At the peak of her scientific career—leading international collaborations across four continents and holding groundbreaking patents for early disease detection—Dr. Tamar Jehuda Cohen was struck by a devastating stroke. It left her without the ability to speak and with severe epilepsy. Yet, despite everything, Tamar stood her ground and faced the challenges head-on.
“Five percent chance of surviving the year”
A specialist who reviewed the damage to her brain after the stroke told Tamar bluntly: “I give you a five percent chance of surviving the year.”
When her husband Shlomo reached out to a rehabilitation center, they refused to admit her, claiming: “There’s no chance she’ll ever speak again.”
Refusing to give in
Instead of surrendering, Tamar began a determined rehabilitation journey. A year and eight months later, not only had she regained her speech—she even taught a women’s class entirely on her own. Over time, another challenge emerged: a tumor in her brain that required emergency surgery. When she awoke, she was paralyzed on one side of her body.
“You’ll never walk again”
Three months into rehabilitation, the head of the department came into her room with grim news.
“Get used to seeing the world from the height of a wheelchair, because you’ll never walk again,” he told her.
Tamar refused to accept that fate.
Rather than focusing solely on herself, Tamar realized her strength lay in the community around her. She began encouraging other patients, celebrating even their smallest victories—and soon, the entire ward found new faith in their own abilities.
During one therapy session, her physiotherapist asked why she was so determined to walk. Tamar replied: “Because my husband refuses to travel abroad with me in a wheelchair.”
Two years later, she climbed the Alps—on foot.
“Why are you giving them false hope?”
Tamar went on to establish a rehabilitation clinic, guiding people who were told they had no hope. Many of them, she says, “walk out on their own two feet.”
She continues to deliver a powerful message:
“No matter what you’ve been told—if you start taking action, you’ll discover you’re capable of more than you imagined.”
While treating a teenage girl who had lost movement in half her body, a doctor walked into the session and confronted Tamar:
“Why are you giving them false hope? Just because you were told you’d never walk and now you do—doesn’t mean this girl will.”
Tamar calmly replied:
“I’m not giving anyone false hope. I tell them: ‘If you start working—you’ll find yourself in a better place than where you are now.’”
She shares with emotion that she later attended that same girl’s wedding.
Watch the full video of Tamar’s inspiring story:
