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Why we opened this campaign
Just a month ago, we closed the fundraiser for little Shai’s family after he contracted meningitis for the second time. Because she had to stay with her son in the hospital, Shai’s mother lost her job, leaving the family on the brink of survival. You can read their story here.
Now, Shai is back in the hospital. He has been diagnosed with meningitis for the third time. The doctors are at a loss—they have never seen anything like this before. Once again, the parents are taking turns pullings shifts at his bedside. Once again, there are IVs, scans, tests, and procedures.
Shai’s parents are hardworking people of modest means. His father works in a clothing store, and his mother is an aesthetician. They have another child, Shai’s sister, who misses her brother dearly and is very worried about him. Essentially, the family is living hand-to-mouth, barely managing their rent payments. Every missed work shift is a minor financial catastrophe. Due to Shai’s illness, his mother has already lost her job at beauty salons twice—no employer is willing to accommodate such long and unpredictable absences.
The most frightening part of this story is the uncertainty. While recurrent meningitis exists in medical practice, Shai’s case does not fit the typical pattern. The doctors are baffled. No one knows how long this will last or if he will eventually need experimental treatment not covered by health insurance. Every day spent in the hospital deepens the deficit in the parents' bank account—if this continues, they will soon be unable to pay their rent.
Last time, we stopped the collection because Shai was discharged. The funds raised were enough to clear a significant portion of their debt, and things began to stabilize. But it is now clear that, unfortunately, a small amount won't be enough this time. The treatment will be long and complex, demanding every resource the parents have. They simply cannot sustain this financial gap on their own. To help the family get through this critical period, we need to raise an amount that compensates for one parent's income for at least the next 2-3 months.
We cannot help Shai physically; that is for the doctors, and they are doing everything possible. However, we can help his parents face the future without panic. We can provide them the peace of mind to focus on their son’s health and endure these hardships, rather than desperately searching for extra work to plug the growing hole in their budget.
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