Yousef-Haim Sinai, an 18-year-old from Jerusalem, was given a special heartwarming surprise by the Hadassah Medical Center team on Wednesday to honor his last round of chemotherapy after an intense year of fighting Hodgkin lymphoma.The surprise was a special meal prepared by chef Rachel Ben Elul, who gained national recognition when she competed on the television show Master Chef. Sinai loved the show and was deeply impressed by her, which is why the Lehosheet Yad ("reach a hand out" in Hebrew) foundation arranged for the surprise feast.
Thanks to Hadassah, Sinai was able to begin treatment on the same afternoon he was found to suffer from Hodgkin lymphoma. His condition was Stage 4, meaning an advanced form of the cancer, and the medical team began an intense process of therapy. Luckily, he was able to fully recover and now hopes to serve in the IDF.
"I passed six rounds of chemotherapy with the amazing people who work in this department," he said. "It may surprise people from the outside who read this, but they are the reason this ward is full of laughter." He added that recently, the team arranged for patients to have water-fights to cheer them up.
Another source of help was Zichron Menachem, a foundation which helps young cancer patients meet and be in touch with peers who recovered from the disease. Noam Levi, who was his mentor, said that Sinai impressed him with his dark sense of humor.
"This is the last round of treatments," Sinai said. "I am deeply moved and waited for this for a long [time] to be able to speak the words - I have recovered."