Pray for Berkowitz Family

Ariel Berkowitz, teacher at IBEX, has had some very difficult situations in his family lately.  I asked him if I could share the latest update here, knowing that most of my readers know him.  He would appreciate your prayers.  I’ll add to that that they could use financial support as well, as their family does not have medical insurance.  I’ll put those details below his update.

Here was the situation:

D’vorah [Ariel’s wife] was in the Washington DC area. She and our son, Yo’el, went there to help our third daughter, Rivkah, give birth to a third granddaughter. We knew since October that this one was in danger, having been diagnosed as having hypoplastic left heart syndrome. So, Rivkah needed the extra help. However, the extra help came down with double pneumonia while she was trying to help! We almost lost D’vorah! She went to suburban VA (not far from Rivkah) to recoup at my sister’s house. The second string of help took over, Yo’el. That was going great until his appendix ruptured! We almost lost him, too! He was at my sister’s, too.

Here is the update (28 Feb.)

1. D’vorah is recovering slowly. In the process she took a spill on the steps at my sister’s  house and bruised her rib. But the pain is manageable. She is now back with me in Israel and shows improvement everyday.

2. Yo’el is also recovering. His is a little slower because he still has toxins in his body that must be released. But he is young and strong and the prognosis is good.

3. Baby Eden is still fighting.  They had to open her up this past week again because of an infection inside from the previous operation. She faces six more weeks in the hospital. Mom (Rivkah) is hanging in there. Her young faith is being challenged to the limit trying to juggle her time between her two young girls and hospital visits where she must see her new baby still open, hooked up to all kinds of machines, and suffering. The good part is that the baby continues to live! That is beyond all expectations! Our middle daughter (Rachel) just flew over to help Rivkah, which is a big relief. But she will not be able to be there for the entire time necessary. We will all cross that bridge when it comes. Naphtali (Rivkah’s husband) was able to take a month off of work, but he had to return. That is why Rivkah needs the help now.

I can tell you from experience that hypoplastic left heart syndrome is one of the most serious heart defects, and the surgeries and hospital stays to correct it are extraordinarily expensive.

You can make a tax-deductible contribution by sending a check made out to Torah Resources International, but only put “Berkowitz medical expenses” on a separate note and not on the check itself.  You can mail this to: Berkowitz Family, c/o Palanza, 7 Carnoustie Dr., Falmouth, ME 04105.  Even if you can’t contribute much, a small amount would demonstrate your care for him and his family. Ariel’s email address is torahrediscovered at mac dot com.

Ariel during Sukkot, 2002