Eli and Nachy Ribakow are 2 Jewish boys from Cleveland, Ohio. They love their parents,playing piano, and are always in a upbeat mood. However the two boys have been challenged since day one.
Eli and Nachi Ribakow entered this world 14 weeks prematurely and spent the first 5 months of their lives in the hospital. The boys suffer from severe disabilities. Their speech is limited, their vision is impaired and their right arms are partially paralyzed. Eating is very difficult, dressing themselves is still a far off dream due to their limited use of their hands, and walking is unbelievably challenging.
Despite their suffering, the boys are the happiest kids anyone has ever met. The parents of Eli and Nachy clearly accept and understand their blessings and their challenges. Dovid is currently studying for a degree as a Physician’s Assistant, and Racheli is a graphic designer.
Recently, as the boys have grown up and they require more mobility, the parents sought out ways of making it easier for them. They asked a contractor to propose ways of making their house more accessible, and he gave them a price tag of $100,000.
At first, the parents thought this was unattainable as David was still in school and Racheli is a free-lance graphic artist. Much of her day is dedicated to the boys and she is not able to undertake big projects.
They recently noticed that a new Jewish website called TheChesedFund.com was launched which enables anyone to start a campaign and collect funds commission-free. Prior to the launch, many used crowd funding sites like ‘GoFundMe,’ which eat up to 8% of the money raised. The Ribakows sent out their plea and in a few days raised over $68,000 from over 400 people.
The Ribakows released the following statement about their campaign:
We have been completely overwhelmed with the caring, sensitive website ‘TheChesedFund.com’ you’ve developed, and by the extreme kindness of klal yisroel! Our children have weathered difficult years filled with much progress with their boys. We just keep pushing for progress, no matter the timing.
With the help of your site, the boys will be enabled to greatly speed up progress! We hope to have a proper bathroom for them, and a room on the main floor, that they can come and go on their own, with the use of their power chairs.
We also hope to build a ramp that is easy enough for them to manage on their own.
Again, we had absolutely no idea what we were all about to do, as the wear and tear of their weight going up the steps is taking a toll on their parents, grandparents, and all caregivers.
We truly cannot thank you enough. May you be blessed with only gezunt and nachas from your children. Sincerely, David and Cheryl Lever Larry and Esther Ribakow
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