A father of young children becomes ill. It goes without saying that the main focus is on his receiving proper medical care. But then there’s the little things. The sadness that pervades a once cheerful home… the frustrations when normal needs cannot be met…the guilt of the mother at not being supermom…children trying to be grownups and failing…kids desperate for childish pleasures as a security blanket enabling them to feel that their world hasn’t completely fallen apart…so many needs…
Daughter turns twelve and nothing happens. No family celebration. Not even a mention. The cloud encompassing the home is too dark, too heavy to allow a smile to enter. Until a request from a neighbor to Ezer Mizion resulted in a super fantastic celebratory cake which brought in its wake a bit of sunshine to this despondent family.
And now her brother is turning nine. He begs for a cake. He begs and begs as only almost-nine-year-old boys can do. His mother offers to make one for him even though she has no energy for even the most basic household tasks. But he wants, no needs (!), more. He wants a cake like his sister received when she turned twelve. Somewhat embarrassed but comfortable enough since she was calling “family”, Mommy contacted Ezer Mizion. “Is it…I mean could you…would it be at all possible…?”
As with the Bas Mitzvah cake, Ezer Mizion’s Linked to Life (a What’s App Group) was contacted. Hundreds of screens lit up and in moments, a reply came in. The super fantastic birthday goodies (see pictures for some of the yummies that accompanied the cake) were produced by Shaindy and her kids. Listen to her comments when it was done.
“The truth is that yesterday, on the fast day, in the heat wave, I wanted to help out but it just didn’t work out. I felt as if it was a lost opportunity.
“And then, this request popped up. You should know that I felt it was a real chessed – for me! I was fasting, and my girls, full of energy, wanted an active mother with them, as they have every day.
“Thanks to the cake posting, they and I had an especially enjoyable afternoon: One ran to the grocery, the other mixed the batter. When the first got back, she was busy passing over the ingredients and putting things away.
“We spent a few hours enjoying a positive learning experience, and when they asked whom the cake was for, I explained… and they were really, really touched, especially since my eldest is the same age as the birthday boy…
“So, baruch Hashem, I wanted to do my part and get an assignment – and I succeeded, and had a wonderful family experience, to boot. Thank YOU for the privilege to be Linked to Life!”
Like to join? No matter what part of the globe you live in, SMS: 011 972 52 580 8936
Ezer Mizion provides services to over 660,000 of Israel’s population annually in addition to its Bone Marrow Registry which saves the lives of Jewish cancer patients the world over.
