In Judaism, it is believed that angels exist in human form.
However, neither they nor their beneficiaries are aware of their existence.
To date, I believe I have been gifted by the miracle of one angelic visitation and two acts of divine intervention.
The angelic act occurred more than two decades ago.
My sister Bethy, with whom I had fought less than five times in my whole life, had been coughing for more than a year, stating that she had a feeling of swallowing water. I was with her when she had yet another X-ray on the day of New Years Eve, where the radiologist stated the results were negative.
Symptoms persisted, so she, her husband, our Mom, and I went to a different hospital.
There the test results were devastating. My precious sister was told she had a late stage lung cancer with at most six months to live.
Distraught, two days later, I received a call from a man I did not know.
He had heard of the situation and strongly advised me to call a lung cancer specialist at MD Anderson medical center in Texas.
He introduced me to the renown lung cancer specialist there, and we were off a few days later.
Incredibly, the specialist there promised a longer life. He sent a prescription to a Philadelphia specialist, where we live.
The regimen was not easy.
But Bethy saw most of her short term wishes fulfilled!
She lived for six more years.
During those years, she worked towards a PhD, taught in a community college, and joyfully saw her daughter graduate college and her son almost graduate high school! It wasn’t enough, but better than the failures to diagnose, and the unfairly truncated life span.
Then the first divine intervention occurred while I was scouting around in the area's Home Goods stores, looking to buy a new, complete, set of china, flatware, and crystal for Passover Seders.
At one of the stores, where I had just exited my car, an elderly man in a woody stationwagon ran over my left foot and sped away.
I truly never believed he saw or felt me. Somewhat astounded, I hobbled to the nearest entrance of a store seeking help, where a nun in all black approached me:
“I saw the whole thing,” she said. “May I say a prayer over you?"
"Of course,” I responded. Being Jewish, that may have seemed odd to others. But I was very moved by her offer, and respect all religious people who don’t want to kill me.
The nun prayed, and I thanked her.
I went to my internist who could not believe the outcome, nor did anyone to whom I told the story. My left foot had tire marks, which took months to fade away. But nothing on my foot was broken!
About three weeks ago, a second divine intervention occurred.
Normally, I do not talk about personal things, but this is a tad different.
Our HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning unit) died and we were staying at my daughter’s, waiting for the replacement.
Exiting their garage to go to my law office, I slid on a deep puddle and fell. My husband rushed me to the ER at Lankenau Hospital.
There I was treated with great care and after concluding my injuries from the fall, while painful were not serious, they dropped the bomb that I was being admitted to the hospital for something far more serious. Apparently my sodium level was dangerously low, which could lead to coma and death.
They opined the low level was caused by either drinking too much water or because of too little protein, or a combination of both .
Since being released, I have heard of five other cases -- all to women. I had never heard of low sodium levels before and I thought it may help others get checked. Had I not had the fall, I might never have learned this until it was too late.
I have always been a grateful person. But I can never be grateful enough for the incredible events that saved my life.
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