Beshert | My Grandmother, My Hero
My grandmother, Hannah Stochel, was the happiest, strongest and most generous woman I’ve ever known. She was a powerhouse of a lady that connected me to my faith, my legacy, and my home. My grandmother was my hero.
At 18 years old, she survived the concentration camps. She once spoke of the day she was liberated from Auschwitz. Her first husband and older brother had died there. As planes flew over their heads, a soldier told her, “You’re free,” and she couldn’t even comprehend what that meant.
At 18, my Grandma Hannah faced life-threatening circumstances and little did I know, I would deeply connect with her struggles. Because when I was 18—two weeks before my high school senior prom—I suddenly found myself in intense abdominal pain. I would be in the Columbia Presbyterian ICU for almost a...
