Three families who thought they would be spending Pesach apart will celebrate the holiday together, thanks to the hard work of Chai Lifeline’s staff and supporters.

Yossi M. is a quiet two-year old who was diagnosed with cancer over a year ago. He and his mother have lived the nomadic life of a pediatric cancer patient since the two left their family in Canada to come to New York for treatment. Mrs. M. has not left her son’s bedside, cradling him through rounds of chemotherapy that sapped the boy’s energy but couldn’t diminish his spirit.

On Erev Pesach, Yossi will begin a new round of treatment that requires isolation from other children. His mother thought she would spend the holiday alone. Instead, Chai Lifeline made a dream come true this weekend when they flew the entire family to New York to spend Shabbos and Yom Tov together.

“Esther Schwartz, our director of hospital services, was able to get permission for the family to eat together in a public space in the hospital during Shabbos,” explained Andy Lauber, CSW, a Chai Lifeline social worker and case manager. “This is the first time the family will be together in over a year.”  The family will stay in a hotel near the hospital and will be able to visit throughout the weekend.

“Yossi will start treatment on Monday, but his family will be here for the entire holiday. Their presence is helping both the toddler and his mom get through a very rough patch,” Lauber said.

Ronen and his mother knew they would be in the United States for months when the child needed a bone marrow transplant. While the procedure was successful, the weeks of total isolation from other children and the loneliness of being away from his Jerusalem home have affected the eight-year-old.

Shortly after Elie’s leg tumor was discovered a year ago, the fourteen-year-old’s mother died suddenly. The teen was bereft, and felt lost when he came to the United States for medical treatment unavailable elsewhere.

“We are kind of doing a transfer,” Lauber laughed. “We are bringing Ronen’s family to the United States to spend Pesach here, but Elie is going back to Israel to spend time with his family.”

Medical flights are not easy, but Chai Lifeline’s experience with helping seriously ill children fly across the country or around the world for medical treatment is helping to ease the way. Program director Nachman Maimon worked closely with El Al throughout the process to facilitate travel for Ronen’s family and Eli and his guardian during the busiest season of the year.

Maimon laughed that getting an entire family seats on and El Al flight right before Passover is almost akin to splitting the Red Sea. He credits a long-standing partnership with the airline and the organization’s Chai Skies program in helping make dreams come true for the three families. Chai Skies enables supporters to donate unused Matmid points that are used for medical and respite travel.

“Yoav Weiss, the deputy chief executive for marketing, North and  Central America, Matmid USA supervisor Gracie Ninger and her colleague, Einat Schori, worked overtime to reunite these families for Pesach,” he stated. “We and our families are very grateful for their efforts.”

To Rabbi Simcha Scholar, Chai Lifeline’s executive vice president, the impact of spending Pesach with their families will last far longer than eight days. “Having this time with parents and siblings gives these children the chizuk to withstand the physical pain of the immediate future. The memories of a week spent with their families will help see them through the isolation of radiation, chemotherapy, and other treatments.”

NOTE: Names and identifying details have been changed.

(YWN Desk – NYC)