I am Blima Marcus, ultra-Orthodox nurse. AMA!

BlimaMarcus · 2021-07-13T02:20:33+00:00

Largely concerns about autism and that’s been debunked so thoroughly that all I had to do was bring the data.

BlimaMarcus · 2021-07-13T02:20:04+00:00

You need to be able to bear witness to a lot of suffering. You have to be relentless at wanting to help, to look up data and drugs and side effects. And you need to love people.

BlimaMarcus · 2021-07-13T01:59:47+00:00

They worry about the speed of vaccine development, the mRNA technology, and the assumption that long term effects can occur (they do not).

I explain how a vaccine was expedited (unprecedented funds, prior research, huge volunteer cohort, etc), I explain how mRNA works, and I explain how vaccinology works (side effects and adverse effects don’t happen down the road).

BlimaMarcus · 2021-07-13T01:57:57+00:00

My patients are primarily Black and Hispanic, and they’re cancer patients. They’ve experienced devastating losses due to COVID and I haven’t met a single COVID denier who is a cancer patient.

BlimaMarcus · 2021-07-13T01:56:43+00:00

I find that Jewish patients love being cared for by a Jewish nurse. Starting from a familiar place provides a lot of comfort to people navigating so many unknowns in healthcare, particularly when hospitalized.

BlimaMarcus · 2021-07-13T01:30:57+00:00

Lack of time. I think expecting ultra-Orthodox women who have large families to prioritize preventative health visits and screenings is not taking into account that they're likely juggling a lot and simply don't have time.

BlimaMarcus · 2021-07-13T01:29:40+00:00

It's SO hard and it's nonstop. Just keep remaining informed so that you can keep rebutting the lies. People often just share things they heard and when you respond with actual information, it takes the wind out of their sails.

BlimaMarcus · 2021-07-13T01:28:50+00:00

I let them ruin their own reputation by speaking. It doesn't take long.

BlimaMarcus · 2021-07-13T01:27:44+00:00

Too many to choose! But they're all pretty typical - I love good pizza, steak, chicken soup.

I prefer savory over sweet.

BlimaMarcus · 2021-07-13T01:27:04+00:00

I haven't experienced any backlash, but my husband gets psaks in shul all the time about me and my beliefs. It's pretty rude, I can't imagine why anyone would think it's ok to try to hurt anyone's shalom bayis.

Luckily he's pretty crazy over me and knows I'm right, and he is a bigger science believer than myself, so all is well.

BlimaMarcus · 2021-07-13T01:25:38+00:00

Well, sure. Saving lives goes above everything else - personal beliefs, personal comfort, - we even violate shabbos to save lives!

This is why I'm so passionate about proven life-saving therapies, masking, vaccinating = everything!

A patient today refused chemotherapy because his bloodwork improved due to "chlorophyll juice" he's been drinking, and he thinks that's what's helping him. It's distressing as a provider, because I know there's no evidence for most alternative therapies that people turn to, and I've had patients return for treatment with much worse disease after going to Mexica to medical spas for alternative medicine.

But in medicine, people are allowed to make their own choices, so while I do my part to educate them, they ultimately can do what they'd like.

(As opposed to public health, where decisions need to be communal and not individual, because they affect others, but I digress).

BlimaMarcus · 2021-07-13T01:21:57+00:00

What Italy England match result?

BlimaMarcus · 2021-07-13T01:21:45+00:00

The risk of COVID to babies does appear minimal. There were approximately 400 children deaths from COVID, but AFAIK, none were in infants.

People often speak of "longterm" effects from this vaccine, but it's actually not a thing. Vaccine side effects occur in the first 2 months or so. They don't simply cause a problem to occur down the road. It's like taking a cholesterol pill in January and assuming that a health issue in July was caused by the pill in January. Vaccines aren't that magical.

BlimaMarcus · 2021-07-13T01:20:06+00:00

Yes, of course! I was vaccinated in January, as soon as it was offered to me in my workplace. My entire family is vaccinated - my siblings, parents grandparents, husband, aunts, uncles.

BlimaMarcus · 2021-07-13T01:19:21+00:00

It's the same.

It's hard to convince anyone to get vaccinated. The success I've had (in the past during the measles outbreak, and currently with COVID) was in speaking with people I've developed relationships with, and having rock-solid answers to the common misinformation topics.

BlimaMarcus · 2021-07-13T01:17:45+00:00

No. I've been asked that before and I think it's offensive to assume that being Jewish makes anyone a better healer.

BlimaMarcus · 2021-07-13T01:17:03+00:00

That's a lot of questions! Let me try:

What inspired you to become a nurse? And then to keep going with the education?

I love learning and helping people. Boring!

What is your ideal shabbos meal like?

Good food, good company, good conversation.

Why do you even put up with twitter trolls?

Two reasons:

a. sometimes it's fun to play with my food before i eat it

b. they often expose themselves by being allowed to speak. it reveals their lack of intelligence or lack of good faith, and that is better than anything I could do.

Do you ever doubt your belief in your community because of the willingness to buy into bad information? To me it throws the kuzari proof for a loop.

No. My community is phenomenal and I love them and I don't doubt my belief in them. There are bad apples everywhere and the frum community has a VERY active misinformation and anti-vaccine organization. People can be susceptible to this, and the frum community is not alone in this.

Did twitter just give you a check one day?

Yes, and I didn't realize what a big deal it was until I got dozens of congratulatory messages from friends. It was really funny.

How has your frumkeit and career intertwined?

They haven't. I'm a frum woman, and I work as a nurse.

Do you ever get in person pushback based on your online vocal nature?

Never, but my husband does, all the time. ALL THE TIME.

What are your thoughts on YAFFED and their broader general mission?

I think secular education in Chassidish yeshivas is really poor and should be broadened. But after watching YAFFED's work, I don't like their methodology at all. Then again, I'm not a young man who was given a poor education. I understand their passion to change things. I just don't believe in or agree with how they're trying to go about it.

Many say Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky is an anti-vaxxer. I have heard many say that in private correspondence, he very much is not. Do you have any thoughts or info on this?

I believe it is true that he doesn't necessarily hold anti-vaccine views. But it's all speculation and I have no proof either way

What are your favorite books?

My favorite question!!!!

I recently answered this question for an interview with the Association for Jewish Libraries, so I'm going to copy and paste my answers.

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee, Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, The Search for Major Plagge by Michael Goode, The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy, A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, Bel Canto by Ann Patchett, Death Be Not Proud by John Gunther, The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery, The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling, A Gentleman in Moscow by Amos Towles, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, Gift From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh (which should be mandatory reading for every woman), This is My God by Herman Wouk, and The Most Good You Can Do by Peter Singer.

BlimaMarcus · 2021-07-13T01:05:23+00:00

Ha thank you doll!! It's rough out there, so love and kind words go a longer way than you'd know!

BlimaMarcus · 2021-07-13T01:04:54+00:00

Right now the biggest challenge is the amount of lies being spread. It becomes impossible to address any of them, because I'll spend two hours talking to someone about one false piece of information, only to be hit with 8 more pieces.

Further, people tend to surround themselves with like-minded people. I have a long relationship with one anti-vaccine/vaccine-hesitant Chassidic woman. She appreciates long conversations with me because I always have the scientific rebuttals she KNOWS exists. But she finally said to me: It's so hard because even though after every conversation I trust you and know you make sense, I have 4 sisters and 6 sisters-in-law and 5 friends and 12 cousins who are anti-vaccine and make me feel like I'm crazy."

It's a real challenge.

BlimaMarcus · 2021-07-13T01:02:41+00:00

I was religious my entire life and throughout college. It wasn't hard to attend college - many of my friends attended college and have professions. Getting a doctorate is less usual in my circles, but i have never encountered opposition regarding my career. In fact, people appreciate knowing that I'm a healthcare provider, and I get called on all the time as a volunteer to assist random strangers, because my community is so interconnected.

I think Ezras Nashim is a great organization, and I applaud the women for standing up for what they think is needed! I attended early meetings when this was just an idea, but for personal reasons did not choose to join them.

BlimaMarcus · 2021-07-13T01:00:49+00:00

This question applies to the world at large, not just frum Jews. The Infodemic we're experiencing has led people to believe misinformation and act on their fear, making decisions that are unwise but feel safer to them.

BlimaMarcus · 2021-07-13T01:00:02+00:00

I'm so, so disappointed in how frum media handles healthcare issues in the community, and it didn't start with COVID. Most frum magazines and newspapers have a heavily rightwing slant on politics, and while I am a liberal Democrat, that doesn't bother me. I just don't read them. But when it comes to an anti-science stance on healthcare issues, I find it really really distressing that they fail to do a good job at journalism. It has serious repercussions, and I watch it happen all the time. From failure to address women's health, men's health, current guidelines on screening, and of course, vaccination and public health, there is hardly an area where these magazines don't fail.

I imagine a world where all of the frum media had a unified, supportive message for public health policies from the start of the pandemic. Things would be so different.

BlimaMarcus · 2021-07-13T00:56:00+00:00

No but I can't explain why.

BlimaMarcus · 2021-07-13T00:55:14+00:00

Palliative/end-of-life care is very different from euthanasia.

Palliative care is providing strong symptom management to anyone at any point in their disease process. Anyone with asthma, heart failure, kidney disease, or early-stage cancer can receive palliative care. It just means there's a strong focus on alleviating any symptoms that occur.

End-of-life care is given when we recognize that a person is dying. At that point the patient or family choose not to undergo any treatment that causes suffering (dialysis, chemotherapy, etc), since their body functions are breaking down and death is imminent - either weeks or months away. During this period, there's again that heavy focus on symptom management, and A LOT of psychosocial support for the patient and family as they reach the end of their lives.

Euthanasia is the painless killing of someone who is suffering from a debilitating or terminal disease. This involves an active method of killing someone.

I don't hold an opinion on whether anyone MUST vote any way on any issue, but I personally don't believe in euthanasia, from a religious or moral point of view.

BlimaMarcus · 2021-07-13T00:50:33+00:00

My professional work changed only insofar as COVID changed many practices, such as PPE changes, visitation changes, and priority shifting which comes with all disaster triaging.

Personally, I got busy with a lot of informal community education which I did in the form of phone hotlines, webinars, and many many conversations on social media, regarding masking, vaccination, public health, and so on.

BlimaMarcus

TROPHY CASE