sleep and a shower,” she says. “It was
like he was a whole new man, settling
into a beautiful room with a beautiful
view of the hills.”

A TOWN OF LIGHTS
They called it their adventure. A
“Chanukah miracle.” While the family
took a holiday trip to Eilat, Schneider
stayed with a neighbor in the com-
munity for a few days before tour-
ing Israel. “I’m Reform; I don’t speak
Hebrew,” she says. “I felt a little out of
place at first, but they welcomed me;
they shared their lives with me and
taught me so much about my Jewish
background. It was wonderful.”
She still hears from the family.
Rosenbaum, still the quiet, thoughtful
law professor, is doing remarkably well
in his new surroundings. Mildred swims
every day, plays bridge with friends and
enjoys life to the fullest with her family.
Can a hospice nurse save a life?
“There’s no predicting such things,”
Schneider says. “But it’s amazing what
love and determination and connec-
tions can do to bring a patient back
from the brink.”
Rosenbaum’s journey started with the
recommendation of Rabbi Yerachmiel
Rabin, a Danto administrator and a
chaplain with the Jewish Hospice &
Chaplaincy Network. He assessed the
inner strength of the family and respect-
ed their desires. Dr. David McAree with
Hospice made the medical assessments
and cleared the way for travel.
“Hospice is a team effort, in step
with the family every step of the way,”
Schneider says. “We’re not about dying,
but we’re there to help for the best of
endings.”
Reflecting on her role in the
Rosenbaum family’s “adventure,”
Schneider says, “I am truly blessed to
have been trained and to continue to
work with the most caring, professional
and highly skilled hospice nurses, as
well as the Jewish Hospice team.
“Beaumont was supportive in allow-
ing me time off when they heard of this
mission, and Hospice of Michigan —
Dr. McAree and his team — were
encouraging and supportive along the
entire way.
“The Jewish Hospice and Rabbi Rabin
and his wisdom, sense of humor and
quiet strength helped to put things into
perspective as we all forged on.
“I can only say this in conclusion: The
end of life deserves as much beauty, care
and respect as the beginning. And, as
a former in-vitro fertilization nurse, I
know this firsthand.”

*

Vivian Henoch is editor of myjewishdetroit.org,
where this story first appeared.

March 31 • 2016

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