22 | OCTOBER 24 • 2019 

I

n 1988, when my sister Carole Lasser 
was 38, she was diagnosed with mul-
tiple meningiomas — benign brain 
tumors. “It’
s not cancer,
” we were told. But 
as the years moved on so 
did the tumors and, while 
they were not cancer, they 
caused enough trouble: sev-
eral surgeries, procedures 
and countless MRIs. They 
eventually left her with a 
recalcitrant left arm, which 
ended her professional piano 
playing career. 
In fall 2015, Carole began having a hard 
time. Walking was getting more difficult 
and she needed to use a wheelchair more. 
It was getting tougher to play the piano 
with her right hand. In the beginning of 
2016, she noticed a bump on her forehead. 
We had a sick feeling one of the tumors 
was growing. Carole’
s doctors recognized 
she was not doing well. 
We called Rabbi Joseph Krakoff, senior 
director at Jewish Hospice and Chaplaincy 
Network (JHCN). He suggested the newly 
created LifeLinks program — home-based 
palliative care for people not yet ready for 
hospice. The program is designed to enable 
JHCN to bring comprehensive and compas-
sionate palliative care directly to the home.
In February 2016, Carole’
s doctors told 
her what we had feared. The tumors were 
going to end her life and there was nothing 
they could do about it. Surgery would only 
make things worse. She should spend her 
final months with the people who loved 

her. The doctors prescribed hospice. 
Rabbi Krakoff was among the first peo-
ple we told. He spent many hours with 
Carole, talking about her situation, her 
fears and helping ease her emotional pain. 
He was there for us, her family, as well. On 
June 26, 2016, Carole passed away. Not a 
day goes by that I don’
t think of her. 
Shortly after my sister died, my parents 
created the Carole Jo Lasser (z”l) Music 
Fund at JHCN to provide music visits to 
home-bound patients. As of today, they 
have created multiple other life enrich-
ments, including Tai Chi, salon services, 
art, pet visits, guided meditation, massage 
and reflexology, and a life-review and 
memoir-writing project.
In fall 2018, Pamela Applebaum and 
Andrew Echt of the Applebaum Family 
Foundation offered me the opportunity to 
serve as an Applebaum Fellow for JHCN. 
While I had a huge appreciation of what 
JHCN did for my sister, I had no sense 
of the depth and scope of the agency as 
a whole. Becoming a fellow gave me the 

chance to learn and participate in the agen-
cy’
s activities firsthand. 
I met with Rabbi Krakoff twice a month 
to discuss every part of the organization 
and attended many different types of meet-
ings. I helped JHCN put on two education-
al programs for potential donors and those 
interested in learning more about the ser-
vices it provides. I spent a handful of hours 
each month working as a fellow.
One of my initial visits was to a JHCN 
client having a music enrichment, and I 
got to see Carole’
s fund in action. Rabbi 
Krakoff and I walked in with Hazzan 
Daniel Gross who quickly set up his key-
board. The client was slumped on the 
couch, looking exhausted and despon-
dent. As soon as Hazzan started playing a 
few notes on the keyboard, he sat up and 
became totally alert. Hazzan started sing-
ing “Henei MaTov,” and the man joined 
right in. It. Was. Amazing. The man, 
his wife, his son, Rabbi Krakoff, Hazzan 
Gross and I were all singing along. It was 
truly beautiful. 
In 2018, more than 300 individual 
music visits took place in homes across 
Metro Detroit. Carole told me that music 
was her best friend. She would be happy 
to know that in her name, melodies are 
played in homes, songs are being sung 
and her spirt is soaring, as peace and 
comfort are brought to the homes of 
those who need it. 

Marianne Bloomberg was the JHCN Applebaum 

Family Foundation Fellow.

As soon as Hazzan 
started playing a 
few notes on the 
keyboard, he sat up 
and became totally 
alert.
Marianne 
Bloomberg
Special to the 
Jewish News

Jews in the D

essay

A True 
Gift In 
Our Midst
The JHCN team brings music 
enrichment to a client. 

COURTESY JHCN

