Dawn of a New Song: Dawn Greenspan who was fatally wounded as a child publishes a book of songs | Israel today

2021-10-22T13:00:17.152Z

Just before celebrating a bat mitzvah, Shahar Greenspan was run over by a drunk driver and fatally wounded in the head • Doctors thought she would not survive, but Shahar fought for her life and surprisingly recovered • Now, almost 11 years later, she is releasing a book of songs that reveals her world and feelings

On the back of the book "Big and Small Successes", the overflowing and exciting book of poems written by 23-year-old Shachar Greenspan, appears the song "Gentlemen, history returns?!?".

"I want to get back to reality,

To the good friends.

Go back to dancing.

I want the bitch to come back

My sweetheart is dead.

I want my wonderful manager back,

Let's go back to making long calls,

That give me confidence.

And the past I want,

But it is impossible to return it.

I will never eat,

Put the wheel back

That I ran over my life,

destruction"

It's a hard song, touching on the exposed nerves.

A song that tells the heartbeat of contemporary Shahar, who was a beautiful girl with flowing devilish hair and a captivating smile, until at the age of 12 her life changed tragically and all at once, after being run over near her home by a drunk driver.

It is enough to recall the human injury to that girl's head and the initial assessments of the doctors that she will not survive, to marvel at where she has reached with her brave and miraculous powers, and to be moved by one of the rare rehabilitation processes that have ever been here.

Earlier this week, Shahar was still looking forward to the release of her first book of songs, which includes 65 songs she has written in the past two years.

It happened on Wednesday, when hundreds of copies of the book were delivered with personal excitement to Shahar and her family by Shosh Vig, the publisher of a poetic publication in which the book was published.

Now, the books will be sold on social networks, mainly through Shahar's Facebook page, but they will also be available in some of the branches of the major book chains, on demand.

Sitting in a wheelchair and armed with a laptop, Shahar stretches her neck, straightens up as much as she can and talks.

"I'm waiting for comments on the book," she says with great effort and astonishing devotion.

"I'll get compliments, and that's important to me."

I ask her if she's excited, and this time she answers me by writing on the computer, with the voice of the structured narrator giving the answer: "I have a hard time with the word excited. It sounds sad to me, crying."

So happy?

"Yes, very, very happy. I'm very happy."

I ask what she likes to write about.

"Beads on Love," she types.

"Writing makes me fun, the beads flow for me."

She understands everything, Dawn, and answers every question accurately.

It is surprising to see what a path has taken in the 12 years since the accident.

Two years after the accident I first met her.

The communication between us then amounted to mere blinkers, and how much it progressed.

She greets me with a smile, says in her voice "Hi", and adds "I'm glad you came to me".

I feel chills all over my body.

Shahar lives, understands, activates her voice and her right hand and is completely in matters.

A girl with a captivating smile.

Dawn before the accident, Photo: Reproduction: Osnat Krasnansky

We meet at her home in Netanya, where she lives with her parents, Nehama (58) and Israel (66), who dedicate their lives to caring for her, along with parenting her two older sisters Neta (32) and Yael (27), and grandparents to a grandson with me, Neta's son, who will celebrate soon 3.

"On Fridays, the older girls come to us for dinner with the owner, Neta Gal and Gal Yael," says Nehama, "and we have a lot of fun."

"We are constantly waiting for Shahar's next surprise," adds Father Israel, "and she is always surprisingly good."

The excited parents proudly show me their daughter's new songbook, and I linger on the introduction.

"Hi readers," Shahar wrote, "I want you to enjoy the book and take the message with you: Believe me, you can do anything. Believe, think, want, try, and then success will come. Do it for me. When the execution is for the other, he It's getting easier. "

Shahar writes on the computer again.

There is silence in the house, and only the sounds of the typing finger are heard.

"The songs and their writing fill my time," she writes, asking me to read the song to her on the back page of the book.

"I find it hard to think I wrote it," she writes on the computer, not interpreting.

• • •

Shahar writes her songs with the help of the successful children's author Zohar Aviv, who meets with her once a week.

Aviv, who accompanies, among other things, personal development processes, has already written more than 80 books, including one for adults, five for preschoolers and the rest for children and youth, including "Brain Power Group", her best-selling series 26 volumes, her "Wonder Hand" series 13 volumes and the "Power of the Heart" series, which has 14 volumes.

"I started working with Shahar two years ago," says Zohar.

"We started by reading to her from my books and she became very attached to their heroes, and then I taught her writing and discovered a huge talent. I told Shahar not to write prose, we would write poetry.

"We learned to write in rhymes, I taught her what a metaphor is, and Shahar just amazes me with the wonderful process we go through together. She is full of words and sentences. I throw her ideas, and in every session or two she writes a song. At first I corrected her some words and sentences, but now She really writes all the songs, from beginning to end. "

Aviv tells of another interesting process that Shahar went through while writing.

“She started with angry songs and wrote a lot about her frustration, the anger and also the shame she felt.

"Over time the songs began to become more optimistic and gave expression to her strong and determined character, to the inspiration she gives to everyone around her. Her songs reveal her world and her feelings, give expression to what is going on inside her."

"A wonderful process together."

Shahar and the author Zohar Aviv, Photo: Efrat Eshel

Shahar, who hears Aviv, wants to say something.

She straightens up again, stretches, and with real heroic effort, she speaks.

Syllable after syllable and here is a word.

And one more word.

"Sometimes all kinds of sentences come to me at night to sing, but they are not written," she says, and goes back to writing on the computer.

"Zohar gives me ideas, and I write."

A year ago, one of the defining moments in the exciting process that Shahar goes through, when her song, "Getting Married to Success", was first composed, with the composer and performer trusting Aharon Roni.

"If only I could, if only I could

For success in getting married.

There will be a girl and then another boy,

And I will call them by name

Joy and happiness and hope

And a huge miracle that comes true.

My life was surprising,

Let's move forward together "

• • •

On November 28, 2009, just a week before she celebrated a bat mitzvah, Shahar's life turned upside down.

She went out with her friend from her home to a class reunion on the promenade near the beach in Netanya.

The two were standing on a traffic jam waiting for the green light at a traffic light, when suddenly a transit car emerged, got on the traffic jam and ran over the two.

Shahar was fatally wounded in the head, the company was lightly injured.

It was later revealed that a high level of alcohol was found in the blood of the offending driver.

For many weeks Shahar was unconscious at Schneider Children's Hospital.

Doctors were pessimistic about her ability to survive the human injury and estimated that she would not wake up, and even if she did, that she would not be able to communicate with her surroundings.

But Shahar wanted something different.

She fought like a lioness, and with the forces that the mind has a hard time grasping underwent an extraordinary rehabilitation process, which stunned even the most experienced medical staff.

"Always surprising."

Shahar with her parents and sisters, Photo: Yitzhak Barbie

Those who have been with her ever since, have not given up on her and have not given up, are her caregiver, Yechiel Chovra, and of course her devoted parents.

A booklet, which treats head injuries, first met Shahar a few weeks after her injury, when she was transferred from Schneider Hospital to the head injury department at Reut Hospital in Tel Aviv.

He believed in her from the first moment, gave her his soul and worked with her on unique and stubborn restoration methods.

"I did a diagnosis and nerve stimulation and I saw huge potential," he says.

"Everywhere I touched there were reactions. In the hand, in the foot, in the eyes. I saw a reaction in the eyelids and I realized that there is a neural network that reaches the brain. That was a big line for me as a therapist."

Booklet began working hard at dawn, instilling in her the belief that she could.

At first she communicates with her through blink of an eye, answering him "yes" and "no", according to agreed signs.

When he saw that Shahar had a cognitive function, he decided to devote himself to her rehabilitation, and she began to wonder and astonish him and her surroundings.

"Shahar started running her fingers, drawing and making a sound, until about four years ago, exactly on Hanukkah, a miracle happened to us," says a booklet.

"At one of the meetings, Shahar said to me in her voice, simply like this: 'Yechiel, kind-hearted, good-hearted.' Then she said to her mother and father: 'The best mother in the world,' 'the best father in the world.'

Did you believe she would get to where she is today?

"I knew she could. I took Shahar from scratch and now I really want her to keep moving forward. The most important thing is to flood her rehabilitation story, which is truly extraordinary and should inspire others. Our title is 'I can, I can'.

"From the first moment, this is what I instilled in her mind. She can. I want to do a lecture tour with her where she will tell her story in her voice and also answer questions. We did such a lecture at a school in Netanya, and it was fascinating, empowering and very important for students and Shahar.

"She went in there and said in a loud voice, 'Hello everyone, I'm Shahar Greenspan, and if I can do anything, so can you! It's extremely powerful."

Now, because of Corona's restrictions, Booklet handles Dawn through WhatsApp video calls.

"We see each other every week, and I do not give up on her," he clarifies, "Shahar talks to me, and I constantly instruct her to take more air, to breathe word for word.

"The connection between us is strong and strong, and Shachar shares with me her most secret things. I believe in her so much, and I have no such thing as shrinking. I think there is no limit to what she can still achieve and instill in her that motivation."

Shahar smiles from ear to ear.

"At first I hated Yechiel," she surprises, writing that it was because he demanded a lot from her.

"Today I love him very, very much. Very much!"

• • •

Beyond writing, Shahar's agenda is extremely busy.

Four days a week, she is in the rehabilitation center of the "Wheel House" organization in Herzliya, the national organization for young people and adults with physical disabilities, from morning to noon.

Even when she returns home, the treatments continue with horseback riding, acupuncture, shiatsu, physical therapy, a communication clinician, a weekly meeting with Zohar Aviv, a psychologist and of course the meetings with Yehiel.

"Shahar continues to work hard and is very committed to the rehabilitation process," says Mother Nehama. "We already have a routine, although it is busy, but it is blessed."

Just before parting, I ask Shahar if she dreams of becoming a famous poet.

"It seems to me less like a profession for life," she writes on the computer, "I want to do a babysitter and be an apartment designer."

I'm Ash / Shahar Greenspan

"I'm on fire, on fire.

Gives you light.

You are warming up,

Does good in the soul,

Energy brings.

And don 't say I'm a polluter.

Burning the air, getting dirty!

Because I try very hard.

I'm different,