PetALS and Thorns: One Woman's Experiences with ALS by Esther Klein – Hardcover

Esther Klein, educational supervisor of Bais Yaakov preschools in Jerusalem and a lecturer, found herself one day unable to step out of a taxi. Her memoir recounts the illness that followed, told through her tefillos, fears and faith as she faced each new stage.

One Woman's Experiences with ALS

I entered a taxi one day, on my way to an urgent meeting.
Please Hashem, I davened, let the meeting go well. Let me not fall or choke. Hashem, You are the Ultimate Goodness. I'm scared. Hold my hand please and let these incidents pass.

The taxi drew to a halt, I paid the driver, and...

I can't get out!!! What's this? Help me! What is wrong with me?

My feet don't move. It's as if a mammoth pump has sucked the energy out of my legs so that they are left lying, completely lifeless, on the taxi seat.

Hashem, what is going on with me? What is going to happen to me next?

Geveret! The driver is losing his patience.

I flush, my redness stemming from embarrassment,

and even more so from fear and dread.

Geveret!!!

Driver, I cannot get out...

Thus begins the spine-tingling story of the active and vibrant Mrs. Esther Klein, educational supervisor of the Bais Yaakov preschools in Jerusalem, and an esteemed lecturer and pedagogic center director.

When Mrs. Klein fell ill with an incurable, neurodegenerative disease, even the walls closing in on the best years of her life couldn't stop her from spreading her wings heavenwards with emunah and simchah.

With simple and touching words, Mrs. Esther Klein writes her story. Alongside her moving experiences, all the chapters of this book include spiritual and educational insights. For in the author's opinion, there is no point being touched and moved, if those emotions don't lead to action.

by Esther Klein

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