other close relative come in
whenever possible to BF Shoshi in addition to recieving donor milk by
bottle.  One relative walked over half an hour on Saturday (as we do not
ride on the Sabbath) to BF the baby.  Shoshi is healing incredibly well and
the doctors say she will not suffer scarring on her face.

And now, for Hanni.  My 26 year old daughter suffered a fracture of the hip,
a tear from the mouth into her face, numerous superficial and deep
lacerations in the legs and chest, injury to one eye and impaired hearing in
both ears.  Although there are several open wounds in her left breast
Hanni's nipple and areola remained intact. Five metal balls were removed
from her body, but miraculously none of them hit an internal organ, her
spine, brain or eyes.  Her biggest injury is the loss of her three year old
daughter Tehilla, may she rest in peace.

One of Hanni's first questions in a state of semi coma was "What is Shoshi
eating?"  This was a big concern of hers.  We began pumping her healthy
breast as soon as feasible and tried hand expression on the wounded breast.
There was quite a bit of blood oozing from the wounds and the nipple so I
hardly expressed.  The milk was leaking out of the wounds and so she did not
feel overly full.  In the shower the milk would spurt out of the wounds with
the slightest squeeze or massage.  Hanni was full but never terribly
engorged on her wounded side.  The healthy side was pumped when ever she
felt uncomfortable.

Then her doctors in Hadassah Ein Karem Hospital told her she should dry up
her milk as her wounds would not heal if the milk was leaking through them.
At least three docs told her the same story.  I agreed to dry up the wounded
breast while maintaining the milk supply on the healthy breast, but this was
not an acceptable approach as far as they were concerned.  Hanni was in so
much physical pain after they stopped giving her Morphine that I could not
even envision her holding her baby close to her body, let alone nurse her.
She did not have the strength to fight the doctors.  But she refused to take
meds to dry up the milk.  We were given big heads of cabbage to apply to
both breasts and ice packs.

To make a long story short: Hanni's milk never dried up bec the leaking
breast was refilling itself and the other breast we hand expressed in order
to relieve the fulness.  One day Hanni was given a treat.  Prof. Edelman at
Shoshi's hospital said that the baby should be brought over for a short
visit with Hanni at her hospital.  What a joyous moment it was when they
brought the baby in, accompanied by an entourage of people from Sha'arei
Tzedek Hospital!  Hanni was delirious with joy and (can you guess?) had us
close the curtains and nursed her baby on her healthy breast!  The nurse was
in tears, as were all of us.  The pediatrician accompanying Shoshi was very
pleased that the baby agreed to feed and thought it was the best thing for
both baby and mother.  Thank you, thank you, Prof. Edelman!!

After that we no longer applied the cabbage leaves to the right breast and
maintained something of a supply.  Hanni, Metanya and Shoshi were released
from the hospitals on Sunday and are bedded up in my home in Zichron Yaakov
in the north of Israel.  Hanni will go home to her house (next door)
whenever she feels ready, physically and emotionally.

Today (Tuesday, two weeks after that fateful day) Hanni nursed Shoshi from
both sides and said she felt no pain on her wounded breast while nursing.
The wounds still drip milk but there is no sign of blood.  They are
definitely closing up slowly.  I'm quite confident Hanni will build up her
milk supply although she is on antibiotics (which tend to weaken her) and
anti inflammatory drugs.  We checked with her local pediatrician (British
and pro breastfeeding) and he said the meds were of no concern to the baby.
He too thought that BF was the best for both mother and baby.

Can I say that this is a happy ending to a sad story?? If Hanni will,
indeed, succeed in BF Shoshi that will be the best healing possible for them
both.  The feeling of loss will never leave us, but at least we have the
comfort of the many miracles and wonderful acts of loving kindness that we
experienced.   Let us hope that humanity will awaken from this story and
from all the heart wrenching stories of this Intifada.  Let us hope that all
of humankind will rouse themselves to become better people, more connected
to God and to each other.  Amen.

With love and deep appreciation,
Bracha Toporowitch, IBCLC
Esther Grunis, IBCLC
Lis Maternity Hospital
Tel Aviv, Israel

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