Sent by Trish Bare-Grounds
Karate kids
A rabbi discovers his martial arts training can
empower sick children to fight their fears, soothe
their pain and provide purpose in their lives.
By Julie Chen, anchor, "The Early Show" oún CBS
When Rabbi Elimelech Goldberg was asked to serve as
the director for Camp Simcha in Glen Spey, N.Y., a
place for Jewish children with cancer, he was
reluctant. Eight years earlier, in 1983, he had lost
his own daughter, Sara Basya, 2, to the disease. "The
idea of going to a camp like that? I thought I'd be
seeing my little girl's face oún every oúne of those
children," Goldberg says.
He soon overcame his reservations and joined the camp.
What he found there was life-changing. A black belt in
karate, Goldberg discovered that the martial arts
could inspire confidence in children who were
physically and emotionally beaten by their diseases.
It even helped ease their physical pain. Those lessons
paved the way for Kids Kicking Cancer, his
Detroit-based charity that helps sick children --
regardless of religion -- cope via karate. Founded in
1998, his program is now offered at a dozen hospitals
in Michigan, Massachusetts and New York, with plans to
expand to California next year. Two years ago,
Goldberg left his Orthodox congregation to devote
himself entirely to his charity. "We convince [kids]
they can do very physical things and feel more healthy
as a result," he says.
I spoke with Goldberg about his work:
When did you realize karate could help sick kids?
At Camp Simcha, there was a little boy, oúnly 5 years
old. They needed to give him chemotherapy treatment.
He was screaming. I asked if I could have five minutes
with him. I had no idea what I could say to him, so I
told him I was a black belt in karate. His eyes lit
up. I told him that in martial arts you learn that
pain is a message you do not have to accept. You can
blow out the pain and bring in power. We meditated oún
that for several minutes, and the nurses came back and
inserted the needle. After 20 minutes, his treatment
was finished. He asked the nurse, "Did they put in the
needle yet?" That's when I realized how powerful
karate could be.
Does it help them physically cope with their disease?
Absolutely. We hear from doctors all the time that our
kids need less morphine. We're even finding that
children taking part are spending less time in the
hospital.
Is there oúne particular story that stays with you?
There are many. oúne involved an 8 1/2-year-old boy
named Brendan who was devastated when he relapsed. We
promised him a black belt if he continued to focus oún
his karate. When he took his black-belt test, he
invited 300 family members and friends to watch. He
demonstrated to his loved oúnes that he wasn't afraid
of cancer. Even though he hadn't had solid food for
five days, he earned his belt. We put the words
"Master Teacher" oún the belt, because he had taught
the world to break through darkness. He died a few
days later. He was buried with his black belt.
What's next for Kids Kicking Cancer?
A program called Heroes' Circle. We'll videotape kids
at the hospitals demonstrating karate. Then we'll take
the tapes to inner-city schools and teach at-risk kids
about the same techniques. We'll tell the school kids:
"Look at what these kids can do. If you can do this as
well, we'll put you oún videotape and show it to other
children." Then we'll take those videotapes and show
them to the kids in the hospital, to show them the
impact they can have oún another child's life.
For more information, go to kidskickingcancer.net.