By Erin Jester
In life, Caryn Chomsky was known for her compassion, generosity, humility and dedication to her family and her physical therapy patients.
Two years after her death, the Chomsky/Stolper family is continuing her legacy with a permanent endowed scholarship in the University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions.
The Chomsky family launched the Caryn Chomsky Physical Therapy Scholarship in June, on the second anniversary of Caryn’s death. The scholarship will support Doctor of Physical Therapy students who embody Caryn’s values of compassion, service and excellence in patient care.
The $4,000 scholarship was awarded to Janeisy Davila, a first-year D.P.T. student. Two students will receive the scholarship next year. Caryn’s husband Ayal Chomsky hopes the endowed fund will eventually grow enough to fully cover tuition for two D.P.T. students per year.
Caryn was passionate about physical therapy education, Chomsky said, so it made sense to honor her memory this way. He wanted to make a difference at UF — both of their children are Gators.
“We were two kids who came from very little, who worked very hard and had success in life,” he said. “I’m honored and privileged to be able to give to UF. I hope Caryn is looking down at us and what we’re doing. I know this is what she would want.”
As a physical therapist, Caryn had a special focus on lymphedema, a chronic condition that can develop after cancer treatment. It was an issue close to her heart — Caryn was diagnosed with cervical cancer at 24, a year after she and Ayal were married. Her treatment was successful, and the couple made national news in 2007 with the birth of their twins, Maya and Etai, via a surrogate: Caryn’s mother, Ann Stolper.
Caryn prioritized connecting with patients and treating the whole person, Chomsky said, which she didn’t see as the norm for physical therapy practices in the area at the time. Hoping to change that, the couple opened their own practice, Partners in Motion Physical Therapy, in Boynton Beach in 2010. A second location opened in Lake Worth in 2015.
Caryn was known for going above and beyond, sometimes visiting with older patients at home if she thought they could use some company. She was fluent in American Sign Language and connected with the Deaf community in South Florida through her patients, Chomsky said.
She was a mentor to many, including Davila, who was a sophomore at Florida Atlantic University when she began shadowing Caryn in preparation for applying to physical therapy programs. The experience solidified Davila’s desire for a career in the field.
“She was so bubbly and radiant,” Davila said. “She would get to know each patient and she’d always make them laugh. I loved the holistic approach she had.”
Caryn was on a 15-mile run the morning of June 9, 2024, when she was struck and killed by a car that had veered off the road.
Davila sent a letter to Chomsky after the funeral, expressing her condolences and sharing her memories and admiration for Caryn. He was touched, and they stayed connected. When Davila was accepted into the D.P.T. program at UF, Chomsky contacted the College of Public Health and Health Professions and ordered her a shirt.
“There is no person I know that is more deserving of this scholarship than Janeisy,” he said. “She is an unbelievable woman who will be an unbelievable PT.”
Davila said she hopes students who receive the scholarship in the future will learn about Caryn, who she was and her impact on the profession.
“I was very proud to receive it, and to honor her,” Davila said. “She was definitely one of a kind.”