Many of us will search our entire lives in hopes of finding a purpose that we know inspires and helps others – those of us who aren’t searching, should be.

Rabbi Elimelech Goldberg, affectionately referred to by his students as Rabbi G, found his purpose in 1999 when he started his first karate class for children with cancer from the Children’s Hospital of Michigan.

Rabbi G, a black belt and clinical assistant professor of pediatrics, lost his first child to leukemia at the age of two and brings a wealth of personal experience and sensitivity to working with children and families facing life-threatening illness. What started out as a handful of students has grown to affect the lives of some 4,500 children a year in 46 hospitals in five countries.

When you hear about the work they do, you of course are touched, but when you actually step into the dojo and meet the children and instructors as we did yesterday in Southfield, Michigan, you gain a much deeper perspective and understanding. After several interviews with young teenagers who proudly talk about their enthusiastic passion for the time they spend with others who are walking the journey of cancer or another life threatening illness, it’s hard not to imagine the thousands of lives Rabbi G has touched since that one moment when he used the reaching of karate’s breathing techniques to help a child get through a painful procedure at the hospital he was visiting.

Michelle Hartley, the mother of a 6 year old boy named Aiden, sat with us and shared how when Aiden goes to the hospital and has to endure some of the standard procedures, the nurses are amazed by his ability to just sit there and breathe through what many adults could not handle without a wide range of emotional response to the pain.

For those of us who have never had to endure the hundreds of painful pokes of needles and procedures during a long stay in the hospital – it’s understanding what is really at the core of Kids Kicking Cancer that is helping these children face the hand of cards dealt to them in their life. The teachings are not about the fight in an alley, but rather, the fight within to gain a new found focus and strength to withstand these overwhelming procedures. Through simple exercises that do involve kicking and punching, they learn to breathe in the light and exhale the darkness – all the while, becoming teachers themselves in the process, which in turn gives them a purpose.

Michael Hunt, a black belt instructor, understands this all too well. He was one of the young children with rare sarcoma cancer in Rabbi G’s first class 19 years ago. He sat and shared his story with us.

When asked what is by far the toughest part of his job, besides his regular visits to the hospitals to help children through their day’s events, he responds “giving a child a black belt”.

You see, when a student reaches the level of black belt, it is usually time for great celebration. However, in these children’s cases, when the black belt is embroidered with their name and presented to them, it means they are transitioning from this world. With tears rolling down his face, “we make sure they know they have beat this cancer. Cancer did not beat them.”

We are honored to be able to feature the work that Kids Kicking Cancer does on behalf of children who are on this journey with cancer.

To learn more about Kids Kicking Cancer, please go to: https://kidskickingcancer.org/