I will briefly describe my situation:
Around Chanukah 2012, I was diagnosed with colon cancer. They immediately performed surgery and removed the tumor.
After some time, I was told that the affected area (meaning the part that was cut, which affected the rest of the intestine) had also been infected, and there was great concern that the disease would progress, God forbid.
After a series of tests at Tel Hashomer Hospital in Israel, it was decided to perform a minor surgery to remove the remaining tumor.
Shortly before the surgery, they injected a stream of ink into my intestines to mark the site of the future surgery. Something went wrong, and at that moment a huge and very rare infection triggered in my intestine, requiring extended hospitalization just before Pesach.
After Pesach, the test showed that the intestines had closed due to the rare infection inside, and there was a strong concern about a total closure! This required further hospitalization to attempt several times to expand the intestines, which was only effective for a few minutes.
The doctors in Israel didn’t know what this infection was, how it occurred, or if it was just an infection or even the disease that had flared up violently due to the ink injection. They just wanted to operate to see and analyze.
We met with Mr. Firer and his team, who recommended conducting tests and treatments in Florida at the "Cleveland Clinic," where there is a world-renowned surgeon specializing in this exact field. Shortly after, we arrived in Florida.
After a series of in-depth checks at two hospitals here: Cleveland Clinic and Sylvester Miami University, it was determined that the tumor had developed and reached a T3 level of stage 2.
Therefore, a series of advanced chemotherapy and radiation treatments were decided upon, in an attempt to reduce the tumor.
Due to the risk of total bowel obstruction, I required additional treatment: the insertion of a "Stent" into the intestine to prevent total closure during the treatments.
During chemotherapy and radiation treatment, I contracted a serious esophagitis infection, which required additional hospitalization for over a week.
Twelve weeks after the end of the treatments and radiation (which left a lot of damage in the body), the surgery was performed by Professor Wexsner at Cleveland Clinic.
The surgery lasted over 6 hours due to complications caused by the infection, the disease, and the radiation. A great effort was made by the surgeon to thoroughly clean the infection and the remaining tissue.
After the surgery and a week of hospitalization, severe problems arose due to complications from the surgery. Unfortunately, these problems still require daily treatment.
After the pathological examination, it was decided that no further chemotherapy sessions were needed because everything is now clean, thank God. However, other issues still require treatment.
They are currently working on two things: A. Severe medical complications created by the surgery and disease. B. In two and a half months, I will need another surgery to restore the bowel function, as the large intestine is currently inactive.
We hope that in 3 or 4 months the treatments will end, and we can return to Israel.
In the meantime, the costs and expenses here are very, very high: 6 of my children are in Israel, staying with families. And 3 of my children are with us. We have to live in two places at once, here and in Israel. And all this without any salary for months.
Another issue: The cost of health insurance due to the situation here is $2,100 per month for me alone. We will need to continue the insurance for at least another year to ensure everything is well, I hope. So, the cost is huge, just for that (12×$2,100).
I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the help you have already sent and for continuing to assist us, hoping for good and happy things.
