When a couple marries, they vow to care for each other through all of the challenges that come during the rest of their lives, until death. But what happens when someone’s spouse is both dead & alive at the same time?
When Leah & Yaakov Simyonov got married they were young, lively, and hopeful for the future. Husband Yaakov took tremendous pride in his seven beautiful children, and how growing business as a successful sofer.
But an unforeseeable tragedy sent him through a shocking transformation. A severe stroke put Yaakov in the hospital for over two years. Patiently, Leah and the kids sat by his hospital bed, piling onto the bus riding for hours from Rechasim to the hills of Jerusalem. They showed pictures, and read stories, but soon it was clear that Yaakov could not hear them. The children were crestfallen. Leah dared not tell them that their situation was worse than they even know: They were running out of money, and her salary wasn’t nearly enough to support 7 kids alone.
Recently, Yaakov’s condition improved slightly and he became well enough to return home. The Simyonov children were excited, thinking their father as they knew him would be returning at least. Sadly, in many ways it was only his body that returned. Day and night he remains motionless. Leah administers his medication, takes him for ‘walks’ in his wheelchair, feeds him. She has no way to work now, and their situation has deteriorated significantly. She is unable to meet his medical needs while also keeping up with her jobs and meeting the kids’ needs.
A Chesed Fund page has been started by Leah with the desperate hope of raising money to keep her family afloat. Funds donated will go toward medical assistance for Yaakov, as well as rent for their home, groceries, medical bills, and a car so that they can visit the hospital for check ups easily rather than the difficult task of moving the wheelchair through the public transit system.
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