Nine months ago, Sara reached a revelation. She described her thoughts at the time: “It dawned on me that this isn’t just any person – it is my mother and I am alive because she gave me life. It felt important and meaningful to visit her and I wanted thank her for all that she had done for me. A mother will do anything she can for her kids, so why shouldn’t I do something to show my love and appreciation for my mother?” After years of not visiting her mother, Sara decided to visit her. “The nurse asked who I was and as soon as I said I was her daughter I started to cry.” By visiting and verbalizing their relationship, Sara came full circle.
Sara is still processing the change in her relationship with her mother. She said, “Some days the mere thought of my mother brings me to tears, but on other days, I feel it gives me strength. This is a long process and I just started…after the attack, I didn’t have a choice but to deal with the fact that my mother was in the state she was in, and I decided to pretend she was gone. I pretended it wasn’t as hard as it really was. Now I chose to remember my mother and process reality at my own pace.”
Future of Hope
David recently received a special rabbinical dispensation from one hundred rabbis to marry a second wife. “I’d like to remarry,” he says with his easygoing smile, his eyes focused towards the future. “Someone who is looking to build a family together.” For her part, Sara aims to become a psychologist. With both father and daughter focused on giving to others, their triumph over tragedy is clear.