Midwife and educator Rebekah Kaplan died in a bicycle crash at the age of 61

2021-12-08 05:36:58 By : Mr. Zhangfei Tu

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Her elegance is fascinating, and it embodies the perfect balance of science and "Woo".

Rebekah Kaplan, a long-time resident of Berkeley, died on November 16 after being injured in a bicycle accident in Oakland Hills. Her husband David Burke wrote in a Thanksgiving message to family and friends: “Please pay attention to a saint, a badass, a foresight and a solid foundation among us.” “Rebekah is the greatest gift, inherit her. The spirit and legacy of our family is our greatest wish for you."

Kaplan has served as a midwife for more than 30 years, as a joint appointment at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine and School of Nursing, and is a certified midwife at the University of California, San Francisco San Francisco General Hospital. As a respected educator, mentor, and clinician, Kaplan brings compassion, empathy, sense of humor and extraordinary skills to each of her many roles. According to a statement shared with the staff of the University of California, San Francisco, she is a "skilled midwife, obviously loves her job-likes to bring new life to the world." "Her patients like her, and her colleagues and students also like her. She is known for her wit, optimism, wisdom and generosity."

Kaplan is firmly committed to promoting fairness and anti-racism in maternal and reproductive health, as well as the broader healthcare sector. After graduating from Yale University School of Nursing, she worked in a fertility center in the north-central Bronx, and continued to tackle the problems of race, privilege, and prejudice in educational and clinical settings at the University of California, San Francisco. "Rebekah's very specific job is to get people into a safe and respectful learning environment where people can hear their voices," said Margy Hutchinson, her colleague at the University of California, San Francisco. Kaplan has been commended many times for his teaching excellence at the University of California San Francisco School of Nursing and the American College of Nurse Midwives.

Kaplan's former midwife student Kim Đâu said that Kaplan is also known for the mottos she distributed in clinical training, which were “full of wisdom of the past,” and later became a colleague at the University of California, San Francisco. "Rebekah always has that kind of patience and presence, which makes her the best midwife and person," Kaplan student Ariela Schnyer paid tribute online. "Curious, careful, and ready to give you a little push at any time [un] Known. Whether she delivered the patient as a parent or the student as a midwife, she did it with such gentle hands and actual humor and care. ."

Rebekah brought the same nurturing spirit to her and David's large circle of friends cultivated through work, cycling, community service, synagogue, and their son's school and neighborhood communities. She is a legend of hospitality, hosting meals, parties, running and cycling, Sabbath dinners (featured by Indian cuisine), and holiday gatherings for countless family and friends year after year.

Friends erected a "ghost bike" memorial on the descending side of Claremont Avenue above Alvarado Road in Auckland, close to the scene of a separate accident that occurred three days before her death. Now known as the "Angel Bike", mourners from Rebakah's huge community decorated the white bicycle frame with flowers and souvenirs, paying tribute to the relaxed and irreverent humor Rebekah brought to her chosen career and life. Among these products: an intrauterine device, a "menstrual cycle" sign from one of her bicycle clubs, and a small latex torso hung on a key chain.

In the early morning a few hours after her transformation, in the words of her husband, “become a luminous and splendid existence,” he shared the news with friends and family. He wrote: "My greatest wish is that in celebrating Rebekah, we continue her commitment to teaching, learning, listening and understanding the truth beyond the surface of language that we convey." "And, of course, we will do A lot of'whoops'."

In addition to husband David Burke, Rebecca Kaplan’s sons Ezra and Emmet Burke, her mother Nancy Kaplan, siblings Seth (Moira Kelly Kaplan) , Rachel and Ethan (Diana Meyer) and five nieces and nephews survived. CaringBridge will provide funeral information. Rebekah's family established the Rebekah Kaplan Midwife Memorial Scholarship at the University of California, San Francisco to support her legacy.

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