Chai Lifeline is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping ill children and their families cope with pediatric illness. From transportation assistance and insurance help to recreational activities and Camp Simcha and Camp Simcha Special, Chai Lifeline’s flagship sleep away camps, Chai Lifeline runs more than two-dozen, year-round programs that make pediatric illness easier to bear.

 

The organization’s guiding principle is that each child, parent, and sibling has unique needs. Chai Lifeline provides tailored assistance to help our children and their families meet their individual challenges.  

 

Chai Lifeline Angels help Chai Lifeline offer this personalized care by fulfilling the special needs of our children and their families. Whether these needs are large or small, related to medical care or to emotional well-being, you can be sure that your gift will make the impossible, possible as it brings happiness and meaning into the life of an ill child or family living with pediatric illness.

 

Mr. and Mrs. B. recently brought their son Avi to the United States for surgery unavailable in their native Israel. Avi is tethered to an oxygen tank. In order for him to be able to leave the house, he needs to be seated in a stroller large enough and strong enough to accommodate the oxygen tank. Mrs. B. has found a “baby-jogger” stroller that meets their needs, but its price is beyond their budget. Without this stroller, Avi is literally housebound. 

Eli suffers from an illness that makes breathing very difficult. In addition to his respirator, which he needs every day, Eli must be in an environment where the air is cooled and filtered. To accommodate the illness, Eli’s parents installed room air conditioners in the kitchen, where he eats, and his bedroom. During the latest heat wave, the kitchen air conditioner broke. Now Eli must eat all his meals in his bedroom, where the air is fresh and cool enough for him to maintain respiration. His physician has told Eli’s mom and dad that they must replace the air conditioner, both for Eli’s physical health and his emotional well-being.

 

For almost all of David’s three years on earth, he has suffered from Infantile Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease). David is now bed-bound twenty-four hours a day. He breathes with the help of a respirator. In order to communicate with his family and pass the time, he needs a Magic Touch Integrated Computer, a computer developed for people with very limited mobility. As his situation will only deteriorate, his parents are desperate to get him this computer as soon as possible.

Debra is spending the summer in the hospital battling a gliomal tumor. Her constant pain is exacerbated by the sadness she feels about being in the hospital while her friends are enjoying summer vacations. Her doctor has recommended a laptop computer loaded with age-appropriate games to help her pass the time, but the expense is too much for her parents, whose finances have been hit hard by Debra’s illness.

 

Marcy, a teenager living with cerebral palsy, is approaching an important milestone: high school. Marcy has been taught in mainstream classrooms until now, but her teachers and tests concur: she simply cannot productively function in a mainstream classroom any longer. Marcy’s cognitive needs call for a special education program, but educational law in her state does not cover the full cost of the program. Though it pains them to think she will not be educated properly, Marcy’s parents are unable to pay the difference, and the school is not willing to provide a scholarship.

 

Sarah, a lively teen with cerebral palsy, travels long distances for medical treatment. Because she is confined to a wheelchair, Sarah must travel in a handicapped-accessible van. Unfortunately, her parents’ van long ago passed its usable age and is no longer safe to drive. Without a new one, Sarah may have to miss her therapies and treatment because her parents will have not way to get her to the appointment.

Mr. and Mrs. W. are active parents in every sense of the word, tending to the needs of their four children while carefully following the medical protocol of their son, David. David has a disease that affects his autonomic nervous system, and his parents keep themselves abreast of new research and developments. There is an important conference in San Diego approaching, but the expense of David’s illness has left too little in the W. family budget to afford the conference. David’s physician felt it was imperative for the W.s to attend the meeting, and he arranged for a scholarship that covers the cost. The grant does not cover air fare, and the conference, in a western state, is too far to drive. They desperately need an angel to contribute frequent flier miles or tickets to the conference.

 

Ever since Andrew was born, life has been hectic and tense for the I. family. Andrew suffers from spina bifida and a chromosomal disorder. Sarah’s life has been upended; since Andrew was born she has been acting out in school. The Chai Lifeline case manager who visited the I.s at home verified the unending stress that each member of the family lives with. Andrew’s doctor has recommended a vacation several times, and Andrew is pining to go to Disney World, but the I.s funds are limited.  Any vacation would be a stretch, and Disney World is an impossible dream.

 

Granting this wish for Andrew will give the entire family a lift. The I.s will trade their anxieties and fast-paced schedules for smiles, laughter, and bonding time. Disney World would not only give the entire family a chance to spend time together, it will give them wonderful, happy memories to help them get through the difficult times that lie ahead. Package includes transportation, accommodations for two parents and two children for four nights, meals, and theme park admissions.

Sammy H., age 13, has battled pediatric cancer for several years. Unfortunately, the illness has returned, more deadly than ever. He has spent much of the last year in and out of the hospital.

 

Through it all, Sammy has held onto his dream: a trip to Israel with his parents and sister. As his body becomes weaker, his wish to see Jerusalem, feel the salt water of the Dead Sea, taste the food, and hear the sounds of the oasis at Ein Gedi become stronger. You can be the angel that makes his dream come true. Package includes transportation, accommodations, and meals for four people.

Mr. and Mrs. R. have four beautiful children. Unfortunately, two of their sons, ages three and fifteen, are living with Bloom’s Syndrome, an inherited condition that results in severe immunodeficiencies and an increased risk of cancer. From managing feeding tubes to keeping both children protected against unnecessary infection and sun exposure, this family’s life is ruled by illness and preventative medicine. Unfortunately, a second diagnosis was recently added to the equation: Mr. and Mrs. R.’s 3 year old son was diagnosed with cancer.

 

The R. family’s social worker has advised them to step off the treadmill of pediatric illness and enjoy relaxing, fun family time together. A weekend away at a resort or hotel would be the perfect “medicine” to restore their smiles and give them important family time away from their daily routines.  Package includes adjoining rooms or two-bedroom suite for two nights, meals, transportation, and an allowance for activities.

Sari L. and her family arrived from Israel to discover that her illness was much worse than they had thought. They anticipated staying only a short while, but now find themselves in New York for a protracted period of time. There are no relatives or close friends to provide emotional support, and parents and children are feeling the strain. Sari has asked for a super day in New York, an afternoon and evening that would give them all a respite from doctors and treatment that will provide a lifetime of memories for Sari, her parents and twin sister, Shira. Package includes an afternoon shopping spree at FAO Schwartz, dinner, and a Broadway show, with all transportation provided by chauffeured limousine.

Caring for a chronically ill child is an arduous, 24-hour responsibility.  Since Sam was diagnosed with familial dysautonomia, a disease that affects a child’s ability to regulate his body functions, Mr. and Mrs. M. have been him constantly. Sam must be fed at intervals around the clock via gastric tube. He requires speech, occupational, and physical therapy. Since his body cannot regulate its own temperature, Sam cannot be allowed to get too hot or too cold. Viscous eye drops, administered several times a day, protect his eyes since his body does not make its own tears.

 

For the past ten years, the M. family’s life has revolved around Sam. One parent has been with him at all times. Sam has never spent more than four hours away from his side. Vacations are a distant memory. Sam’s doctor, a specialist in pediatric illness, is adamant that Mr. and Mrs. M. take a break, but they won’t leave Sam for a long time. The social worker feels that an overnight stay at a spa, complete with treatments, would de-stress them while giving the couple needed down time. Be their angel and give Mr. and Mrs. C. a 24-hour spa vacation that would enable them to relax, regroup, and recharge their batteries together. 

 

Eliana L. and her family had a very rough winter. Since the two-year-old was diagnosed with a brain tumor in late fall, her parents have tried to be parents to her three siblings while coping with the shock of diagnosis and the unrelenting stress of Eliana’s illness. By the end of the school year, the family desperately needed a break, and Eliana’s doctor agreed that it was very important they take one. The family was able to rent a small house in the country for the summer, but need an angel or two to help them pay for expenses related to Eliana’s illness. They are currently renting a van for two months to enable Mrs. L. to take Eliana to her medical appointments, and have hired a nanny/housekeeper to help care for the children during the week. The package includes van rental ($1,250) and the housekeeper’s salary for two months ($2,800).

Seven-year-old Debra has struggled against an illness that affects motor coordination since early childhood. Though she is tethered to a respirator 24/7, she yearns to be more like her healthy siblings and friends. Above all, she wants to be able to ride a tricycle. Unfortunately, the tricycle must be custom-made to accommodate the respirator that keeps her alive, and her family cannot afford the cost. She would also love a set of clothing and accessories for her American Girl doll, a gift that she treasures and plays with continually.