A Letter to the R.C.C.S.

To all the wonderful staff, supporters, and volunteers of RCCS in Crown Heights.

I would like to share my recent experiences with you, and to convey my personal feelings of gratitude to RCCS.

I vividly remember that fateful day last May. I had just returned from some pre-Yom Tov shopping and checked my answering machine. A woman with a sweet and gentle voice asked that I return her call as soon as possible to discuss something very important.

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Without giving it much thought, I dialed her number. She answered and with a kind but direct voice told me of a problem. It was about a child who had just been diagnosed with cancer. Although the exact diagnosis was not certain, the prognosis was certainly not good and required immediate attention. She provided me with several phone numbers and wished me good luck.

I hung up the phone and let the information sink in. I was busy raising my lovely family and was anticipating the upcoming birth of my seventh child. I could not possibly comprehend such devastating news: Could it really be that a child so young and so innocent should be facing such difficult trials?

But who was this child? A child I never met, never knew, and whose name I never heard of. Yet this child was already so close to my heart and constantly on my mind.

You see, it was the child I was carrying inside of me!

Now, instead of looking forward to a joyous birth, we were thrown into a confusing medical maze of uncertainty. We dutifully followed every lead and all medical recommendations. Yet, our best efforts were stifled by the lack of proper health insurance. We were unable to explore the best that modern medicine had to offer. We then heard of a team of doctors in an out-of-state hospital whose success rate with this sort of tumor was remarkable.

I called the doctor’s office and discussed the problem with the receptionist. She seemed so nice and caring…until I told her that the only insurance I had was a medicaid based HMO. She curtly informed me that they would not accept that type of payment and that if I wanted to meet with the doctors for a consultation they would require a down payment of $10,000 in cash, just for the initial visit! With that, she hung up the phone.

So with little choice left, we decided to seek treatment with a local surgeon. It was then that we received the second bombshell: the doctor explained that shortly after our baby will be born, he will perform a delicate but critical surgery, and then the baby will be transferred to an oncologist who will probably care for the baby for many more months. We felt terribly lost and overwhelmed, but we had no choice.

My husband is a hard working and devoted father, but he could not possibly undertake to pay for the exorbitant fees of proper health insurance. And the thought of reaching out to strangers for help was completely unthinkable.

One day, when I was feeling especially low, and my husband was not home, I decided to call Rofeh Cholim Cancer Society (RCCS). I thought it would be the most difficult phone call I ever had to make. How wrong I was. I immediately felt the understanding and compassion travel through the phone lines. Besides offering to pay for the proper insurance policy, they encouraged me and gave me reason to look forward to the birth of our baby. Not for a moment did I feel uncomfortable or intimidated.

From that moment on, I was able to see the bright side of things. RCCS was the perfect messenger that HaShem sent us to help us, to hold our hands throughout this difficult chapter in our unborn baby’s life.

As a result, with their encouragement, blessings, and of course financial assistance, we went to the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment in Philadelphia. After many tests and examinations, a course of treatment was decided upon.

With tremendous help from Above, we decided to follow their recommendations and to stay in Philadelphia for the duration of the pregnancy and the impending birth of our baby.

It was a very special day when our little baby girl made her appearance. She was so beautiful, and in our eyes, so perfect, too.

Soon after birth, a team of doctors operated on her to remove the tumor and surrounding tissue. The surgery was, B”H, a complete success. The method they used eliminated the need for further oncological treatment. We were overjoyed and overwhelmed with gratitude to our Creator.

Although I know that the human language is too limited and inadequate to express my heartfelt gratitude and complete indebtedness to such a noble organization, I nevertheless thank RCCS from the depths of my heart for putting the simcha (joy) into our simcha.

Our baby has since been doing very well and her prognosis is B”H excellent. Our appreciation to RCCS knows no bounds.

Your grateful friend,

Mrs. Esther T. Goldbaum*

*name changed to protect privacy

To sponsor a policy or to donate to RCCS, send your contribution to:
Rofeh Cholim Chayim Society
Crown Heights Chapter
1395 President Street
Brooklyn, NY 11213
If you want your contribution to be earmarked for a specific patient, please call 718-473-3606.