Agudath Israel of America has meant so much to so many people, on a klal level and to the yochid as well.
Today’s case in point:
There was one thing that Chezky Miller knew for sure.
It didn’t matter how old you were or how old your parents were. You’re never ready to say goodbye to them forever. And yet, that is exactly what doctors were telling him to do as his 89-year-old mother continued to deteriorate after cancer surgery.
Chezky had taken his mother to a renowned surgeon at a world-class hospital, but she was heading downhill and doctors told him to prepare himself for the worst, something Chezky absolutely refused to do.
Instead, he called Chayim Aruchim, a division of Agudath Israel that deals with end-of-life issues, hoping for a miracle. Chayim Aruchim’s experts spoke to the surgeon, who said that the procedure had gone well, but that Mrs. Miller’s body was giving up because of her advanced age. Other physicians they consulted said that if Mrs. Miller’s highly respected doctor was giving up, then there were simply no options left to consider.
Still, Chayim Aruchim’s team persevered, finding an exceptionally gifted doctor in another hospital who said that there was a glimmer of hope, but unless surgery was done immediately, Mrs. Miller had just hours left to live.
During the course of three surgeries performed in a very short amount of time, it became clear that the original doctor had made a grave error during the initial surgery that nearly cost Chezky’s mother her life. Day by day, Mrs. Miller began to show signs of improvement and there were many happy smiles and hugs on the day that she was discharged from the hospital.
Chezky is already hard at work planning a surprise party for his mother’s 90th birthday. There will be lots of balloons, Mrs. Miller’s favorite chocolate cake, and plenty of grandchildren and great-grandchildren jumping all over and making a giant mess.
Having come this close to losing his mother, Chezky knows that it is going to be a moment that he will cherish forever…
…Thanks to the intervention of Agudath Israel.
The Agudah is vital.
And we are vital to the Agudah.
We enable the Agudah to do what it does.
