Freed hostage Romi Gonen hosted her grandmother on her new podcast, V1, speaking about her grandmother's own experiences since the October 7 massacre, when Romi was kidnapped.
During the conversation, her grandmother revealed that since October 7, she has not slept well at night, and she recently began seeing a psychologist to help her deal with the trauma.
"My heart is breaking," Romi said.
Her grandmother apologized, "I'm sorry. Maybe I wouldn't have told you if I'd known that this [would happen]."
When asked if ninety-year-olds go to psychologists, she said, "Personally, until two weeks ago, I did not go. In my whole life I never went to a psychologist."
But, she added, "One of the issues was that all the time, before I fall asleep, I remember everything you went through, and I have a hard time falling asleep. And really, it was just time that I needed to somehow get it out of me, so that I would have an easier time sleeping."
Romi choked up, but managed to respond, "It kills me to understand that this is hurting you also, that it's not just me in this story. Because if I could make it so that it was only me, I would prefer that, so that no one else suffer. ... My heart is breaking."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," her grandmother said. "Maybe I wouldn't have said that if I had known..."
"But that's how it is. You are part of me. There's nothing to do about it. And that you, specifically should suffer so much, when you were so gentle and so sensitive - but I am very happy that you came back strong, that you stood up to all of it, and you did not lose any of your humanity or your understanding. The opposite happened."
Her words triggered a new waterfall on Romi's part, and she said, "It's a shame, I wish I could cry like you - I don't manage to cry."
"I don't know what's better," Romi said through her tears, adding, "No, no, don't stand up."