[COMMUNICATED]
Readers around the world have followed the story of the Kirschbaum family, who lost a son in the Meron Lag Ba’Omer tragedy. Their lost son, however, is not the main source of the headlines: Six-year-old Malki Kirschbaum has a severe case of liver cancer, and doctors advised the family to fly from Israel to America as soon as possible for a full liver transplant.
Despite being a family of modest means, barely up from the shiva of the sudden loss of their teenage son, Mr & Mrs. Kirschbaum booked the family tickets to America and scheduled the life-saving procedure. Unclear as to how they would cover the costs, they resolved that above all else, they must save their daughter’s life.
The Kirschbaums landed in Pittsburgh today, and now face a terrifying predicament. Despite unity from donors worldwide who helped to fly them there, they have now been told that they must pay the full price of the procedure (minimum $200,000 + additional expenses) before Michali can go into the operating room.
Michali’s parents, siblings, extended family, and neighbors are currently praying for her recovery, and that there should be a miraculous raising of funds that will allow her to get the transplant she needs. It is impossible to know how much longer she can hold out without a new liver.If you or a loved one would like to help the Kirschbaum’s afford Michali’s transplant, you can donate via Vaad HaRabbanim’s fund on their behalf.
The headline is misleading, and it is unfair.
Transplant surgery is complicated and delicate. The treatment and recovery are expensive. Perhaps the price quoted seems steep, but until someone checks out the true cost, it is unfair to complain.
The doctors have every right to insist on payment for their work.
In today’s climate when street thugs, politicians, and anyone with disgusting morals declare open season against Jews, the headline implies a hate based refusal to treat an Israeli patient. But that is patently untrue. Please edit and revise the headline. Talk about the need for funds to permit transplant surgery.
The truth is that the hospital is the entity that refuses to provide a very expensive treatment without getting paid for it. The doctors who would perform the transplant are contracted by the hospital, and even if they were to wave their fees, the facility would still refuse free treatment for foreigners.
Do you really think the headline was a mistake? The writers intentionally write misleading and sensational headlines – it’s called click-bait
If you think that writing such headlines will garner support for your cause. Let it be known that it does NOT. You should be ashamed of yourselves and there is no way to trust you with money with a campaign based on geneivas daas. And just plain cynical slander.
I hope that nobody refuses to donate just because of a click-bait headline.
That said, this headline is probably a result of something lost in translation from its presumed origination in Israel.
In the original Hebrew, and in Israel, it was probably something like “Doctors in America won’t operate on child with…”, which has a very different connotation than the English “translation”.
So now punish this poor girl and family, because you don’t like the headline? Lashon Horah has worse repercussions than what one subjectively might think is geneivas daas….
Be quiet and make a donation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It is absolutely terrible that you write such a headline and such a slanted article.
We Yidden in general do not donate most organs, “al pi halachah” but we do accept them.
Also we are very lucky that some hospitals in America will allocate a percentage of their very few available organs to non citizens. (it does not say in the article that the girl is an American citizen so I assume she isn’t.)
Articles like this could cause Americans to complain about that policy.
I hope and daven that the girl has a Refuah Shelamah.
If I understand correctly, the girl does not qualify for ordinary wait list transplant, however her doctors determined it would be beneficial for her.
Under such circumstances, organs which do not find an ordinary recipient (and that would otherwise go to scientific research and would not benefit directly a human being) may be transplanted. The rules are that one must register at one (or a lot of) research / university hospitals, which match certain guidelines, and the transplant happens there, i.e. the patient and not the organ is moved. This to avoid the system being abused, “auctioning off” organs and the like.
The expenses are likely for medical private jets and of course the surgery and all the pre-ops. It is also possible it’s unclear at this time whether a certain liver would be available and family might have been advised to fly, in the event a critical patient becomes a donor. This is of course a horrible predicament and we must express a lot of gratitude to those very generous human beings who donate their organs or their loved ones’.
Hospitals and surgeons try to get paid if possible, so that they can assist the next patient; I don’t think they would refuse to operate if a compatible liver is found, and I loathe the headline, but please, if you can, donate what you can.
Looking forward to the day doctors will be able to cure death and will all be OB-GYN assisting childbirth.
Refua Shleimah to Michali or Malki and may her parents be consoled and find strength
Maybe I’m a sick individual with no heart. I give Tzedaka allot of it, however I HATE the sensational and FAKE headlines that have become the norm today.