For Noy Sol Azulai, age 19 from Kibbutz Afek, Rambam Health Care Campus is a familiar place. After undergoing life-saving head surgeries there, she returned to Rambam once again – this time while doing her National Service in the Department of Pediatrics B. This week another emotional circle was closed an exhibition of drawings she created as part of her rehabilitation process was opened to the public.
Noy Sol Azulai at her drawing exhibition, together with Professor Myriam Ben Arush, Director of Ruth Rappaport Children's Hospital, and Professor Ram Weiss, Director of the Departments of Pediatrics A and Noy Sol Azulai at her drawing exhibition, together
Six years ago, when she was in seventh grade, Azulai's parents noticed that their daughter was acting unusual. The worrisome symptoms she showed caused them to understand that something was wrong, and they decided to seek emergency treatment at Rambam. After several tests were performed, it was discovered that the young woman was suffering from blood clots in her brain, and that one of them had started to bleed and was threatening her life. Over the course of several weeks, Azulai underwent three complicated brain surgeries, one after the other, in order to stabilize her condition. Afterwards, she was transferred to Loewenstein Hospital for treatment and rehabilitation, where she remained for several months and underwent one additional operation.
Despite this difficult, challenging time, Azulai returned to her studies the following year in good medical condition, managing to narrow the gaps she'd accumulated and graduate high school. When she decided to do National Service, the choice was simple. "I chose to come back to Rambam," she explains. "This has meaningful closure for me and I hope that I will be able to give back to the place that saved my life, even giving a bit of what was given to me."
Following several months in the department and with the support of the staff who were alongside her in both her work and in coping with her medical condition, Azulai decided to take an additional step on her road to recovery – presenting the drawings she'd done in recent years, as part of her rehabilitation, in the framework of an art exhibition that took place at Rambam this week. "I've always drawn," recounts Azulai. "But in recent years, the drawings took a different direction and received more depth. There is an emotional expression of what I went through. I spent a long time looking for something important, and I finally found the most important thing – myself. I discovered the strength of my soul and the courage in my heart, and I overcame thousands of crises. All of this happened thanks to my parents and dear friends who helped me and supported me along the way, but especially thanks to myself and the important thing I placed in front of me as a goal and fight for every day – being a normal girl, like everyone. A brave young woman, who isn't afraid of anything!"
The exhibition "Drawing of Her Life" will be presented during the week in the lobby of the Spencer Auditorium the Sammy Ofer Tower at Rambam Health Care Campus.
Below are photos of some of Azulai's artwork.
