They say it takes a village but on February 23, 2020 we got our first glimpse into the new village we’d need.
Our village now had some new additions.. strangers, medical experts, advocates and what one can only describe as the most special type of people.
Over the next 5.5 years we’d be forced to navigate a whole new life and normal but we always had and still have the best village.
Hospitalizations, surgeries, illness after illness… it felt impossible, scary, too hard. Yet every time it was too much, our village stepped in and carried the weight of this new reality.
A meal, a toy, a fun event or experience, a visitor.. whatever we needed.
Navigating a medical crisis is incredibly isolating and exhausting yet there’s a unique group of people equipped for such a task.
As time has gone on and we navigate new struggles and celebrate new milestones, those same people are there for the best and worst moments.
People often ask how can we help? And to be honest, in the moment we can’t even articulate our needs but these special people know exactly what we need without saying a word.
One may wonder how a toy or Mac n cheese can be so life changing but let me give you an example;
when you are caring for a child that’s heading into surgery in an unfamiliar place, there are so many things on your mind.
The child is fasting, there’s the pre op consents, the waiting, the anxiety of general anesthesia for the 15+ time, will he be ok post op? Will this be another admission? Will this procedure be successful? Will they give us good or bad news? and that’s just the beginning. So when you receive a message that’s says dinner will be delivered at 6 pm you can now rest assured when the fasting child awakes, his favorite meal will be available. In that moment, just knowing someone else is carrying some of the weight is invaluable.
Just this past week Gabi had the opportunity to join a super special camp- camp simcha without borders!
A week of the most fun time ever with kids who share similar experiences during the rest of the year but get one week a year to have the most amount of fun!
Every day was better than the next and he will forever have these amazing memories with the most special people. He is counting down the days until next year!
As his mom, I cannot thank them adequately so I will start by running the Miami marathon for the second time on behalf of team lifeline🤍
Chai lifeline are the special people apart of Gabi’s village and for that, we are eternally grateful.
So now I ask for your help to allow chai lifeline to continue being apart of ours and so many others special village🙏🏻