C my Heart TODAY! Yameitz Libecha urges: Hear the cry of CHD patients in your community
By: Frimet Blum
Yameitz Libecha’s “C my Heart” campaign has gone live – and now they’re in a 36-hour sprint to reach their goal. It’s a sprint that brings to mind other speedy operations:
The roar of a medical helicopter, bringing a tiny heart patient to an out-of-state cardiac center.
The wail of an ambulance with precious cargo: a live human heart, ready to save a little girl’s life.
The racing of fingers on a keyboard, as Yameitz Libecha sends a medical file out to the best cardiac teams in the world.
But not everything at Yameitz Libecha is done with speed. So much is done with deliberate care and caring. Yameitz Libecha deals not only with hearts from a medical standpoint. They deal with people – with heart. The “C my Heart” campaign addresses both.
“We don’t make a single move without consulting with Yameitz Libecha,” says Mrs. F., mother of a CHD patient. “I call Mrs. Waks (Director of YL) on a minute-to-minute basis – to ask if this or that is normal, or if we can let my son do something – anything. She’s always available.”
“When you said your campaign is named ‘C my Heart,’ I smiled, because Yameitz Libecha does that, on so many levels. They see my child’s heart, because they really are amazing experts in everything related to Congenital Heart Disease; and at the same time, they see my heart – because they anticipate the parents’ and families’ needs, too. This may sound like a pun, but they are so full of heart! They really care.”
Yameitz Libecha was founded twenty-one years ago, when Mr. and Mrs. Aron Yitzchok Waks’ son was born with Congenital Heart Disease. There were no organizations to help them, and the couple navigated the medical world alone. That was when they decided that they would do everything possible for others in their position. And they do! To date, they’ve helped thousands of families dealing with CHD.
Some are one-and-done surgeries, where a child’s defect is repaired, and there are no long-term effects. Others are more complex. And some even need heart transplants. This year, Yameitz Libecha was involved in six(!) transplants.
“People don’t realize that CHD is extremely common,” Mrs. Waks says. “About one in every 100 babies is born with some sort of heart defect. Not everyone talks about it, so you don’t always hear about it, but there are thousands in the Jewish community.”
Right now, it’s crucial for the community to come out and support Yameitz Libecha. The “C my Heart” campaign will fund the connections, the support, the meals, the events, the magazine, and the many other things they do for the community.
Remember: these are your friends, your neighbors, maybe even your family members who need them to continue. Click on the link below and join “C my Heart” or call 718.540.5736.
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