The Chai Lifeline Annual LH Financial Winter Retreat held this year on December 27-29 at the beautiful Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel in Asbury Park, NJ, brought together 500 family members, rabbinic figures, mental health experts, volunteers, and staff for an extended weekend of professional and peer support, educational programming, respite and relaxation, and inspiration.
Faye R. was in a constant state of exhaustion. There simply weren’t enough hours in the day to care for a child with a chronic illness. When her daughter Rachel was well enough to go to school, the after-school hours brought an endless round of physical, occupational, and speech therapy. Medications and special food requirements took hours to fulfill. Illness meant trips to the doctor or even hospitalization. Rachel’s three siblings needed attention and care, too.
“After a while, I didn’t even have words to describe it anymore,” she lamented. read full story
