“It hasn’t done to me,” Dukes told the Jewish Telegraph Agency by phone from the intensive care unit at New York University Langone Hospital. “It is made by me. “
Sarah Dukes made a note in a Facebook post on August 11.
“Yudi is able to see how everything specific and trauma in general are helping her grow in many ways,” she writes. “He told me today, ‘Every pleasure I have had, no matter how painful or negative it may sound, is there to bring out the most productive in me and help me become a greater person. This trauma was an opportunity for discovery. “
Sarah began posting articles about Dukes’ condition from the day she was admitted to the hospital on March 30. Initially, she posted to ask for practical help for her circle of relatives and prayers for her husband. But he soon learned that a network had formed that provided him with non-secular strength and sustenance. Inspired by their messages, Dukes’ JNet colleagues launched a crusade called “Do a Mitzvah for Yudi. “
“The smart actions they were doing made me feel like I was safe,” Sarah told JTA.
On May 31, after Dukes suffered a setback and had to increase her sedation, Sarah posted a video of her sitting at the piano with her 12-year-old son, Baruch, playing “Once Again,” a song she wrote. they composed for him.
The last two days have been a lot more difficult for me emotionally. Seeing Yudi suffer a big setback scares me and is also very sad. I know he will be fine in the end, and the nurses have been so reassuring, but I miss him so much. I have not been able to speak to him for over 2 months. Hearing my two-year-old son ask his dad why he doesn’t answer the phone and wants him to sing to him broke me inside, I have nothing to do yet, I turn to Gd and ask him to give me more strength. If He wants Yudi’s recovery to take that long and for him to have all those ups and downs, then He MUST give me more strength to continue caring for me, my husband and our children until Yudi makes a full recovery. a lot of time to spend at the piano. I didn’t have much time to breathe. But my 12-year-old son, Baruc, and I took the time the other night to compose a piece together. It’s called “Once More” and it comes straight from the bottom of our hearts. We know that we will find, once again, Chaim Schneur Zalman Yehuda ben Hinda Yocheved in full health, and that it will be very VERY soon !! Your circle of family wishes you, Yudi! The global wants you! We couldn’t possibly avoid the fight until you’re here with us!
פורסם על ידי Sarah Spangenthal Dukes ב- יום ראשון, May 31, 2020
“The last two days have been much more difficult for me emotionally,” he wrote. “Seeing Yudi suffer a big setback scares me, and it’s also very sad. I know he will be fine in the end, and the nurses have been so reassuring, but I miss him so much. I have not been to speak to him for over 2 months. Hearing my two year old ask his father why he doesn’t answer the phone and needs me to sing to him broke me. “
Music has been central to the Dukes’ dates, and the couple’s youngsters have taken over the score, writing and making their own songs. Even though she remained unconscious, Sarah’s original compositions were performed in her hospital room. Some nights, a nurse passed the phone to Dukes while Sarah played from home.
As Sarah anticipates her husband’s homecoming, she plans to release a recording of “Triumph,” a song she began composing two years ago when her daughter was treated for a serious medical condition and has now completed.
“It’s for Yudi,” he told JTA. “It is for our family. It is for each and everyone because each and everyone is having some kind of battle. But we wake up every day, we pass out, we do what we have to do. And each and every one triumphs.