This is the Avraham family, and they need our support. Neri is a Yachad member with autism, and his father slipped on ice and is now paralyzed. His mother, Nirith, doesn’t drive and cannot work, as she is responsible for both her husband and her son.
Please check out their GoFundMe page and give what you can and share this with your friends and family!
Here is their story, in Nirith’s words:
We, the Avraham family, are part of your Jewish community in Newton, and we are asking for your help.
Unfortunately, since Jan. 23, 2018, due to a life-changing event at 9:45 a.m., we found ourselves in a very difficult situation that since then just continues to spiral downward.
My husband, David, injured himself in a fall on black ice and in a split second became paralyzed from the shoulders down, or as in the medical term, paraplegic.
Our family life changed at this moment, and after devoting myself to being the best caregiver for 27 years to my younger son who has autism, I find myself a full-time caregiver to an additional loved one, my husband.
David has been inpatient at Spaulding Nursing and Therapy Center and I am with him, every day, to support him and provide care that is not provided by the facility, including therapy and being his pair of hands, since he cannot use his own. I am juggling between doing my best to care for him and the daily family affairs, including paying the bills, dealing with the construction at home to modify it for accessibility purposes, other logistics affairs related to my husband’s injury, and supporting my son who has autism. My son, Neri, needs daily support, and I arrange his activities, his transportation, his meals and all of his needs.
We have always been a family with a positive attitude, regardless what we had to deal with and indeed regardless what rough situation we found ourselves facing; we managed without reaching out for any support from others. We always found the time or the means to help others. However, this time it’s different; I am finding myself in an impossible situation to deal with. The complexity of caring for two loved ones with disabilities does not allow me to have the time to work on top of all I have to deal with. This is what led to this downward spiral, leaving us struggling not only with the daily responsibilities and the emotional component, as we don’t know what the future holds; we are in a rough situation financially, which adds to our plate and puts me in a very stressful situation.
We have many expenses related to this new unexpected situation.
As I mentioned, we always tried to step out and help others, giving our time or service or providing financially. Even my son, Neri, regardless of his autism, is a very generous young man. On many occasions he gives his paintings as a donation. We always believe that by giving, you are creating your own happiness.
Now I am struggling tremendously; I reached the point where I feel that to support my family day in and day out, with more tasks I have to deal with everyday, becomes a huge load, even for me.
I have no choice but to reach out to you for some support, hoping that you will open your heart and help us, just for a while until I find a way to cover our needs independently. I believe that once the house is finally ready, I can have my husband settle at home with a caregiver, which will allow me to start my search for a job and hopefully be able again to provide for my family’s needs.
I want you to take a moment and try to visualize what our life looks like right now and find in your heart this little voice that says, “Yes, let’s do something about it.”
After all, they live among us. After all, a little gesture can make a difference.
Thank you.
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