Dear Avigdor Helping Hand:
Thank you and thank you!
Your organization and all of you have the zechut to help marry my youngest of 8 of my children…BH
May Hashem bless you and your families with all good things.
Tizku lmitzvot__________________
Nov. 25, 2021
To the board of Avigdor’s Helping Hand,
I just wanted to write a letter to express my gratitude on receiving assistance with the wedding of our youngest son ________. I would like to extend blessings to each one of you for your hard work and for making a difference in so many lives. Weddings are a huge expense for our community especially when coupled with Jewish educational costs. When the costs of nursing care and equipment are added, it is impossible for a family to manage. Your charity is allowing many families to celebrate post tremendous grief.
My former husband had ALS for eight years. He became rapidly paraplegic within the first year and needed a breathing machine and a feeding tube. We were happy to have him at home. He was a joyful person and worked and volunteered to the best of his capacity during those years. He needed 24-hour nursing care, medication, a wheelchair, a lift and other equipment. Just the nursing care costs alone were about 50k per year after subsidies. Just when I thought we were going under for real this time, some miracle happened to keep us afloat but our financial situation became more and more tenuous despite the fact that I was working.
My husband was blessed to survive to see the weddings of 4 of his children and see some of his grandchildren. He was also able to parent ________ to the best of his capacity and ________ helped with the nursing. They had a very special relationship. ________ was only eight years old when my husband got ALS. His father made it to his bar mitzvah before he passed away. Despite the different upbringing he had, or maybe because of it he became a very intuitive, responsible and sensitive person. He was really my right hand throughout the challenges of the illness. He is our last child to marry and this occasion is very special to us. I am sure that his father is looking down overjoyed at this momentous occasion in his life.
Post my husbands passing, I worked hard to pay off our debt which we had combined with our mortgage. I had almost paid off the debt when I remarried and left my job to move to Chicago. ________ was in yeshiva at that time and once again adapted to living in Chicago. This assistance is going to make a huge difference in our ability to celebrate and afford this wedding. It was such a relief to get assistance at this point in our lives. I am grateful for all the important work you do and your generosity and compassion.Sincerely
A grateful mother