It was a hot and sweaty day on the morning of Yehuda’s 8th grade graduation trip. He climbed onto the bus with his overnight bag and quickly found a saved seat next to his best friend Asher. Asher piped up the moment he saw him.

“Yehuda…Can we talk? I can’t believe you didn’t tell me. I’m so sorry.”

“What are you talking about?”

“My mother told me the terrible news this morning. I’m shocked…I can’t believe that your mother has cancer.”

The color drained from Yehuda’s face.

He didn’t know.

Shimon and Rivka Dushinksy were proud parents of their eight children. Four were married and four were still at home. Rivka had a well-paying job as a chef and Shimon was a teacher. Everything changed when Rivka was diagnosed with cancer. The doctors told the couple that Rivka only had a year to live. 

But she died only 6 months later.

When she was sick, Shimon had to take care of his wife and make sure his kids were taken care of as well. He recalls one of the hardest time during the whole difficult saga:

“One of the most heartbreaking moments of the past year was when my son Yehuda’s friend somehow knew and bore the news to my son that his mother was sick. We hadn’t told him yet. His Rebbi called me and asked me to come pick him up from school because he wouldn’t stop crying and refused to explain why.”

The family finances took a hit as well. Debt started to creep into Shimon’s life due to Rivka’s medical treatments. He also lost his monthly income from his rental unit because his daughter moved in to help with the little ones. The banks have started to threaten Shimon but he is stuck: He can do nothing about it if he wants to feed his kids dinner every night.

Shimon’s 19 year old daughter Sara recently became engaged. An emergency fund has been set up to help her with wedding expenses and necessities to establish her home. To see how you can help click here.