IN MEMORIAM ANNA (Year of the Frog)

Anna's cranes

Last summer I found myself in the hospice section at Beth Israel.  One of my YCT clients was there.  To protect her privacy I am calling her Anna.  Anna and I had become friendly and I had worked with her a couple of times outside of YCT Foundation (YCT).  She loved reflexology and acupuncture and felt very comfortable with me, she said.   

At the hospital I found out from her brother that she had been battling cancer for fifteen years.  Fifteen years.  I had no idea.  Only a year earlier she invited me to see her perform at a community center.  She had so much grace, she moved so effortlessly.  I enjoyed watching her.  Leading up to the performance she told me how busy she was with dance rehearsals. 

I visited her three times at the hospital.  I did some reflexology, approved by the nurse on duty.  
My first visit coincided with music therapy.  Anna, her two friends and I jammed with the two musicians.  This was about being present for all of us.  Anna closed her eyes at one point.  After the musicians left, she asked me for a couple of my business cards and taught us how make an origami jumping frog.  A few months earlier she had given me origami cranes (see photo).
  
At the hospital, I did not make the connection between the origami frog and the name of this blog (neither do I know whether she did) and the fact that I had taught her about the "frog on the face" (the map of the entire body on the face) so she could help herself to reduce stress and manage pain on her own.     

I am very grateful to have known Anna.  At the end of the year and after Anna had died two days after I saw her for the last time, I folded more business cards.  I have folded many since and will continue. 

Anna liked using pretty business cards for origami, she said while we were folding.  I remember getting a kick out of that.  These origami frogs jump very far and they even do back flips I have learned in the meantime (I wonder whether Anna knew that).   
She had a lot of friends and family who were all coming to see her.  I met some family members and friends.  During the last days of her life, we texted a bit.  I was checking in.  The pain was getting unbearable, she said.  (Our many text exchanges throughout the last year of her life were lost due to the theft of my phone at the beginning of December.)
Throughout 2015 I will use folded business cards and I am calling it the "year of the frog" in memory of knowing and supporting Anna and many other women I have worked with for more than five years through YCT.  

Many thanks to Paula Tursi of Reflections Yoga and the wonderful stuff whose support was instrumental during the last eighteen months of my volunteer work with YCT (founded by Luana de Angelis, a breast cancer survivor herself). 

A few days ago the New Year's celebrations for the Year of the Goat/Sheep began.  Last year, I was talking about having noodles with Anna to celebrate the beginning of the Year of the Horse.  Unfortunately, it was not meant to be.  IN MEMORIAM ANNA.      

http://nysraweb.org/
http://reflectionsyoga.com/ 
http://www.youcanthrive.org/

- I found out about YCT's integrative care for breast cancer survivors through New York State Reflexology Association (NYSRA; see link above).  Many fellow reflexologists (ARCB-certified), such as Ms. Liz (Liz Goodrum), Lynn Levy, and Catherine Stapleton (NYSRA 
WRW Committee) have provided relief from side effects caused by invasive breast cancer treatments even before I started in 2009 as well as many acupuncturists, reiki practitioners, nutritionists, massage therapists, administrative staff, and others)   

Birgit Nagele, ARCB, LVCYT
Reflexology, Yoga