You Light Up Her Life Lydia hasn’t left her house in 10 years. She hasn’t seen the light of day in a decade. Even as Eastern Europe was plunged into war—once again, something this 82-year-old Holocaust survivor remembers from her earliest childhood—Lydia has remained homebound. As a child, Lydia experienced horrors and challenges that most of us could never imagine, surviving the genocide that killed millions of Jews, including many of her relatives. Despite these struggles, and decades lived under communist rule, Lydia persevered and built a beautiful life. But in old age, the challenges—both physical and financial—have made life difficult once again for this precious Jewish woman. A complex hip fracture has left Lydia bedridden for years now. Her meagre pension—just $76 a month—doesn’t cover the expenses of the medications she requires, much less food and other basic needs. But Lydia’s face lights up when the nurse who The Fellowship helps provide shows up a couple times each week, for the rest of the time Lydia is alone. And this time of year, Lydia’s life is lit up when IFCJ Canada volunteers arrive with a High Holy Days food box, giving this child of God not just the necessary foods to celebrate this sacred season, but nourishment and encouragement to keep her going all year long. “I love to sit and chat with the Fellowship volunteer who comes to visit me,” Lydia says. “She brings light into my very lonely life. The Fellowship has brought much joy and light into the life of an old lady.” |
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