Looking over the women’s medical horizon – impressions of a Kerem-Tech event

 

[sunset]

This week, Kerem Tech, a group bringing together startups, entrepreneurs and freelancers in the technology field in northern Israel, arranged an event at which representatives from several startups in the FemTech field presented current developments in matters of vital importance to women. The lectures discussed new treatments for endometriosis (EndoSpot), a better method for choosing the best embryo in IVF treatments (Carmel Diagnostics) and a developing solution for the need to prevent the release of cancer cells during hysterectomies (Ark Surgical Ltd.) It was a fascinating evening in terms of personal relevance,  a view of  the process of the medical research and exposure to the passion of people working to improve people’s lives.

During the lectures, I discovered  that, beyond my business reason for attending, I had personal, grantedly third-handedly, interest and experience with these issues. My daughter is among the estimated 10% of women with endometriosis. The treatment discussed may provide her with a future with less pain and a greater chance to have a child. Furthermore, her mother and I went through three years of the IVF rollercoaster ride of hope and disappointment. The method of embryo analysis being developed may significantly increase the 25% current rate of success of IVF. Finally, it was rather shocking to discover that a women’s risk of dying as a result of rather common  hysterectomy surgery was far higher than I imagined. The company is trying to develop a much more reliable system of preventing the release of unknown cancer cells into the rest of the body. Although I was there to market my translation services, the subjects of the lectures were of far more interest.

At the same time, one reality somewhat mitigated the hope raised by all these developments, namely the lengthy time and effort required to make them available to the market. Each of the presenters described the long serious of tests and approvals that they had conducted and received and hinted at the those that need to be done and attained. Consequently, they emphasized the need for medical startups to take the long view in terms of organization, financing and cooperation with government bodies and large private companies. Clearly, given the size of the potential market due to the number of women suffering these problems, the long-term effort is viable but success requires patience and endurance.

Beyond any specific information I received, the evening encouraged me. I was extremely impressed that these individuals and all their colleagues view the current situation as a basis and need for change and strive to improve the lives of women and their partners through technology. As implicit in the word “hope”, this betterment may be in the future but it is a future that will become the present. In a world that is rather dark now, a glimpse into the minds of the people involved in startups is a ray of light.

Thus, the Kerem Tech event was far more than a marketing opportunity; it was a look into the not-so-distant future where more women and men will enjoy a family in good health. If you will, it was a peak into the future just over the horizon, giving hope to countless people.

On one year of orphanage

 

A year ago, on January 9, 2024, my mother passed away at the age of 96, some three years after my father died at the age of 94. She was independent until almost the last day of her life, just as she wished. I recall a conversation I had with her decades before when her mother had passed away, aslo in her 90's. I asked her, naively but not maliciously, why she was so distraught given that her relation with her mother has been so difficult. Every conversation was accompanied by a cigarette (until my mother stopped smoking). My grandmother was a difficult person or at least became one after the war. My mother’s explanation to me was that she was now an orphan.

I  now understand that answer. I have been an orphan for one year. Happily, my relation with my mother was far better than hers with her mother but that fact is irrelevant. I am happy that she died not only because the events of the world of the last year would have extremely distressed her but also she was ready to die. My parents left me and my brother an ample and organized estate, which has been distributed without great struggle except with the bureaucracies of the various financial institutions. I have come to terms to the fact that I gave my best to be a supportive son despite living far away on another continent just as they came to terms with me choosing to live in Israel. In short, we parted on the best of terms and remain that way.

In this year, I have made some difficult but unavoidable emotional decisions without any consultation with my parents, not that I did that very much when they were alive. To be honest, I wish I could ask my father some advice on investing but it is far too late for that. Amusingly, if I were to suddenly drop by their house and sit down with them, I imagine the conversation would be exactly as it was before as if they had not died. I don’t know if that is good or bad.

In short, it is has been a challenging year. My parents’ education has stood the ultimate test: I stand on my feet as an orphan. Time does heal certain wounds. I now am capable of enjoying the present and getting excited for the future. Yet, I feel  a sadness in me because t I do not have a parent to whom I can recount my successes and failures. I suppose that this emptiness will never go away completely but, as the Yehuda Poliker song goes, it hurts but less.

On a spiritual note if you will, as I often “talk” with/to my parents on my daily walks, I am inspired and/or comforted by the words of Pooh, whose wisdom I also did not appreciate in my youth. In a certain sense, I find them true and comforting. I am getting used to being an orphan.