Stories of some of the remarkable women who received grants from the Lemonade Fund this month:
R., a teacher and a single mother of two from Haifa, has been putting herself through law school in order to better the situation of her family. In the midst of this ambitious but hectic schedule, she was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. R. is an orphan and has no family to call on to help her. She turned to the Lemonade Fund for financial assistance so that she can hire more childcare during this difficult time. To her credit, she is determined to try to stay in law school during treatment. It is our privilege to help her with this admirable goal.
P., a widow, originally from South America, suffered a serious recurrence of breast cancer this summer. Upon her husband’s recent death she was left with no income, substantial debts, and no family close by. She is having great difficulty going to her treatments alone. She came to the Lemonade Fund with a simple request; enough money to pay for her move to a city where she can be near her sister-in-law, her only family in the country. She provided a reasonable estimate for the cost of moving and the Lemonade Fund was only too happy to be able to make this move possible for her.
K.’s story is an example of how life can turn in an instant. Now retired, she was a successful artist, living comfortably for many years in an upscale part of the country. When she was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, her husband of many years decided that he ‘couldn’t handle’ her illness and picked up and left the country. She has no idea where he is or how to find him. Finding him is important, as he also left her with staggering debt that he had secretly accrued in both of their names. She has had to make good on his debts, and has been left with practically nothing. She is now surviving thanks to the kindness of neighbors and friends. Unfortunately the Lemonade Fund cannot remedy K.’s situation completely, but we can help to alleviate some of her immediate financial pressure while she undergoes treatment.
I., is a divorcee from the center of the country, with a history of mental illness. She was recently diagnosed with advanced breast cancer and has had several operations, chemotherapy and radiation treatments. She developed pneumonia and has had to be hospitalized for extended periods of time. She has an adult daughter with a newborn who is struggling to care for her mother and her child. The family is living well below the poverty line and is now in extreme financial distress. A grant from the Lemonade Fund will help to ease the pressure on this family until the mother, hopefully, recovers fully.
Shana Tova, May God grant us a year of health and peace.
