Family health scares and a historic tragedy spur me to champion Pittsburgh, not leave it

Jane Windsheimer stands for a portrait at Carlow University, Wednesday, May 22, 2024, in Oakland, holding a journal. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg/PublicSource) “PublicSource is an independent nonprofit newsroom serving the Pittsburgh region.& Sign up for our free newsletters.” First-person essay by Jane Windsheimer, PublicSource I was in eighth grade when the Tree of Life mass shooting occurred, and I was experiencing a lot of change. My sister had been diagnosed with cavernous malformation — a genetic brain disorder — and Von Willebrand, a blood disorder. My brother and I had to get tested in case we, too, had them. I found out on my 13th birthday that my brother had tested positive for the brain disorder, while I had tested negative for both. Add to that the tragedy of the shooting. I had heard about other shootings on the news, but I never thought I had to worry about them happening in my own community.& My mom was working at the Jewish Community Center at the time as the Judaics teacher, so the antisemitic crime was much on our minds. We are practicing Catholics, but were raised to have respect for people who have different beliefs, so I couldn’t wrap...