These were the first words Reb Yosef Binder heard as he groggily opened his eyes, and was flooded by the light of his hospital room window. Doctors informed Binder that he had suffered a severe stroke, and had been unconscious for two months, hooked up to a respirator. During those two months, his wife and ten children remained by his side, in a state of desperate prayer.
It was not long after waking, however, that Binder realized he would not be returning to his work as a cheder rebbe, or any of his normal activities. He was now unable to walk, or to speak clearly. What has followed since has been an intense journey of struggle, and rehabilitation.
During Reb Binder’s absence from his home, his family entered an extreme state of poverty. With no income to compensate for steep medical bills, wife Rebbetzin Esther Binder fought against growing expenses to support her large family alone. The emotional toll has been highest of all: Unclear for a time as to whether or not their father would ever wake up, the Binder family now sorely awaits his return.
Recently, doctors gave Reb Binder the green light to go home. A major issue has arisen, however: The Binder apartment is not wheelchair-accessible. After the shock and trauma of a stroke, a coma, hospitalization, poverty, and now disability, Yosef Binder is now unable to return home. He continues to live in his hospital room, as he has nowhere else to go.
In addition to their current financial stress, daughter Shaindel, a preschool teacher, is getting married in Shevat.
Donations are being accepted to help this once happy family, so that their father can come home and they can regain some sense of normalcy.
