Editor’s Note: This story is the second installment in a special three-part series leading up to ROI-NJ’s upcoming fireside chat, “The Sandwich Generation.”
On May 14, when ROI-NJ hosts a fireside chat discussing the issues facing today’s “Sandwich Generation,” Dr. Jessica Israel will serve as the perfect choice to facilitate the conversation. As the Chief Medical and Innovation Officer at Complete Care Management, Dr. Israel brings a depth of experience in geriatric and palliative care coupled with her own personal experiences caring for loved ones suffering with terminal illness.
“Life brings us all unexpected challenges, ” Jessica commented recently, “My mom died at 41 of breast cancer when I was 20 and my dad died at 57. I never expected that my family – the people who sat around the table at dinner with me every night – would some day be gone. And then my younger sister was diagnosed with breast cancer.” Functioning as a medical professional in overseeing her sister’s recovery, remission, reoccurence and now a 10 year long re-remission has been one of the biggest challenges of her life – but one that she managed to her best ability, combining a sibling’s deep love and a doctor’s commitment.
“Addressing such dire medical challenges with three of my closest family members while trying to help them get past painful circumstances taught me that there is no single right way to make decisions,” she concluded.
Life’s lessons contributed to shaping Jessica’s philosophy. Recognizing that she didn’t need to carry the weight of every decision and didn’t need to be everywhere at once helped her juggle the significant responsibilities that came her way over time.
Although divorced, Jessica remains in close contact with her first husband while blending two children into her existing family after she reconnected with her first boyfriend (the high school sweetheart she met at 16 while at summer camp!)and married him over 12 years ago. Today their combined four children of ages 24,25,26,27 are living as one!
But a level of chaos often permeates every family, no matter how organized the adults may be! Laughing while reflecting on the stress she sometimes faced trying to be an amazing mom, Jessica recalled the time she mailed out her son Ben’s birthday invitation but neglected to fill in any of the details including time, date, and location!
“There is going to be stress in life; after all, relationships are complicated. All we can do is make our best effort,” concluded Dr. Israel as she looks ahead to the upcoming May 14 event when she will join with fellow presenters Kirthi Mani and Melissa Skrocki as they share insights into navigating the sandwich generation.
