Rabbi Teaches Children With Cancer Confidence Through Martial Arts [Video]

Cancer is currently the number two leading cause of death in the United States. With those statistics, it is very disheartening whenever a child is diagnosed with it. Because children’s cancer is a tragic condition that should never happen to someone so young, many people — including those who are famous — are doing what they can to show their support. The Inquisitr reported on such people, including Chester from Linkin Park, who performed in his hometown for the cause, or the Boston Bruins, who showed their support by dressing up as Frozen characters in a children’s hospital.

Sometimes, the best thing to give a diagnosed child is encouragement, like some doctors did by dressing up their child patients’ IV bags as “superhero formula.” In that respect, Rabbie Elimelech Goldberg is doing this by instilling courage into diagnosed children so they can take on the fight. What is amazing is how he providing encourage: through martial arts.

According to an article by Times of Israel, Rabbi Elimelech Goldberg has been teaching diagnosed children martial arts since the 90s. Originally, Goldberg was a director for Camp Simcha, an organization well-known for providing a childhood for children with cancer and blood diseases. It was during a moment when medical staff was restraining a screaming little boy to administer chemotherapy that Goldberg intervened to help. He asked the boy if he wanted to learn martial arts. The boy, of course, enthusiastically agreed, and they started with breathing exercises.

It was at that moment that Rabbie Elimelech Goldberg realized that martial arts could be used to help children diagnosed with cancer, as explained in an interview with the Times of Israel.

“I told him that martial arts teach that pain is not a message you have to listen to, that pain is something you can push away from you. The boy understood, and he rose above the pain to the point that he didn’t even feel it when the nurses removed his chemotherapy needle.”

Presently, Rabbi Elimelech Goldberg is internationally recognized for his revelation, which has been utilized into a not-for-profit organization known as Kids Kick Cancer. Over the years, Goldberg’s dedication has earned him the title of being one of CNN’s Top 10 Heroes of 2014. Now he is in the running for “Hero of the Year” and if he is selected for the honor, Kids Kicking Cancer will receive a $100,000 to assist in their mission.

In another article by Shalom Life, it reports that Rabbi Elimelech Goldberg is no stranger to watching a child battle cancer in his personal life. His first daughter, Sara, was diagnosed with leukemia just one week before she turned one. One year later, she passed on. However, Goldberg says it was Sara’s heart during that trying time that would touch him. She would always be grateful to the doctors, often thanking and kissing them, even through numerous painful treatments. Goldberg even states that Sara is the inspiration for Kids Kick Cancer.

Over the years, Rabbi Elimelech Goldberg has taught martial arts to many children with cancer. He says it is a means to provide them with mediation and relaxation. This is so the children can gain the tools to really face down so much of the negativity that comes with the pain of cancer. Goldberg also mentions that Kids Kick Cancer provides counseling, transportation to and from classes, and individual support for kids when they are hospitalized. It also teaches children to bestow knowledge to other children and adults going through similar experiences.

Currently, Kids Kick Cancer has programs in Michigan, New York, Los Angeles, Florida, Italy, Israel, and Ontario. There are plans to open branches in Massachusetts and Georgia in the future.

What do you think of Rabbie Elimelech Goldberg’s way of helping children with cancer? Do you know any children who are suffering from this horrible disease that could benefit from Goldberg’s program?

[Image via Times of Israel]