Profiles in Courage – May 2019
Hard stories this month…
K. is a 42 year old single mother of 5 currently living with her father on a moshav near Jerusalem. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 but she refused chemotherapy at the time due to the trauma of seeing her brother die from stomach cancer after grueling treatments. By 2017 her cancer had metastasized and it is now Stage IV. It is in her bones, liver and possibly brain and she is having difficulty walking. Her ex cannot or will not help her financially as he is bankrupt and deeply in debt. We received a letter from the Chief of Palliative Care at her hospital asking us to please help her and her family. (This is highly unusual; we normally get letters from the patients’ social workers only.) We awarded K. a Lemonade Fund grant which we hope will at least alleviate some of her financial pressure during this difficult time.
W. is a young widow who made aliyah from Ethiopia. She supports her two sons, 16 and 21, in any way that she can, having worked as a cleaner, a cook, a babysitter, etc. Her younger son is in boarding school and her older son is in prison. She was diagnosed in 2015 with breast cancer which has spread and is now Stage IV. She cannot work due to her illness and has used up all of her savings. She is consumed with worry about how she will pay tuition for her younger son, who helps her on weekends when he is at home. She has become very depressed and in need of support from any direction. Thankfully the Lemonade Fund was able to send her a grant this month.
If you would like to send additional help to these two recipients who are in especially difficult situations, please make a donation and send us an accompanying email asking us to earmark your donations to K. or W. from May 2019.
Email: lindas@lemonadefund.org
Thanks for your support for our work helping Israeli breast cancer patients in financial crisis due to their illness.
TO DONATE: https://lemonadefund.org/to-donate/
NOW! Your Donation Will Be Matched!
- A donor has come forward and offered to cover half of the costs of our expansion, NIS 25,000 ($7,000,) challenging us to match his grant, shekel for shekel, dollar for dollar, to raise the other half.
- Your donations will be matched by this donor. You can be part of this incredible initiative, helping indigent Israeli breast cancer patients in financial crisis due to illness!
- Please consider a donation of an average grant, NIS 2,100 ($590,) or for ANY AMOUNT towards our goal of NIS 25,000 ($7,000,)
Typical story. Last week the Lemonade Fund received an urgent request from a city Social Worker to pay the utility bills of a breast cancer patient who is also a victim of domestic violence. Single mother with 4 children. We did…
The Lemonade Fund is the only Breast Cancer Emergency Relief charity in Israel, and over the last year we have doubled the amount of money we are giving due to the pressing need.
Thank you!
To donate: https://lemonadefund.org/to-donate/
Profiles in Courage – April 2019 and a Thank You
Profiles of breast cancer patients who were awarded grants, in time for Passover:
Y., a young mother of twin girls (5) and an infant, was deserted by her husband when she was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer. He left Y. with a mountain of debt as well. Her family cannot help as her father is very ill with leukemia. Y. will have surgery after she completes intensive chemotherapy (to shrink her tumor.) She needs assistance with basic cost of living expenses as well as childcare and household help. Lemonade Fund grant awarded.
A. is a 64 year old artist from the south who continued to work despite being challenged by mental illness. She was recently diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer which has spread to her bones. Her husband has had to return from his job abroad to help care for her and the family is struggling, currently living on National Insurance Institute (Bituach Leumi) subsidies alone. Lemonade Fund grant awarded.
S., 55, requested help (through her social worker,) with moving costs to move out of her small basement apartment. She had uterine cancer in 2008 and was just diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. The apartment is dank and tiny and she feels that moving to a brighter apartment will help her immensely. Outlook can be everything when faced with a serious disease. Lemonade Fund grant awarded.
Still time to help before Passover, to donate:
https://lemonadefund.org/to-donate/
Thank you, and sending out wishes for happy holidays!
A thank you note we received: (English follows Hebrew)
שלום לך , מלאך …
איני יודעת את שמך , ואולי גם לא אדע מעולם . אבל כנראה שלפעמים גם אין צורך להכיר כדי לדעת שהנשמה טהורה .
תודה לך .
תודה לך שגרמת לי להבין שיש עוד אנשים טובים באמצע הדרך ,
להבין שיש עוד אנשים שאכפת להם ,
גם אם לא מכירים ,
אולי כי הם עברו את אותה הדרך ,
אולי כי הם רואים רק את הטוב .
תודה שעזרת בסתר , בשקט ובלי לשאול שאלות .
זה כל כך לא מובן מאליו וזה כל כך ראוי להערכה .
תודה שהעלית לי חיוך רחב בכל המערבולת הזאת של חיי .
תודה לך מלאך .
Hello, my angel
I do not know your name, maybe I will never know.
But sometimes it seems there is no know, just need to know that there are pure souls.
Thank you.
And thank you for making me understand that there are other good people out there…
That there are other people who care…
Even if you don’t know them.
Maybe because they’ve been through the same thing,
Maybe because they only see the good,
Thank you for helping anonymously, quietly and without asking questions…
It’s something that is not taken for granted and so deserving of appreciation
Thanking you for bringing a wide smile to my face in this vortex that is my life.
Thank you my angel,
Yours,
V
Profiles in Courage – March 2019 Purim
Focusing this month on how young parents juggle chemo and holidays. Purim is a happy time, and parents don’t want their illness to impact the joy of the day for their children.
T., from Sderot, is 43 with 7 children, ages 2-15. Her husband drove a bus until a mental crisis forced him to stop. T. worked part-time at a low level job and the couple was slowly paying off debts and getting back on their feet. And then T. was diagnosed with breast cancer and now needs lengthy treatment. The Lemonade Fund sent them an emergency grant. In addition, they were sent a special young mother supplemental food grant, sponsored by Myisrael, one of our wonderful partners, from the UK.
L., 43, from Tel Aviv, has an autistic 4 year old, and a new diagnosis of breast cancer. She is awaiting further tests to assess whether or not it has metastasized. Her husband words in warehouse, but he has had to lose time from work to help his wife and child. The family is in financial crises. They were also sent an emergency grant from the Lemonade Fund and Myisrael.
Helping the poor is as much a part of Purim as costumes and candy. Your donation will get to needy breast cancer patients in financial crises. Thank you!
https://lemonadefund.org/to-donate/
Profiles in Courage – February 2019 and a Meaningful Thank You
Record number of applications. A snapshot of a few:
- I., 42, diagnosed from the start with Stage 4 breast cancer. Upon diagnosis, husband abandons her with 3 small children, no support. She had a decent job prior to her diagnosis, but now can no longer work full time, and any savings are going to upkeep and legal fees. Sent her a Lemonade Fund grant as well as a supplemental grocery money grant designated by Myisrael for our applicants with young children.
- S., a retiree living on a small pension, with a history of colon cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure and depression, needs money for transport to chemo treatments.
- A., applicant from the Armenian section of Jerusalem, N.,(breast cancer + lung disease, very poor, needs supplement for basic living expenses.)
- A., 53, from Uzbekistan, lives with her mother (just dx with melanoma,) daughter (just divorced,) and infant granddaughter. Stage 3 diagnosis. Family needs help until National Health Insurance payments come in.
The Lemonade Fund is now helping Israeli breast cancer patients across the land. Our average grant is NIS 2,100 ($580.) This amount can make all the difference to a patient while they are going through treatment.
TO DONATE: https://lemonadefund.org/to-donate/
(Online tax deductible donations can be made from Israel, US, Canada, UK, Australia, etc.)
25/2/2019 THANK YOU LETTER
To the Lemonade Fund,
I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart on behalf of me and my daughters,
for your generous donation.
In dealing with this illness economic difficulties can put a dark cloud over one’s feeling of repose.
Keep on your blessed way,
Well done!
From Y.
המשיכו בדרכם הברוכה!
יישר כוח
Profiles in Courage – January 2019
M. is a 48 year old MAN with Stage 4 breast cancer. (1% of all breast cancers are in men. It is often found at later stages since men are not routinely screened.) M. is a married father of 9 children, (1 soldier, 1 married, the rest live at home,) who can no longer work due to the side effects of treatment for cancer that has spread to his lungs and bones. His wife works in eldercare, but she is overwhelmed with caring for her ill husband and young children. The family is now deeply in debt and is in crisis. The Lemonade Fund awarded them a grant to alleviate some of their financial pressure during this difficult time.
V., 37, has been in and out of psychiatric hospitals since she was a young adult, her mental health issues possibly compounded by sexual abuse she endured as a child. V. has had addiction problems as well (drugs and alcohol.) She was trying to get her life back on track (she recently began studying graphic arts and had coaching which was really helping her.) And then she was diagnosed with breast cancer. The diagnosis caused a suicide attempt and V. is in a very bad place. Her partner, with whom she lives, is recovering from back surgery and is unable to work. They are beginning to take on debt and need help. The Lemonade Fund grant will help sustain them until they can get back on their feet.
To help needy breast cancer patients while they are in treatment:
https://lemonadefund.org/to-donate/
The Lemonade Fund is the only Breast Cancer Emergency Relief Fund in Israel, helping all Israeli citizens.
Women’s Health Awareness Evening: Breast Health 31/1/2019 Raanana
Facebook Event Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/393500344753288/
Thank You. I am No Longer Alone in the World…
|
A Thank You letter from a recent Lemonade Fund grant recipient.
(עברית למטה)
I would like to thank you for the generous grant which you authorized for me unexpectedly and within such a short time.
You are the only ones and the first to help me in this difficult situation, as a single mother, who within a month and a half of being diagnosed with the illness, was about to undergo surgery and leave my seven year old without me at home, with no help or assistance from anyone.
I was so overcome to see the grant in my bank account, for me it is like a gift from heaven, so pleasing, and it is so supporting and encouraging to know that someone cares.
I feel that I am no longer alone in the world, at this dramatic and critical moment in my life. Thank you very much.
It really gives me hope and strength to continue.
ברצוני להודות לכם על המענק הנדיב אשר אישרתם לי במפתיע בהתראה כה קצרה
היחידים והראשונים שעזרו לי במצב הלא פשוט הזה, כאם חד הורית, שבתוך חודש וחצי מגילוי המחלה, עומדת להיכנס לניתוח ולעזוב בית עם ילד בן 7 כשאין שום סיוע או עזרה מאף אחד.
התרגשתי כל כך לראות את העזרה הזאת בחשבון, כמו מתנה משמים, כל כך משמחת, כל כך תומכת ומעודדת
לדעת שלמישהו אכפת
שאני לא לגמרי לבד בעולם ברגעים כאלה דרמטיים וקריטיים בחיי
תודה רבה
זה בהחלט נותן לי תקוה וכוח להמשיך
|
כאשר נטל פיננסי של חולה בסרטן נופל על הילדים – דצמבר 2018.
ר., בת 55, מירושלים סובלת מבעיות פסיכיאטריות (עברה מספר אשפוזים), שבר ברגל ובשלב זה – סרטן השד. היא עברה לאחרונה כריתת שד והיא עומדת להתחיל בטיפול כימותרפי, למרות היותה מרותקת למיטה. ביתה בת ה -30 (בהיריון עם ילדתה השלישית) עובדת במשרה מלאה (משכורת של 3000 שקל לחודש), והיא היחידה שמטפלת באמא שלה, על כל ענייניה הבריאותיים וכספיים. ר. שקועה עמוק בחובות. היא מקבלת קצבת נכות צנועה וסיוע בדמי שכירות. עם זאת, כל ההוצאות הנוספות שהבת נושאת (הוצאות שנגרמו בגלל מחלתה של אימה), כגון עלויות נסיעות ושמרטפות, היעדרות מעבודתה – אינן מכוסות. תהליך הגשת בקשה לסיוע מקרן לימונדה, בסיוע העובדים הסוציאליים בבית החולים, מאפשר לנו לקבל תמונת מצב משפחתי של המטופלת. כולנו מודעים לעובדה אבחנה של סרטן משפיעה על כל המשפחה. במקרים מסוימים המטפלים סובלים מעומס יתר והם זקוקים לסיוע כספי כדי לא לקרוס! קרן לימונדה כאן לעזור לחולים אלה וכן למשפחותיהם.
https://lemonadefund.org/to-donate/ תודה! :לתרום לקרן לימונדה
When the Financial Burden of a Parent’s Cancer Falls on the Children – December 2018.
R., age 55, from Jerusalem has psychiatric problems (several hospitalizations,) a broken leg and now, breast cancer. She recently underwent a mastectomy and is about to start chemotherapy, despite being currently bedridden. Her 30 year-old daughter (pregnant with her third child,) works full-time (NIS 3000/month salary,) and is the sole caretaker for her mother, for all of her health and financial affairs. R. is deeply in debt and gets by with a small disability check and rental assistance. However, all of the daughter’s extra expenses (caused by her mother’s illness,) such as transportation and babysitting costs, time lost from work, are not covered. The Lemonade Fund application process, aided by hospital social workers, allows us to get a picture of the patient’s family situation. We all know that cancer impacts an entire family. In some cases, the caretakers are overburdened and need financial help badly so they don’t crash! The Lemonade Fund is here for these patients and their families.
To donate to the Lemonade Fund:
https://lemonadefund.org/to-donate/
THANK YOU!
