Fighter. Teacher. Tutor. Lifelong Learner.
I have been teaching since my young teenage years, 12 or 13 to be exact. My rabbi during my childhood, Bat Mitzvah, and through my young adult years, Rabbi Steve Sager fostered a deep love of chasing and probing the question, whether studying a passage of Torah, Talmud, a t’fillah, or other topic in life. I love teaching students t’fillah, prayer-leading skills, and what it means to pray, and to truly look at the meaning behind what it is that they are saying. 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 spent 9 months during COVID learning in the Hadar Shaliach Tzibbur (Sha”Tz) fellowship, under the direction of Rabbi Deborah Sacks Mintz.
Currently, I am focused on trying to keep up with Daf Yomi, following the daily cycle with the Hadran classes and YouTube/podcast.
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. Two years ago, after a really major surgery, I lost some function, and, despite my best efforts to regain strength and lost abilities, I was unable to do so. Physical and Occupational Therapy recommended at that point that I begin using a custom power wheelchair, and thanks to community and family help, I finally have a van.
In January 2025, I got sick with the first of many viruses in a row. That, combined with one of my medications, and an underlying neurological condition, led to extreme muscle wasting and a rapid weight loss. By the end of March, I could no longer transfer into my wheelchair and had a major fall. I spent 4 months in a facility relearning how to do everything from sitting up to feeding myself. I’m still unable to stand, but I’ve gotten pretty fast with transfers. I have hope that I can get an elevator added to my wheelchair seat so that I can be more independent and interact with others at eye level.
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