“Lehosheet Yad”, Hebrew for outstretching a hand, is an organization based in Israel that helps children suffering from cancer and C.P. We have representatives in all the different hospitals in Israel and deal with hundreds of children and their families on a daily basis.
The organization was started by a group of volunteers who gave their time and resources to the children and families. Our main project today is Tel Hashomer hospital. A Game room that is run by our volunteers as well as hot meals prepared and delivered daily are some of the stuff we do for the children.
Our Group of “Bnot Sherut” (Girls doing national service for the country) work
daily with the children in the different hospitals and in the homes of children. They arrange birthday parties and take the children on outings to help them forget about their long days in the hospital.
The organization receives requests from families to help fund medications that the government insurance will not pay for. These medications can cost up to ten thousand dollars a month per child. We turn to news outlets to help us advertise and raise money for this cause. Medications like these can be life savers for children who have tried all the standard treatments.
During the course of the children’s treatments many of them are in the hospital four or five times a week. One of the parents usually has to stop working to be with the child. The child as well is not able to go to school. Lehosheet Yad raises money to help these families survive these hard times.
Throughout the year we arrange huge parties on the different holidays. Hundreds of children and their families from all over Israel attend. There are concerts and activities for all ages. Israeli celebrities make time in their busy schedules to come be with the children as well.
One of our bigger projects is our trips to the United states. During May we take a group of children on a two week trip to Los Angeles. We visit Disney, Universal Studios, Six Flags, and many other attractions. The highlight of the trip is a dinner that Mr. Lee Samson, a great friend of the organization makes at his house. Every year a famous celebrity joins the party to meet and hang out with the children. Most of the children we take are unfortunately terminally ill and in the past this experience was what they took with them. After they pass away many of the children’s parents will tell us how much they talked about this and how it made a huge difference in their lives.
In the above picture a wish was fulfilled for Bentzi (14), Aviya (13), and Noa (12). Three months after the returned from this trip they lost the battle to this terrible sickness. This was the last trip for them that left an unforgettable memory for their parents and families and especially them.
In 2016 Mr. Lee Samson helped the organization fulfill a wish for 35 children, some of them terminally ill. The children enjoyed a visit in Beverly Hills and in Mr. Lee Samson’s home. He surprised the children by arranging a visit from no other than Snoop Doug himself!
Shaked (13) participated in the last trip. When she returned home her cancer came back and spread throughout her body. Three months after her return she also passed away. The last few days of her life she talked about going back to Los Angeles and reliving those moments of the trip again.
We believe that the happieness of the children gives them the strenth to beat the illness and together we can achieve that!
