Motty Klepner is just two years old. But the blonde-haired, brown-eyed boy has endured far more than most adults.
The tragic story began when the child was just four days old. Whisked from the arms of his parents, and sent to the operating room, newborn Motty underwent open-heart surgery. The surgery was successful, and parents Yehoshua & Gittel Klepner were told that he would be a normal child.
Four months later, however, it became clear the situation was not ‘normal.’ Motty was brought in for emergency heart catheterization. His tiny heart collapsed. He lay in a hospital bassinet, covered in blood. His parents were told that it was time to say goodbye.
In a miraculous turn, however, surgeons were able to save the baby’s life. For another four months, he was hooked up to a respirator. The infant struggled with pain as he slowly recovered. While he was in the hospital, he developed gangrene in his arms and legs. His pudgy baby limbs turned black. Doctors had to amputate Motty’s left arm, and clip the fingers on his right hand.
Eventually Motty was released from the hospital, and allowed to return home. He was in pain, an amputee, partially blind, and paralyzed on the left side of his body, but he was alive. And for that his parents were truly grateful. Father Yehoshua wrote and released a moving song about the experience.
The two years since the initial surgery, however, have been a challenge. Motty, now 2 years old, suffers from severe eating disorders. He is only able to walk for short spurts of time, and struggles through life with only one hand. His monthly treatments cost many thousands of shekels. His parents are no longer able to keep up with the expenses.
A fund has been opened with the goal of meeting both the immediate urgent needs such as paying for Motty’s monthly treatments, and the long-term goal of procuring him a prosthetic hand. If the boy could have a hand, he could write, color, and pick up toys: things that other 2-year-olds do easily, but Motty dreams of. The campaign is appropriately titled ‘Motty’s dream.’
Those moved by the story and interested in making Motty’s dreams come true can do so here for a limited time.
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