SAVING AVIGAIL’S EYES
Two years ago, when young Avigail’s parents entered the delivery room, their hearts were filled with emotion. This was their first child, and they would soon become parents. However, after the birth, their great excitement turned into deep concern. Avigail was born with heart and brain abnormalities and a serious defect in both her eyes, leaving her vision severely impaired to the point of blindness. However, her devoted parents would not give up, and since the birth, they have been running to the best doctors available, doing everything possible to improve her condition.
When Avigail was a year old, they consulted with the leading specialists in Israel on the chances of Avigail getting her eyesight. However, they were unanimous in their prognosis – there was no chance that she would be able to see. They turned to Rabbi Avraham Firer, and after a lengthy search, he referred them to Professor Zeidman, a specialist from the United States with a stellar reputation. After conducting a thorough examination on the child, Prof. Zeidman decided to operate on her right eye, and thank G-d – the surgery was a success.
After the operation, Avigail began to become more active, more curious, and more mobile. However, in recent weeks, her left eye, which had not been operated on, has been covered by a kind of white scar that has blocked her field of vision. She had difficulty identifying her favorite games and has become fearful of her immediate environment, and now she recently stopped seeing completely out of this eye.
After an urgent consultation with top doctors, foremost among them Professor Avraham Spierer, director of the ophthalmology ward at the Sheba Medical Center at Tel HaShomer in Ramat Gan, Israel, and at Rabbi Firer’s suggestion, the decision was made to transport Avigail immediately back to Professor Zeidman in the United States for an operation on her left eye.
The cost of the previous surgery, together with the traveling expenses, reached $67,000. These funds were acquired through a bank loan, family, and friends. The cost of the planned second operation and the traveling expenses have been estimated at $29,000. In addition, Avigail’s parents will have to stay in the United States for a period of several months for continued treatment and follow-up examinations.
During this entire time, Avigail’s devoted parents will be forced to take extended leaves of absence from their jobs. In addition to their efforts to save their daughter’s sight, they have had to deal with the additional defects she has in her heart and her brain. In light of the previous financial commitments made to cover the first operation and the sizable expenses for Avigail’s treatment and rehabilitation, the parents cry out: ‘Even if there’s even the smallest chance, we will fight for our daughter’s life. We will fight to make it possible for her to see – with G-d’s help!’
Now that the relevant documents and recommendations from medical experts have reached the “Min Shemaya” Organization, we turn to you with a fervent appeal – please make a generous contribution and help us to save little Avigail’s eyesight.