[COMMUNICATED]
A woman with a timid yet sweet voice introduces herself, and as I sit back in my swivel chair, I close my eyes and brace myself for anything.
Over the years, I’ve heard some pretty crazy stuff.
As the woman’s story spills out, I shake my head. It’s not the first time I’ve heard something like this, but it gets me every time.
Chaya Lieberman* is a teacher and a mother of six children, and they were a happy, normal family. But when Covid-19 became rampant, Chaya’s husband, Yehuda*, started to act not quite like himself. He lost interest in socializing, learning, even eating- All the things he once enjoyed. He would sleep in until early afternoon, and would have unexplainable irritable outbursts. Eventually, after seeing a psychiatrist, Yehuda Lieberman* was diagnosed with a mental illness that wreaks a silent havoc on those suffering from it and on their loved ones:
Clinical depression.
“One of the hardest parts is that most people simply don’t know. It’s uncomfortable to announce to people what is going on, and I find myself living the life of a single mom, only my husband is still alive,” shared Chaya.
“I feel terrible to see him like this, and for our kids, but we can’t even afford to get him the help he needs, because he stopped working. We’re stuck in a vicious cycle. Sometimes I don’t know how I will make it through the week.”
Out of everyone reading this, over 47% struggle or have a family member that struggles with mental illness. Many who fall under that category know how critical it is for Yehuda to get professional help, as mental illness doesn’t just wreak havoc on the family– It could leave a ripple effect of generational hurt and trauma that could last for decades.
Funds are being collected discreetly here to help the Lieberman family pay their bills and get Yehuda the professional therapy he needs to become a healthier, more loving and more stable father figure in his familys’ lives. With enough help, the Liebermans will be able to move towards the only direction people go once they hit rock bottom:
Upwards.
