"It is not how long you live, but how well you live."
 

Next week, I'll set out on Bike4Chai 2026—300 km over two days, ending at Camp Simcha, the greatest finish line in the world.

Last September, I lost my younger brother. He was 46 years old, a wonderful husband and and a father of 6 amazing children. 

For five years, he fought with everything he had: two bone marrow transplants, countless rounds of chemotherapy, infections, ICU stays - more than most people could imagine enduring. Through it all, he never stopped believing he would survive. He never asked, "Why me?" Even in his final days, his concern wasn't for himself, but for the people he loved and would soon leave behind.

His last words to us were simple: 

"Take care of each other."

I've carried those words with me every day since. This ride is one small way I know how to honor them.

Waiting for me at the finish line for the fifth summer will be Avremi Fogel. 

Avremi lives with osteogenesis imperfecta, a rare brittle bone disease. For the past eight years, he has traveled from Israel to Montreal for a treatment that quite literally breaks down and rebuilds his bones from the inside out. He lives with constant fractures and unimaginable pain, yet none of it has ever defined him.

What defines Avremi is his smile. His resilience. His infectious joy. There is something extraordinary about being around him. He has a way of reminding everyone he meets what courage really looks like.

Every summer, Chai Lifeline flies Avremi and his counselor to Camp Simcha, where, for two precious weeks, he gets to be what every child deserves to be—a kid. At the same time, his family receives a brief but invaluable chance to rest, knowing he is safe, happy, and surrounded by people who love him.

My wife and I helped build the Montreal chapter from the ground up. Today, we're still there—not watching from the sidelines, but working alongside an incredible team that shows up every single day for families facing the unimaginable. What began as a small dream has become something none of us could have envisioned, made possible entirely because people like you believed in this mission and chose to be part of it.

The work is easy to describe, but impossible to measure.

It means helping families navigate a devastating diagnosis with medical referrals, counseling, financial assistance, and case management. It means making sure a child in a hospital bed still has a birthday worth celebrating. It means giving parents who have spent years caring for a sick child an evening of respite to simply be husband and wife again. And every summer, it means giving children who spend most of their lives as patients two unforgettable weeks where illness takes a back seat and childhood takes over.

Today, I'm asking for your help in reaching my goal of $100,000 but - every dollar becomes something tangible for a family who desperately needs it.

My brother spent five years teaching everyone around him what it means to never give up. Avremi teaches me that same lesson every summer.

This ride is my way of saying thank you to both of them.

If you are able, I would be deeply grateful if you would support my ride and help Chai Lifeline continue bringing hope, strength, and joy to families who need it most.

All donations are 100% tax deductible in Canada and the USA. You can pledge online at https://www.bike4chai.com/avii or by mailing a cheque to:


Montreal: Chai Lifeline Canada, 4900 Jean Talon W, Suite 220, Montreal, QC H4P 1W9
Toronto: Chai Lifeline Canada, 300A Wilson Ave Toronto, Ontario M3H 1S8

USA: Bike4Chai c/o Chai Lifeline, 90 N County Line Road Jackson NJ 08527

With heartfelt gratitude,
 

Avi & Reitzu Iczkovits