GoFundMe For Cranford Fireman Spurs Heartfelt Community Support

CRANFORD, NJ — When Cranford fireman Robert Hurewitz suffered from heart and kidney failure after a difficult emergency call in July of 2021, his career as a firefighter came to a crashing halt.

Hurewitz's inability to work has resulted in a huge income loss for his family. Due to these financial struggles, the family is now at risk for losing their home. Hurewitz's wife — Amanda Langner-Hurewitz — started a GoFundMe to try and stay afloat during this difficult time.

Hurewitz began to experience heart palpitations after responding to an emergency call involving a child. Within a week he was in Atrial Fibrillation, according to the GoFundMe.

His health problems began only a month after the couple's daughter, Eleanor, was born in June. This was his first call back with the Cranford Fire Department since he took time off to care for the new baby. He had been working for the department since 2013.

Over the next two months, Hurewitz went into cardiogenic shock and experienced heart and kidney failure. He spent seven weeks in the hospital receiving nine cardiverts, one failed cardic ablation in which he had to be revived three times, an impella — or heart pump — device implanted, multiple dialysis ports and 12 different IV's.

Langner-Hurewitz wrote in the GoFundMe that she was scared to walk back into her husband's CCU room each day, fearing what piece of bad news the medical team would share.

"I kept wondering would we have a future together, there were moments when no one could answer that for me," she wrote.

Hurewitz finally came home from the hospital in early September. His wife cared for him as he had to wear a life vest 24/7, couldn't use the stairs and wasn't allowed to shower unsupervised.

Langner-Hurewitz said once she received confirmation that her husband would no longer be able to work from his doctors, the family started looking into disability options. They concluded that Hurewitz could only receive disability aid through the pension system, but because this is not a normal retirement, the family would only receive 40 percent of what he would normally receive.

"It's a huge pay cut for us ... and we're just not prepared for that," Langner-Hurewitz said. "And we went through all of our finances and we realized that my salary alone could not sustain us."

Meanwhile, Langner-Hurewitz said the whole process of applying for his pension retirement can take anywhere from six to nine months, during which he would not receive a paycheck.

This has put the family at risk of losing their home, and Langner-Hurewitz said her mother convinced her to reach out to the community via GoFundMe.

"We weren't expecting the amount of response we got," Langner-Hurewitz said. "And honestly, I think I've cried probably everyday since we started it."

Since posting the GoFundMe a little over a week ago, the family has raised over $91,000 and continues to receive generous donations from the community. The goal is to ultimately reach $258,807, which is the sum the family's remaining mortgage payments.

Langner-Hurewitz said she's been overwhelmed by the support from the community and the heartfelt messages she has received.

Amanda Lee — the owner of the gluten and dairy-free restaurant Fettle and Fare in Westfield — reached out to Langner-Hurewitz and offered the family a gift certificate to her store to help with Hurewitz's new dietary restrictions, which have changed drastically because of his health issues.

Lee recently started her own GoFundMe page when she caught COVID and could not work in her store.

Because Hurewitz's heart damage is permanent and currently only works at 15% normal capacity, which is causing him to receive less oxygen and impair his memory and physical stamina, Langner-Hurewitz said he may need a pacemaker. She also said he is still considered a possible candidate for a heart transplant.

But when it comes to the heart, doctors have said it's a waiting game, according to Langner-Hurewitz.

"Once they do a procedure, then we have to wait three to six months to see how his heart recovers or what improvements it would make," Langner-Hurewitz said. "So we can't just sit around and wait when it comes to thinks like our house and making mortgage payments."

People can still donate to the Hurewitz family on the GoFundMe page here.

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