A Life After Death – Part I
We’re naturally programmed to part with our elders, but not with our children. That thought is just too difficult to bear
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** Our episode tells the tragic story of a victim of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Please take that into account when deciding whether to continue listening.
On a warm winter day in February 2018, Gal Zaychner’s worst nightmare came true: Her 11-month-old son, Noah, didn’t wake up from his nap.
In a series of heart-wrenching essays, told over the course of two episodes, Gal Zaychner returns to the most painful period of her life. “There are moments in life,” she writes, “in which we think about worst-case scenarios: About loss, about disasters, about the most terrible what-ifs. We think about how we would act. How we would cope. Then, we try to push these thoughts away, because we want to make sure they don’t — simply by lingering in our head for too long — somehow become part of our reality.” But Gal no longer has the privilege of pushing such thoughts away. For her, they are life itself.
The day Noah died started off pretty well. Nothing prepared Gal for the tragedy that was about to alter her life forever. At 3:36 p.m., as she was typing away on her computer, her cellphone rang. Her son’s kindergarten teacher was on the other end of the line. “Gal,” she said in a hysterical voice, “come quick. Noah isn’t waking up.”
In the days and weeks following Noah’s death, Gal understands that everything — literally everything — is different now. And yet she is determined to continue living. Not to fall apart. She is, she decides, a ninja.
Nicole Raviv reads Gal Zaychner’s essays, which were first published in Haaretz.
The end song is Shir Lelo Shem (“Song With No Name”), which was written and composed by Shalom Hanoch, and sung by Yehudit Ravitz (Licensed by Israel Story through Acum).
About Israel Story: Israel Story is the award-winning podcast that tells extraordinary tales about ordinary Israelis. Often called “the Israeli ‘This American Life,’” we bring you quirky, unpredictable, interesting and moving stories about a place we all think we know a lot about, but really don’t. Produced in partnership with The Times of Israel.
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