SOFIA’S HERITAGE

Everything we do for early cancer diagnosis is a tribute to my mother, Sofia Berezina.
She fought breast cancer for 12 years, but the disease was stronger.

When we came to Israel in ’94, my mother went to work in Hadassah.
She started as a cleaner, then moved to the marketing department.
She worked incredibly hard to establish herself in the new country and to secure
her children a future. But in addition to her work, she was constantly supporting
cancer patients, especially the elderly and lonely. No matter how tired she was
during the day, she would come to the wards to talk, cheer them up, hold their hands.
It was an example of humanity and generosity for me that I could hardly ever come close to.

As a volunteer, Mom knew all about cancer. Plenty of days were spent at the clinic,
where she could be examined at any time. But she learned of her own diagnosis when
the disease was already advanced.

We fought for 12 years. Cancer receded and came back again. Every new stage of the fight
became more and more excruciating, both for her and for all of us who loved her.
My mother used to say: “I could have prevented it, but I didn’t. I saw people suffer,
but it never occurred to me that cancer would come to me too. We always have such
a late epiphany!”

An organization that would help detect cancer in time was my mom’s idea.
We created and registered the NGO together. Two months later she was gone.

I’m doing my best to continue her work.

People shouldn’t suffer. Cancer should be defeated.

David Berezin, founder of HESED SOFIA