FridayLight Heroine: Rachel Dadusc

Rachel Dadusc

[Nominated by Lisa Kadosh]

Rachel is from Cleveland Heights, Ohio.  She is the mother of five beautiful children, Sarah, Sion Meir, Areyeh Leib, Shayndi, and Tzipporah (Tzippy).  She is the wife of Daniel.  

Rachel is one of the sweetest, nicest, most loving people.  She only has nice words to say about others.  Also, she teaches her children how to be good Jewish people and to love Torah and Hashem.

One of the smartest women I know, Rachel is an indexer.  She reads more pages in a week than anyone else I have ever met!  However, she has taken a mini retirement from her career for the time being.  In September 2010, Rachel’s youngest child, at the time 18 month old Tzippy, was diagnosed with a childhood cancer called Neuroblastoma.  Rachel is constantly going from doctor appointment to doctor appointment.  Over Purim, Rachel will be in the hospital with Tzippy, and for 5 weeks after that, because Tzippy will be having a stem cell transplant (reimplanting her immune system after six excessive doses of chemotherapy.)

During this whole process, Rachel has maintained a smile.  She comes home at night to be with her oldest children and is constantly thinking about everyone else.  For example, already in early February, Rachel ordered her materials to make Mishloach Manot in case Purim overlaps with the extended hospital stay.  (Which it will.)  She still asks all her friends and family if she could help them!  Rachel is maintaining as normal a life for all of her children as possible during this time.  

It is ironic that Tzippy’s transplant overlaps with Purim, as Rachel’s husband Daniel stated in their Caring Bridge blog: “Of course, Rachel pointed out how apropos it was that the decision to get one transplant or two was a random toss of the coin, AKA a goral (a lottery pick) in the month of Adar.  So here we are going full force with what better time of the year to have such a major decision be decided by something random!  Hope that all made sense.”  

Rachel is truly a strong Jewish mother.  She deserves a moment to shine.  (Though she keeps hiding!)  She moves forward day by day with such optimism.  Anyone that meets her feels that radiating positive attitude.  She does not see her current life situation as a set back, but as another step Hashem has set for her and her family.  She is truly a hero!  Anyone who knows her is blessed to know her!  

If she were to win, I have no doubt that she would use the prize for her children, maybe in their Jewish education, to maintain normalcy at home, to buy necessities, which she really has not had a chance to do on her own.  Though Rachel has admitted to me that she really does not like shopping, I think the idea of her having the freedom to just go to the store and shop for groceries herself is actually a relief!  If she were to be able to plan Pesach for her family and to buy the food herself that would give her back some of that feeling of control in life.  (Thank goodness her family and friends and community as a whole have all helped her by cooking, shopping, etc. during this time.)