Holocaust survivor Ida Grinberg was only three months old in 1941, when her father was conscripted into the Russian army. “I never saw him or his relatives because he never came back,” she remembers. “My sister became sick and died. Then my mother got tuberculosis when I was seven. We had no medicine, no antibiotics. She had to be institutionalized. I lost my family. I was left alone. I had nobody.”

Ida, who worked as a civil engineer, left the Former Soviet Union in 1979 with her husband Michael and their 9 year-old daughter Sveta, along with her mother and Michael’s mother. With JFSA’s help, they resettled in Cleveland, and within just a few years, Ida was one of John Hancock Financial Services’ top producers.

In 2008, tragedy struck. Sveta died suddenly at the age of 38. Ten years later, Ida and Michael were still grieving from the loss of Sveta when Ida became ill and could no longer work. Michael took care of Ida, when a friend shared the Grinberg’s story with her own JFSA caseworker. JFSA reached out to the Grinbergs and they began home health care services.

Then sadly, after nearly 50 years of marriage, Michael passed away suddenly, taking Ida by surprise and leaving her utterly alone. Although a savvy financial planner, Ida had never planned for the loneliness or the despair she experienced after Michael’s death.

“JFSA came to my rescue. They kept me going the first few months when I didn’t even want to get up from bed,” she recalls. “I met wonderful people, they were so warm to me and really helped me. I had home care and somebody to clean the house,” she says. “But the most important thing they helped me with was caring for my dog. I was in no shape to take him out or feed him. I was in shock.” Ida says.

JFSA continued to help her once she started feeling better. Her JFSA counselor encouraged her and referred her to critical community services. Her caseworker, Tatyana Voyekova, continues today to check in regularly and arranges housecleaning, errands and medical appointments. “Even when I call them today, if they hear I’m really down, they come and have a cup of coffee with me.I didn’t realize this is what they do for community. They became my family. I never had that kind of family.”

With renewed hope and help from JFSA, Ida is beginning to re-imagine what her future might look like. “I can start thinking about going out again. When I’m better, I’ll be able to go out and help other people like me who need help. I will tell people JFSA is a family for them and whatever happens in their life, they can trust them and befriend them and feel like they have a family. That’s what I look forward to doing.” Ida says it is hard for her to explain how much she appreciates JFSA, but says “JFSA rescued me when I had lost all hope.”