Lend a Hand to Help Joseph Stand Again
I've never been much good at asking for help, but I really need our Joseph to come back home to us and to play his music for my little girl again.
She knows that "Daddy's not feeling well." She asks about him all the time, and I don't know how to explain that he's not coming home tomorrow or the next day or the next.
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On November 27, Joseph and his closest friend boarded a bus to Tel Aviv together when our world suddenly crashed down around us.
It's actually kind of crazy that Joseph and I even met in the first place. See, Joseph first arrived in Israel from Kenya as an acrobat with the African Circus. Drawn to Israel and inspired by the Jewish people, he stayed in Israel. After much study and exploration, Joseph converted to Judaism through an Orthodox Beit Din in Gush Etzion. And, well...
Joseph and I got married in September. He was working hard and supporting our family. Everything was going well.
And then I got the message. "Hi. Joseph is not feeling so well. He is conscious but can't walk..."
By the time I got to the hospital, the staff had already rushed him to the angio suite, where they were performing an emergency procedure to restore blood flow to the left side of Joseph’s brain. Joseph had suffered a massive embolic stroke, which has left him with right-sided paralysis and considerable language impairment.
This alone would be enough to devastate any family. In Joseph's case, though, the consequences are even more dire. He was only midway into the process of getting citizenship, thanks to the slow-moving wheels of government bureaucracy. This left him without the residency or citizenship status needed to qualify for medical coverage.
The first couple of weeks of life-saving medical care alone have already cost us more than $50,000, a sum we cannot begin to afford. And in addition to the costs of his current hospitalization, Joseph will need months of rehab to fully recover. Meanwhile, the bills keep piling up...
As Joseph's only family here in Israel, I've been going back and forth between our home in Jerusalem and the hospital in Tel Aviv to see him almost every day, and bringing a laptop along to do some work when I can.
It's all so unfair. We didn't have any time to just enjoy being a normal married couple. I wish I had him around to help me cope, ya know?? I don't want to do this all by myself!
The other night I felt like I was quite literally about to pass out by the time I fell into bed -- fully dressed, of course. I think it's all starting to get a little more real for me, the fact that he is not just going to get better in a few days and come home, and soon things will go "back to normal." I just need him to get well again now.
I miss him so much...
I’m a fighter. Joseph is a fighter.
But this is something we cannot carry alone.
Joseph is fighting hard every day to stand. I need your help, so that I can be strong for him and for my little girl.
Cost Breakdown – Phase One:
Medical Bills and Hospitalization Costs, including emergency intracranial angioplasty and 10 days in ICU: $58,000 (NIS 200,000)
GoFundMe transaction fees: $2,000
Please contribute any amount you can.
Every dollar will go directly to helping Joseph with his recovery. Every gift helps us pay these bills and gives us some peace of mind to make it through the month. And that, with G-d’s help, will put Joseph back on his feet soon!
(Contents of Joseph's bag at the time of his stroke)
Please message us if you would like more info on this campaign, or to learn about other ways you can contribute (e.g., via , Zelle, Paybox , bank transfer, etc.). You can also follow us on Facebook for more updates from #TeamJoseph.
Thank You and Tizku L'Mitzvot!
Prominent backers:
Rabbi Dr Harvey Belovski of Golders Green Synagogue (long-standing rabbinic advisor to Ronit) and Rabbi Yaakov Kermaier of Shir Chadash Emek (where Joseph and Ronit attend services) and formerly of Fifth Avenue Synagogue can attest to the veracity of the campaign.
