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Honoring our Co-Founders
Susan Talon-Mazer
“This is grief’s most piercing message: there is no way around–the only way is through.” – Joanne Cacciatore, Bearing the Unbearable.
When my 23 year-old son Ari was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, our lives exploded into a million pieces and an abyss of fear. As a hospice and palliative care nurse for almost 30 years, I knew the precise impact of his diagnosis. I was now personally living what professionally I had witnessed. When Ari died, two and half years later, the grief felt unbearable. I sought help through numerous grief retreats, seminars, workshops, parent loss support groups and individual grief therapy. Ultimately I became a Certified Bereavement (™) Care counselor through the Center for Loss and Trauma in partnership with the MISS Foundation and the Elisabeth Kbbler-Ross Family Trust. I have learned that you do not ever “get over grief,” but with hard work you can learn how to carry it. I have also learned the tremendous healing power of a supportive community. This is what we seek to share in the AriYael Healing Center.
Marc Mazer
“The best I can hope for is to provide a safe space for others walking a similar path… making connections with people, listening to them…this is the healing path.”
I am one of the co-founders of AriYael Jewish Healing Center. I have been active in the Contra Costa County Jewish community by serving on various boards including that of Beth Chaim Congregation, the Contra Costa Jewish Community Center, and various other boards involving the East Bay Jewish Federation. As an “almost retired” attorney with over 45 years of experience, including the representation of non-profit organizations, I will be directly involved with running the business end of the healing center. The journey taken with my son, Ari, while he was being treated for cancer and leading up to his death, has given me a profound need to share that experience with others. I believe that the healing process is not necessarily defined by accepted western medicine, but may also include the simplicity of providing others with a safe space in which to share their experiences. Thus, my involvement will also include ensuring that all who seek our help will be provided with that “safe” place for healing.