It was Tzvi Haber, the volunteer national program director of Chai Lifeline (who also wears the hat of program director of Chai Lifeline Mid-Atlantic; assistant head counselor of the boys’ session of Camp Simcha and Camp Simcha Special; and fifth grade Tefilah teacher in Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School), who approached The Walters Art Museum about showcasing Coby’s inspirational artwork and life.

As Coby’s mother, Avigail Rosemore, wrote in her Facebook invite to her son’s art show debut: 

“If someone were to ask me to paint a picture depicting my feelings during the 29 months since Coby's diagnosis, the canvas would be filled with blacks, grays, ugly greens, and moody blues. Perhaps if I had any talent, it would resemble Edvard Munch's "The Scream." But not Coby. Despite multiple surgeries, uncertain prognosis, and endless rounds of debilitating chemo, Coby paints in rich, vibrant, and lively colors. His paintings radiate hope, light, and life. Chai Lifeline recognized that his art embodies his beautiful positive soul and partnered up with The Walters Art Museum to display his work. I am humbled and honored to be associated with such an incredible organization that recognizes every child's beauty and unique talent. Today we celebrate Coby's extraordinary resiliency and his ability to capture the silver lining in every situation. The display is open to the public, and we would be honored if you came to check it out. XO”

“When I saw Coby’s paintings, about three weeks ago, I thought they deserve to be on display,” remarked Mr. Haber. “Coby deserves to feel a sense of accomplishment; all humans like to give to other people. Coby is contributing to the world, making it a more beautiful place with his pictures.”

Within three days of his phone call to The Walters Art Museum, Mr. Haber was notifying the Rosemores that Coby’s paintings were going to go on display, Sunday—from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This was never done before in the history of the Walters—which opened its doors in 1934. It is a real testament to The Walters, because it did not get stuck in bureaucracy, and a testament to Chai Lifeline, which transported Coby and his family in style—in a white stretch limo!

“Coby’s name in Baltimore is synonymous with Chai Lifeline,” explains Mr. Haber. “Chai Lifeline began servicing the Rosemore family when Coby was in treatment in Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia. When Coby switched to Johns Hopkins for treatment, Chai Lifeline transferred our staff to Baltimore in order to continue providing Coby and his family services.”

Chai Lifeline was founded in 1987 to service families whose children have pediatric life threatening or lifelong illness. It has had an unofficial presence in Baltimore for the past eight years, servicing very few families with miniscule volunteer presence. In the past six years, Chai Lifeline Mid-Atlantic has grown tremendously; It now services a number of families and has a volunteer base in the Maryland-DC area of 160 volunteers.

“Chai Lifeline exploded when we formally inaugurated our office in Baltimore, one year ago this past January, with the help of Coby’s mother,” notes Mr. Haber, who made special mention of the help of local Chai Lifeline volunteers Chaya Hollander and Adina Levitan. “She saw what Chai Lifeline did in Philadelphia and saw what we were trying to do in Baltimore, and formulated a group of passionate lay leaders in the Baltimore community who saw the need to make a formal office here. We really adopted the Rosemores and the Rosemores, in turn, adopted Chai Lifeline.”

Now that Chai Lifeline’s presence is more official in Baltimore, it is able to run year-round programming, hold Shabbatons, offer hospital respite, and hire a licensed, on-staff case manager who provides patient and family advocacy.

“Coby was our first homegrown client with pediatric oncology,” remarked Mr. Haber. “Everyone soon started hearing what Chai Lifeline was doing for the Rosemore family and Coby, who belong to Suburban Orthodox. It put Chai Lifeline on the map in Baltimore; I think it is a tremendous testament to Coby, in terms of what this child has accomplished. Coby, among a few other kids and few other scenarios, is a very big, real part of the founding of a chesed organization in Baltimore.”

To give you some insight into Coby’s kindness, maturity, emotional depth, and special sensitivity to his family, Mr. Haber related to me the following incident:

“Coby told me a couple of weeks ago that his mother mentioned that she wanted to go on a vacation to Iceland. He told his mother, ‘I don’t want to go, but you should go—you need the vacation; go take a break!’ This kid has every right to be focused on his own pain; this kid has every right to be focused on his own misery. Instead, this little eleven year old turned to his mother, who is very much his lifeline—she is very devoted and incredibly passionate—and said, ‘Go, you need this for yourself’. She would never leave him, of course, but it was so astounding to hear.

“Many people are davening for Coby—Chaim Yaakov Dovid ben Avigail—around the world, but if I had to give a message to those unknown people, this is what I would tell them,” continued Mr. Haber. “We are not praying for this kid’s life because he is a good kid and he deserves to live life, but because the world is a better place with Coby in it. Just as Coby, the artist, sees things and presents that beauty, Coby, as a person, does that, as well. He not only paints what he sees, but also makes things more beautiful…G-d willing, Chai Lifeline will never have to be used because all of our children will be well and healed, but if G-d forbid, down the road, there are kids with cancer in the Baltimore community, Coby Rosemore and the Rosemore family has created—for lack of a better word—a dynasty of chesed. It has far surpassed many people’s expectations, and is really going to impact the world and change the way pediatric illness is dealt with in this community.”

Photo Credit: Leba D Photography