Leah

And ours as well. We are so sorry to hear this, and sending our condolences to all.

I'm so sorry to hear this. Thank you for sharing, Caryn.

Rest in peace Leah. Sending love to her family.

Oh no... I have no words. RIP,dear Leah.

Gosh, this is all so sudden and so very sad. My condolences to her family and loved ones. This gets harder not easier to see our friends pass. When will it end? When will we have a cure?

Amy

yes. I saw on Facebook. I am heartbroken. Comforting prayers to family and loved ones.

I am devastated to learn that we have lost Leah. Heartbroken. Bless her and bless her beautiful family. SUE

I am deeply saddened.  I am so sorry.

I had dinner with Leah in Jerusalem in I think 2012. Tiny Leah was waiting for me outside the restaurant--it was cold and a light snow was falling. There was Leah--she carried a large rolled up umbrella and she was not much taller than it. May her memory be for a blessing.

Here are Leah's Five Questions:

1. I'm originally from NYC. I grew up first in the Bronx and then we moved to Queens when I was 10. When I was 19 I came to Israel for a year to study and knew it was where I needed to be. I don't know if I can describe how I felt - mostly it was just a feeling of being where it felt right. So when I was 21 I moved to Jerusalem and lived there for the next 4 years until I got married. DH wasn't sure if he wanted to live in Israel so we went to Toronto (where he's from) to live for a while. We were there for 6 years and then returned, living for 1 year in Jerusalem and then moving to the community where we live now. It's small - about 85 families right now. It's a very tight-knit community and I can't imagine living anywhere else. I don't think you can call it my "new" home any more - we've been here for almost 31 years!

2. I try to find the absurdity in situations when I want to laugh. That's helped me to deal with BC. When I had my mx I ended up with a post-op infection that landed me back in the hospital. The nurses kept saying I had a "breast infection" and one day I said to my DH, "How can I have a breast infection when I haven't got a breast?" That was when I started to be able to deal with things emotionally. I know I can choose to laugh or to cry, and usually I choose to laugh.

3. When I lived in the U.S. spring was my favorite season. In Israel there's hardly any spring! We go from rainy season (winter) to dry season (summer) with only a small transition. I really really don't like being cold so summer has my vote now.

4. I have 6 kids - a son who's 35, next 3 daughters who are 31, 29, and 27, then another son who's 21, and my youngest daughter is 19. My oldest has 1 daughter, my next has 1 son and 4 daughters, and my third has 4 daughters. My oldest lives in the U.S. (Baltimore) and all the others are here.

Since this community is so small, there is real caring and concern here. One of my neighbors who was a dear friend passed away from BC last spring, so people here understand how difficult the situation can be and don't brush things off. Without giving me pity I get loving support. I can lean on my closest friends here when I need to, though my DH is always my strongest supporter.

5. I have always been a big reader, but it's hard to say what my favorite book is. Maybe because I'm a big reader it's hard! I like books that involve me in the lives of the characters. I also like murder mysteries (though not gruesome ones) since they are mind puzzles.

Superpower? Remember Samantha on Bewitched? I'd love to be able to wiggle my nose and get my house cleaned that way!

Leah

P.S. The place I live is called Moshav Matityahu. If anyone is curious about it, you can go to matityahu.org to read about it.

I am really saddened to hear of Leah_S's passing. She was such a kind and gentle person and her posts were always so supportive. With a heavy heart I have added her name to the BCO LIST OF ANGELS.

celia

Rest in Peace Leah. So hard to take. Much love and prayers to her large and beautiful family

Heartsick to hear this. RIP Leah, you are much loved and will be greatly missed

Dear, sweet Leah...I loved how she shared about her family, being a proud Grandma...we had that in common, so proud when they learned about faith. I'm not very familiar with the Jewish faith, so I learned about different holidays, traditions as she shared life (and her spotless kitchen!) with us. Even when the road got bumpy, she gave us hope...there was a peace about her very being. Thank you for sharing your in-person friendship with Leah, English...very special. Love & peace to her beloved family...you're in my heart forever, Leah.

Such a great woman, she always said the right thing at the right moment. May she rest in peace. Shalom.

I'm so very sad to hear about lovely beautiful Leah's passing and I would like to wish Leah's family a long life. I often saw Leah's posts and saw how supportive she was to everybody. She was a bit like everybody's mother in that she was always there for everybody. This is a great loss for the breastcancer.org community and Leah will be sorely missed here.

I know how difficult it will be for Leah's family, now that she is gone, but they can take comfort from knowing how wonderful and special she was here. My thoughts are with Leah's family, friends which includes everybody here at breastcancer.org, who will miss her greatly.

I'm so sorry to hear this. Love and peace to her family and loved ones.