By Yehudah Farkas. Sometimes, the best medicine for families coping with a child’s illness is to spend time with other people in their same situation.
That was the philosophy behind this year’s LH Financial Services Family Winter Wonderland. Forty-five families from Lakewood and the Greater New York area attended the event, held at the Berkeley Carteret Hotel in Asbury Park N.J. The 400-plus guests were joined by inspirational speakers, therapists and Chai Lifeline senior staff.
The weekend provided parents, patients, and siblings an opportunity to bond in a way that they would find difficult normally. The venue is a safe environment where families can share each other’s experiences and gain valuable friendships along the way. Chai Lifeline Executive Vice President, Rabbi Simcha Scholar commented, “Families who have to live with illness are living their own worst nightmare. At the Retreat, they discover that the nightmare is not as terrifying if they can share it with friends. As they connect, they find they are not only being helped, but are helping as well.”
The program offered something for every member of the family. Children of all ages were entertained with creative activities and special Shabbos programs. Chai Lifeline counselors kept them in smiles while parents attended the inspirational addresses by Rabbi Lipa Geldwerth, Rav of Khal Kol Torah and Rabbi Scholar and the educational and supportive presentations of Dr. David Pelcovitz, the weekend’s scholar-in-residence.
Chai Lifeline’s Director of Client Services, Rabbi Mordechai Gobioff, commented, “The speakers and rabbanim shouldered the burdens these families carried through their heartwarming words of inspiration and compassion.”
Parents credited the support of Chai Lifeline’s case managers, social workers, and senior staff for helping them get the most from the retreat. One mother, who was attending for the first time, admitted that she felt more at ease with her situation now that she had found others who shared her pain and journey. “Now I’m normal,” she said.
Rabbi Gobioff affirmed that the environment enabled families to find support from one another. “A family who stood apart, uncomfortable with participating at the beginning of the weekend really opened up. By the time Shabbos was over, they were mingling freely with fellow parents and their children.”
After Shabbos, guests were treated to a gala Melava Malka with music and entertainment from Lipa Schmeltzer and the Yedidim choir. Parents and children alike went home Sunday feeling empowered by the love and devotion from the Chai Lifeline staff and the camaraderie and new friendships made over the weekend.
Rabbi Sruli Fried, Chai Lifeline New Jersey’s Director of Programs and Services, was filled with praise for the families that attended. “I was so amazed at the strength shown by these families. They gave such chizuk to one another. It was truly inspiring.”