The Road to Resilience luncheon held on March 12 at the Wycliffe Country Club, which I co-chaired along with Diane and Bob Herzog, was a huge success. We had over 250 people attend, which was wonderful, considering the next day, virtually everyone started to self-quarantine.
Jewish Family Services recognizes the problems facing families who are affected by addiction and started an Addiction Outreach and Support Program, which I am very proud to be a part of. The Road to Resilience luncheon was our first fundraising event.
Our keynote speaker was Dr. Jennifer Ashton. Dr. Ashton is a physician, author, and television correspondent. She is chief health and medical editor and chief medical correspondent for ABC News and Good Morning America, chief women’s health correspondent for The Dr. Oz Show, and a columnist for Cosmopolitan Magazine. She is also a suicide survivor. Her husband completed suicide 2 weeks after they were divorced. He was a prominent thoracic surgeon who jumped off the George Washington Bridge.
In spite of last-minute changes due to Covid-19, ABC went to great lengths to ensure that Dr. Ashton was still able to address all the guests.
The “fireside chat” between Dr. Elaine Rotenberg and Dr. Ashton was like having her right there in the room. It was a relaxed, candid discussion between the two. Dr. Ashton spoke about her path to resilience after her ex-husband died by suicide.
I shared what it was like to lose my son, and how resilience can help you get through the worst times of your life. I have attached YouTube videos
of the presentations. I hope next year you will all be able to be part of this wonderful event.
