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For years Yisrael S., helped take care of his children, assisting them with simple, everyday tasks such as�eating and getting dressed. Now he is the one who needs this kind of help.

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Yisrael S., 38, is completely dependent on other people to help him with day to day tasks, though it�wasn�t always this way. Yisrael happily lived with his wife Shikma, in Ofakim until a few years ago, when�after the birth of their fifth child he was diagnosed with an uncommon type of cancer. Yisrael needed�surgery to take out several non-malignant but dangerous tumors that were located in vital parts of his�body. Yisrael underwent a complicated operation, and several vertebrae in his back were removed. As a�result of this he became paralyzed. Yisrael is now confined to a wheelchair and needs assistance with�every single thing he does- from eating & drinking to washing, getting dressed, using the bathroom-�everything. As if this wasn�t enough of an adjustment, there is intense pain that accompanies Yisrael�s�condition. His doctors say that the level of pain he experiences on a daily basis is something an average�person could never endure.

Despite all this, Yisrael continues living with incredible happiness. Something he is able to still do�without assistance is learn Torah, which he does with great joy and enthusiasm.

Unfortunately though, the situation at home is not joyful. It is extremely hard for Yisrael�s family. With�their father constantly in the hospital, the children don�t have the luxury of spending time with him on a�consistent basis. The upheaval in their day to day lives and seeing their father in this different state has�caused them extreme emotional distress. Shikma is also suffering. She went from leading a normal,�happy life with her family to being left on her own to take care of all her children and her husband who�can no longer function as he used to. She is now under the care of a psychologist to help her work�through this mental trauma.

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The financial situation is dire. The monthly 5,000 shekel ($1300) Bituach Leumi payment that they�receive is not nearly enough to cover their enormous expenses. Shikma does her best to take care of�her family alone but the everyday costs of food, help with cleaning, and childcare are just too much to�bear. Their small apartment is on the second floor, inaccessible to someone in a wheelchair. But there is�no money to move down to a lower floor. There is not one extra shekel in the house for anything. When�asked what she would like in her home, Shikma said that she would love a new mattress. Not for herself,�but rather for her husband who would really benefit from a clean comfortable mattress.

Yisrael recently underwent an additional surgery and has been moved to Beit Levinstein (a rehabilitation�facility in Ra�anana), where he is undergoing rehab for at least the next three months. He receives�therapy once a day, but activities end at noon. This means that from 12:00 p.m. and on, there is nothing�for him to do and no way for him to move. Luckily, two dedicated volunteers have been accompanying�Yisrael every single day since his hospitalizations began. They travel from Ofakim and stay with him until�9:00 p.m. These men take care of all Yisrael�s physical needs and they are also there to take care of his�spirit. They keep him company by talking with him, singing with him, learning with him, and just doing�the regular activities that every person needs. The journey from Ofakim to Ra�anana is over an hour and�a half in each direction but these men are dedicated to making Yisrael�s life as enjoyable as possible and�they complete the trip with happiness. Without their help, who knows what Yisrael�s condition would�be.

In this heartbreaking situation we would like to do whatever we can to help Yisrael and his family. We�are aiming to raise $7,500 which can go a long way by helping to cover part of the transportation costs�for Yisrael�s life-saving volunteers. It will also go toward the purchase of an orthopedic mattress for�Yisrael and provide household and childcare help for Shikma, which will ease some of the pressure on�her during this summer break. Please donate as generously as you can, spread Yisrael and Shikma�s�story and help us help them.

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