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Although I am an only child, my mother has thousands of children, all loved and cared for by her.They affectionately named her Deenush, the "angel in white." Deenush, aka Deena Rosiansky, the young nurse in the hospital in Vilnius, Lithuania, and then the head nurse of the oncology department in Israel's Tel Aviv Hadassah and Ichilov hospitals, has dedicated her life and career to taking care of cancer patients. Some as young as three months. Cancer does not discriminate, all ages fall under the spell of this mysterious disease.

The pain, the sorrow and the ordeal of the patients, their families and friends were eased by the confidence of Deena's superb medical knowledge and skillful treatment, and softened by the caring love she bestowed. The warm touch of her strong hand, a hug, chicken soup and a sandwich to those waiting all night in the hospital's corridors to hear about the fate of the loved ones, has made this incredible woman a mother to so many.

Exhausted, after a 12- or 14-hour workday, my mother would rush home by walking seven miles, climb to the fourth floor apartment just in time to cook supper and bring a wonderful smile and loving Yiddish greeting, "Mein kind," to her only child. Inserting my hand into her handbag, I always found an apple or an orange. I knew that she always thought about me.

I was and am a very fortunate recipient of the world's most admired and loving mother.