Couple Took A Huge Risk, For A Huge Reason

Israel National News ^ | May 13 2021 | Kirschbaum

[JayGalt]

The Kirschbaum family of Beit Shemesh have had a horrific whirlwind of a week, as they sat shiva for their teenage son, one of the 45 people killed in the Meron tragedy. While this is enough to have them processing for years, however, they simply don’t have the time. Because right now, they are worried about their 6-year-old Michali.

Michali has had liver cancer since she was a baby and has spent much of her life in hospitals. Recently doctors urged the Kirschbaums to leave Israel immediately and to fly to Pittsburgh for their daughter to have a full liver transplant. Slots were very limited and, scrambling, they took the only option given to them: Next week. The surgery itself, the treatments before and after, the flights for the family, living accomodations, and basic utilities while they are occupied with tending to their daughter’s needs, are astronomically expensive. Even worse, they have almost no time. If they do not have the money in time, they will not board the flight. They will not get Michali her surgery. And she will die.

The race to save Michali’s life is taking place now on The Chesed Fund. The page includes a heart-melting video of little Michali, all smiles in her hospital bed. In another clip, her mother holds her close, appealing to the public. If this little girl is going to live, they will need to raise a lot of money, and fast.

[JayGalt]

This family needs two miracles. For people to open their hearts and for a successful surgery without recurrance.

[kiryandil]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Meron_stampede

[JayGalt]

Thank you for the link.

[PghBaldy]

So they are getting an American organ? I feel badly for the tragedies they suffered, but is this right?

[JayGalt]

Do Americans receive foreign organs? Yes.

[sockmonkey]

I didn’t see in the story why one of the pediatric transplant centers in Israel can’t help her.

[skr]

Why would it be wrong, especially if the organ doesn’t have the appropriate medical attributes for anyone else at the time?

[Tacrolimus1mg]

There’s a waiting list for a reason. I guarantee that it will be compatible with someone.

Having received a kidney from my brother after six years of dialysis, initially being told I wasn’t transplant eligible at 21, I had a family friend’s parent on my shift at treatment. She needed a liver and a kidney, and received neither.

Many people die waiting for compatible organs. However, they can only travel so far, which is why most transplant centers require that you can arrive at the hospital within 8 hours max.

I am also curious about why Israeli hospitals can’t do this procedure. It may be a time crunch thing, but they wouldn’t transplant her if the new liver was going to be consumed by cancer. That aside, it IS possible to do two transplants with one liver, as that organ regenerates.

[noiseman]

This story just doesn’t sound right on several levels. I don’t mean to cast doubt on it if it is indeed true, but it doesn’t seem to add up. I have a hard time believing that a hospital in the U.S. just happened to have a “slot” a week out, for one thing. Where is the donor liver coming from? Are the doctors psychic, and somehow know that a liver will magically become available just in time for next week’s “slot”, or do they already have a liver and they’re just waiting around for someone who can use it, in a week or so? I wasn’t aware that there was excess inventory in the transplant business, just sitting on the shelf waiting for a customer. And how would it be kept viable?…I didn’t think that was possible for more than a few hours, which your personal experience confirms. And are we also expected to believe that this magical liver just happens to be compatible with this little girl’s body? This whole story makes organ transplantation sound like a quick-serve, drive-through, spur of the moment thing, which it most certainly is not.

And as you and others have pointed out, there is no explanation at all for why she couldn’t get the transplant in Israel. Just a quick mention of Israeli doctors inexplicably telling her parents to go to Pittsburgh. And finally, there’s the predictable urgency for people to “donate now”, or the child will die.

Again, if this story is true then I hope they receive everything they need and more to take care of this little girl. But it just has all the earmarks of a donation scam. I truly hope I’m wrong.

[sauropod]

bkmk

[Tennessee Nana]

a couple of thingsg you didnt mention ...organs are rushed by plane around the world...why not this one ???

If the baby is so sick how can she travel ???

[SERE_DOC]

at the base of ignorant stupid assed comments, you provide the very worse of anti American ideology.

JAFG award for you.

Just another f'en ghoul.

[JayGalt]

Organized by
Vaad Harabanim Leinyanei Tzedaka
221 Regent Drive
Lakewood,New Jersey
Tax ID: 37-1456890
Donations can also be made to Vaad Harabanim Fund #5710 by phone at 1877-722-2646 or by mailing a check to Vaad Harabanim 221 Regent Drive Lakewood, NJ 08701

I have no personal knowledge but it would be easy to check.
https://www.vaadharabbanim.com/

An exclusive look at the inner workings of the largest tzedakah organization in the world
It all started 22 years ago

Not every day goes down in Jewish history. But Wednesday, the 13th of Av 5752, was one such day.

A young kollel man suddenly passed away in a tragic manner, leaving behind a number of small children. His widow and children were shocked and in very dire circumstances. How could they be helped? Is there a system for handling such emergencies?

Today there’s an answer to these questions: Vaad Harabbanim!

But then, the situation was quite different and brought great distress to two Gedolim, Harav Hagaon Shlomo Zalmen Auerbach zt”l, and Harav Hagaon Yosef Shalom Elyashiv zt”l. As a result, on Wednesday, the 13th of Av 5752, an urgent meeting was held in Rav Elyashiv’s home. They decided to start a general tzedakah collection, to be carried out by direct mail.

[GailA]

Why Pittsburg, St Jude’s is the Premiere Children’s Cancer Hospital? And it’s FREE!