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The Cohen family of Petach Tikva were having an otherwise typical night when they noticed that their 1 year old son Refael’s lips were turning blue. Most parents are familiar with the scene: The symptoms were subtle, they assumed he was probably fine, but decided it was better to take him to the ER just in case. That evening would send their lives on a whole new trajectory.
 
Refael, a sweet little baby with big brown eyes and bouncy curls, was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension and a weak heart. For an excruciating 38 days, his mother Chagit stayed by his hospital bed. Her 9 other children remained at home, awaiting their return. Then came the most frightening few minutes of Chagit’s life – the day that Refael went into cardiac arrest.
 

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“I was in high school when my parents lost their lives in a car crash. They had a family full of kids at home, and we lost them forever, just because of one person texting while driving. In the few years that have passed since we lost them, my siblings and I have really struggled. Losing parents turns a home completely upside down, and changes everyone in it forever.
 
Now that I’m a kallah, I feel their absence more than ever – I go alone to the different appointments. Everything comes out of my pocket from what I’ve saved up from my job. And ultimately, I’ll walk to my chuppah without them.” – Rachel*, 22
 

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By most people’s standards, Malka Heimlich has more than enough reason to complain. Instead, this amazing mother of 14 kids maintains her bravery & optimism against all odds:
Malka had received surgery for a torn tendon and was walking one day when she heard a “snap.” Now she is confined to a wheelchair. This would be challenging enough, if she weren’t also in the process of raising a large family, and marrying off two kids.
Doctors have told her that she needs surgery in order to walk again, but the procedure is beyond her financial means. And so she remains unable to stand, in more ways than one.

“Trauma” comes in many forms. For some, it is a small moment which sticks with us. For others, it is years in a dysfunctional household which sends a ripple effect through our lives and our childrens’ lives, for what can feel like forever.
When Chedva Vishinsky got married 8 years ago, she was like any bride: Excited and hopeful for the future. Unfortunately, however, unforeseen circumstances sent her and her children into chaos. She now lives alone with her two kids, Ayala (8) and Yosef Shalom (7). She supports and raises them alone. 

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Some say that one of the most painful parts of a loved one battling cancer is the suspense. “How long will the treatments take? Will they be effective? Will the person I love be here with me in a year? A month? A week?”
 
For the Kahana family of Bnei Brak, however, there was no suspense. Though their mother Rivka fought cancer for 4 long years, she did not tell any of them she was sick. They knew her only as ‘weak.’
 
In what seems impossibly heroic, Rivka continued to raise her 12 children without any mention of her own cancer or pain for four years. She worked as a teacher in a high school for girls, and she even went in to work on the day she died.
 

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Though the world and its news sources seem to be teeming with tragedy after tragedy, human nature is such that we scroll past the horrors, detach ourselves, and assume we will never become their subject. Some families, however, are not so fortunate.
 
For the Bracha family, tragedy played the slow game. When Rabbi Yitzchok Bracha was first diagnosed with cancer, it was in his stomach. From there, the disease dodged treatment, skipping from location to location. It resided in the Rabbi’s shoulder, his legs, and ultimately – his brain.
 

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Devastating photos emerged this week, as the Stern children said goodbye to their mother, Mrs. Yehudis Stern. Yehudis was a beloved teacher, and a mother of 15.
Her battle with cancer was excruciatingly slow. In her final days, Yehudis was bedridden and her family devoted their time to tending to her needs.

Last week, against all odds, Mrs. Stern was brought to her son’s chuppah. She was unable to stand, but was determined to attend the ceremony. Her family says that she had one dying wish: That her household and children should be taken care of.

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We are pained to announce the passing of Mrs. Ayala Gutman, mother of 5.
 
Readers around the world followed Gutman family’s story earlier this year, when they rallied together to make a wedding despite Ayala’s illness. Mrs. Gutman fought cancer for over ten years, and was confined to a wheelchair. Recently she began to lose her memories as well, and her condition was diagnosed as terminal.
 
The family was able to happily marry off one son in recent months, a simcha which will no doubt be remembered as their final reunion & celebration before their mother’s untimely passing.