As many of you know, I live in Gaza in the early 1990s for a couple of years teaching English with the Southern Baptist Church. I became very good friends with a Palestinian guy my age and have kept up with him over the last 30 years. I have been able to spend time with him during my several visits to Gaza since then. He owned a business prior to the October 2023 war but it and his home were soon destroyed. He was able to escape to Egypt with his wife and two unmarried sons (23 and 25) last fall, but he is without work and has drained his life savings, like many Palestinians. I was able to spend time with him during my family's annual trip to Egypt in June of this year.

My friend's 23-year-old son had a degenerative condition with his hip that they've known about since he was 10. Early this year, his hip condition started deteriorating quickly and doctors recommended a hip replacement. After considerable effort in finding a good surgeon, a quality artificial hip, and obtaining agreement from the Palestinian Embassy in Cairo to pay for 50% of the cost of the operation, his son had the hip operation the second week of July. He is still walking with a walker but on tract for a full recovery.

The 50% cost that is my friend's responsibility is approximately $2,850. We have received a few donations and whittled this amount owed down to $1,350.

My friend and I would be grateful for any contributions you could make.

One other thing. My friend has no affiliate with any group deemed a terrorist organization by the U.S. government. I will take any donations and directly pay the Egyptian hospital and doctor, regardless. So I trust there are no concerns about this issue. If you are willing to make a contribution but still have concerns about this issue, please contact me.