Daughter of Shoshana and Abraham Shimon. Born on March 22, 1967 in Be’er Sheva, she was a nurse to Yoram, Yardena, Shmuel and Efraim, and was educated at the Herzlia elementary school in Lod, and when she was in ninth grade she moved to the Son of Shemen boarding school. – 18.9.1985, and served in the logistics system for many years, until her last day. Her first child, Boaz, was born on July 4, 1990, and her second daughter was born on August 8, 1991. Avital raised her children with infinite love and dedication and coped with her life lessons with admirable heroism . Avital herself told her painful and moving story in the years before her death from cancer. Avital has always strived to help others. During her illness, even during the most difficult days, she would go with Boaz and Shani to hospitals in order to visit and delight children with cancer. During the period of her illness, Avital discovered the art of sculpture, and slowly redesigned her life and worldview. In November 2004, her works were exhibited in the exhibition, which was accompanied by the list of “Joy of Life” she composed. She wrote: “A female soldier in the army’s logistic system; Mother of two growing children – Boaz and Shani; Resident of the city of Modi’in. In 1996, when I was only twenty-nine years old, I had breast cancer. For a period of six months, I underwent chemotherapy, two mastectomy and radiation therapy. So I thought, just as everyone thought, that I had gone through it. The disease was a ray of light for me, which helped me take responsibility for my life, and gave me the understanding that it was time to live for myself and my children. I rehabilitated myself in a long and exhausting process of breast reconstruction, and most importantly, I realized that no more … When I was at the height of my blossoming and personal empowerment, the biggest turning point in my life took place. Two years ago I was informed that I had cancer again in the face of metastatic breast cancer, advanced. It was a moment when everything seemed impossible, for the diagnosis gave me no encouraging prospects. In fact, I found myself desperately waiting for the threatening ending. The chemotherapy treatments were very difficult and destroyed every cell, but worst of all was that my right hand fell silent, and on the day I became an independent person, I could not and could not cope with a new reality in which I had to function with one hand. There, in the lowest place I came to, there were a lot of good people halfway along who helped me understand that to win I must not give up. I began to collect all that was left, and stood against the jaws of horror that echoed in the background, determined to win. On continuous days between treatments, injections, fainting, and loss of senses, the will, the struggle, and the stamina to crash down, have often threatened to abandon, to accept the worst. The staff of rehabilitation therapists on my various wings planted in me the strength not to despair, and planted in me the strength to believe that I could. Yes, I can. That is how I learned that for a possible rehabilitation I must ‘try the impossible’. The first time I touched the creative material was so threatening, and especially frustrating; I did not think I could, and I did not believe for a moment that with such a limitation I would be a sculptor once. But from treatment to therapy and from workshop to workshop, I poured out new threads of life that the illness wanted to destroy, and I became proud – and especially able. And here is presented to you such an exhibition that was done entirely in one hand. An exhibition that is a main link for me on the way to recovery, through which I can show you that despite the limitations I can. ‘And who knows, maybe I’ll ever be a great and famous sculptor.’ Avital Gabbai, November 2004. “Avital Gabbai was killed in the course of her duties on the 5th of Tevet 5769 (5.1.2009), and she is forty-two years old. She was laid to rest in the cemetery in Modi’in. SurvivedSon and daughter, parents, sister and three brothers. Her words engraved on her tombstone, “Happiness in health, beauty and purity of Lev. Thirty years since you left, and still do not believe that you are not with us, Avital, eleven years ago, the damn disease came to you, too, and you told us, ‘What? All I want is to live quietly. ‘ So the silence did not leave you all those years, we are in the daily struggle for existence, while you are fighting the damn disease that has not let go for a moment, alone, you never asked for help from anyone, you raised Boaz and Shani with great pride, You’ve been victorious for a moment, how you would say to everyone all the time – I’ve broken all the conventions a long time ago, Avital, you beat her, the cursed disease, every day and every day again, as you wrote to us, the brothers, on January 2, 2009 at 6:22 AM – ‘Good morning World, we have to get up and wake up, Friday today!’ Avital, you did not know, and maybe yes, that this is your last Friday with us Avital, even in your difficult moments you would pack your energies and travel with Shani and Boaz to the hospitals to give some joy to children with cancer. Even in your last moments, the teaching that you gave with all your might to your nephews, brothers, and of course to your children – do not forget giving, giving is the most important thing in life. Even two years ago, when the disease decided to harass you again and again, you volunteered at the Elem Association for distressed girls and told me, ‘My sister, I can not, I do not have the strength to get up and come,’ but nevertheless You packed all your strength and said, ‘Here, I have come, I can not lie down when I know that we are here near the house of girls that I can make Simcha.’ You see, my sister, that girl ‘s smile is worth a lifetime … Avital, I remind you only a pinch of what you were, the one you would encourage others instead of encouraging you, Boaz, For this moment, she just waited for you, Boaz and you, to be mature enough for your decisions, Mother knew how to instill in you the values, the knowledge, the intelligence, and of course her wisdom. How did she always say, ‘I have wonderful children.’ Mom, Dad, you must remember our last conversation with Avital, yes, that Friday that woke up A new morning, and the same Friday that she danced in the room with the orange nightgown of the hospital after a hot shower, sitting on the bed – ‘You should be Simcha that I go first, I know that you, And I will always support them, I know that I could only entrust my children to you. ” … Hi, Avital Gabbay to the Shimon family, your soul always wondered among us. ” Before her death, Avital asked to donate to the Son of Shemen boarding school where she was raised and donated three plasma televisions that were placed in the dining room and where the students watched the films and announcements of the school
