Community Magazine January 2019

TEVET - SHEVAT 5779 JANUARY 2019 87 both apply for shomer Shabbat residencies, preferring to stay in the Northeast. While applying, Tehila discovers she is pregnant with twins. The couple graduates from their respective medical schools in June, 2012. Meir is accepted in Internal Medicine at Maimonides in Brooklyn and Tehila in Pediatrics at Downstate. The twins, Rivka Ilanit and Haviv Ilan, are born in the fall of 2012, and the young family lives in Boro Park at Maimonides housing. Sounds familiar? Tehila lived not too far from there as a little girl, while her mother trained at Maimonides. After an eight-week maternity leave, Tehila returned to her residency at Downstate. How did she do it? The couple hired a nanny, plus Meir worked close to home at Maimonides and popped in often to visit the twins. “In the beginning, we were always awake at night. We had our routine: Meir changed one baby and then handed me the baby to nurse. After I started nursing the first baby, Meir had diapered the second one and handed me the baby to feed in tandem.” Their son Doron Moshe was born in the summer of 2015 soon after Tehila completed her residency. In November 2015, Tehila began her career as a pediatrician in private practice, working four days a week. Tehila always knew that she wanted to specialize but she did not get a specialty match the first year. “It was wonderful! I had a long maternity leave with Doron and enjoyed my work. I applied again and got into an allergy fellowship. It turns out the lab research I did as a resident helped me get into the fellowship program.” Allergies Enter the Picture Tehila found her two-year allergy fellowship at SUNY Downstate to be much “lighter” than her residency, and also it made it easier to balance career and family. The fellowship was very research oriented and included days for research, in addition to other days dedicated to patient care. Nissim Orel, Tehila’s youngest son, was born on Hanukah of 2017 during the second year of her fellowship. Tehila completed her allergy instruction in June, 2018. She kept asking herself, “Did I actually finish my training?! I’m really graduating for the last time.” Tehila accepted a full-time position, with a flexible schedule and no weekend hours in the Queens office of a very large allergy practice, New York Allergy and Sinus Centers. Meir is currently the Medical Director of Emblem Health Advance Care Physicians in Crown Heights. Tehila is thrilled with her specialty and compares it to detective work. “There is a constellation of symptoms to analyze. It’s crucial to ask lots of questions, like a journalist, and get a good medical history to pinpoint the patient’s triggers.” She can usually figure out the patient’s allergies before the testing is performed. “The testing is fascinating and includes immediate sensitivity and delayed testing. The research findings on allergies and how to introduce foods to babies earlier on to avoid allergies is also very exciting.” Tehila also enjoys the education component of her job. She sees patients after an acute reaction, and empowers them to save their own lives by providing then with EpiPen training. Family Partnership Tehila “can’t speak enough” about her husband’s loving support throughout their marriage and training. Meir is an equal partner in all aspects of his children’s education. When their nanny unexpectedly left, members of both Tehila and Meir’s family devotedly stepped in to help with childcare on a rotating basis. Tehila’s grandmother, Feiga, a retired kindergarten teacher, who taught youngsters for decades, now generously takes care of her young great-grandchildren. Tehila’s mom takes one day off a week from her own busy practice to babysit. Tehila says, “If my child cries when I go to work, I know he/she is with family members who love them.” When Tehila is asked to present research findings at medical conferences, Meir and the children accompany her. They have traveledtoTexas, California,Georgia, Florida, Massachusetts, and Ontario. The Saadias' always stay in a Jewish neighborhood, and the entire family delights in experiencing a new and unique community. Tehila’s future goals include raising community awareness about allergies and the “false sense of security” implied by having “nut-free” schools, advocating for better access to EpiPens and for training school staff on EpiPen use for students with lesser-recognized allergies, and to educate parents about the importance of vaccinations. Tehila encourages students who want to pursue medicine to get out of their comfort zone to achieve their goals. Her advice to working mothers? Don’t give up on things that bring you joy! You can connect with Tehila at drtehila24@gmail.com . Ellen Geller Kamaras, CPA/MBA, is an International Coach Federation (ICF) Associate Certified Coach. Ellen can be contacted at  ellen@lifecoachellen.com ( www.lifecoachellen.com) .