Fighter. Leader. Teacher. Tutor. Lifelong Learner.

I have been teaching since my young teenage years, 12 or 13 to be exact. I love teaching students t’fillah, prayer-leading skills, and what it means to pray. I was heavily involved in my synagogue’s peer tutoring program for Bar/Bat Mitzvah students throughout my high school years, and I have remained involved off and on as an adult, as my health will allow. I have been a frequent sh’lichat tzibbur, service leader, and also have read both Torah and Haftarah with some regularity.  

I have multiple chronic health struggles for which I have experienced many hospitalizations over the years. I have had sepsis several times and lost three central venous catheters in just one summer (IV lines that go into the big central veins leading to the heart). I have had multiple surgeries with general anesthesia and some with lighter sedation. A few years ago, after a really major surgery, I lost function. Despite my best efforts to regain strength, I have been unable to do so. I worked diligently in the home with Physical and Occupational Therapy for several months. They agreed that the best and safest course of action would be to use a wheelchair. I have a custom power wheelchair. Thanks to community and family help, I finally have a van.

Last year, 2025, I lost a lot more function and independence. This happened after getting sick and taking a medication that exacerbated the condition. I spent several months in an inpatient rehabilitation facility. It was basically a nursing home offering physical, occupational, and speech therapies. I spent time every day with therapists to relearn how to do everything. Sitting up by myself, eating by myself, dressing myself—literally everything had to be relearned in a different way.

I’m home and stable now. I’m writing to share my experiences, and because I love it. It is a good stress release outlet for me.