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Anat needs immediate eye surgery, otherwise she will go blind. After three laser surgeries to remove cataracts from her right eye, she developed diabetic retinopathy. There are only two surgeons in Israel who can perform this complex surgery to save her eyesight and it is not covered by the public health fund. Each day that passes without surgery is an immediate threat to her vision. She has 13 children, including two with special needs, and no one else to care for them if she loses her sight. Through a new website, Milka’s Fund, which was started and is managed by Yad Eliezer, we have set up a secure way to donate and directly help this family. Our goal is to raise $14,000 to allow for this vital surgery. Please share this story and give as generously as you can. Donate here

Anat’s circumstances are so painfully difficult she sometimes wishes she could close her eyes and it would all disappear. Then she wouldn’t see the broken and rotted kitchen cabinets that are in any case mostly empty as there is little food in the house. She wouldn’t see the grimace on the face of her eleven year old son as he is doubled over in pain once again, suffering from intestinal necrosis which the three surgeries did little to relieve. She wouldn’t see how her 16 year old autistic son is on the floor with a seizure for the third time this month. She could imagine that her husband no longer suffered from the hearing loss that was a result of a car accident when he was five years old. If she closed her eyes she could for a moment ignore the pain and swelling in her hands and feet…

Being able to no longer see the frightful realities of her life had some appeal until her doctor told her that if she doesn’t have immediate eye surgery, she will go blind. Now she is doing everything in her power to retain her sight, as dismal as the view may seem…

Anat has already had three laser surgeries to remove cataracts from her right eye, but in recent months she has developed a more extreme vision problem as a result of her diabetes, called diabetic retinopathy. There are only two surgeons in Israel who can perform the complex eye surgery that she needs, and the fee is not covered by the public health fund. Each day that passes without the surgery is an immediate threat to her vision.

Each day when Anat wakes up in the morning and opens her eyes she experiences a moment of panic. What if today will be the day when she can no longer see?

Anat is no stranger to challenge. She has faced her many challenges and cared for her challenged children with unbelievable strength while she worked long hours cleaning homes to support her family. She became familiar with local gmachim where she could find cheap or free second hand clothing for her family, and was able to create meals on a shoestring budget. She has struggled with diabetes and arthritis for years, and the medications that she takes have been only moderately helpful in stabilizing her blood sugar. The recent swelling and pain in her hands and feet have made it impossible for her to continue to work, and even at home she is having a hard time keeping up with her responsibilities, as she finds that she often must stop and rest.

Time is of the essence. Anat has young and vulnerable children at home who will have no one to care for them if she goes blind and is no longer able to function.
We are turning to you to help us raise $14,000 this week so that Anat can undergo eye surgery before it’s too late. Please donate generously and share this story.