They say that it takes a village to raise a child.
If that’s true, then for one baby in Bnei Brak, it takes an entire army.
Shalom Goldman is a blue-eyed chubby cheeked smiley baby who was born preterm with kidney failure, and since the moment he was born, his entire family’s entire lives have become revolved around one seemingly impossible task–
Keeping him alive.
“Shalom is at constant risk of dehydration, he barely sleeps from the pain he is in and often stops breathing altogether,” explained Shalom’s mother, Nechama with motherly concern.
“It’s been a non-stop terrifying rollercoaster.”
Shalom requires a specialized formula which is sold at over $100 a can, and he requires ultrasounds and blood tests every week. He is almost always uncomfortable and crying and barely sleeps, leaving Nechama literally collapsing from exhaustion, according to her husband. Then, yesterday, when things didn’t feel like they could get any more hopeless, the doctors gave the Goldmans yet another blow:
Shalom’s survival direly depends on a kidney transplant.
And it must be done overseas, as soon as possible.
“I don’t know how we will weather this storm of expenses, the flights, Shalom’s specialized formulas which cost over $100 a can, and accommodations on our own,” Mrs. Goldman cried out to the public yesterday.
“My husband is a cheder Rebbi and I am Shalom’s full-time caretaker and we have always lived so simply.”
The family has put their story on thechesedfund.com where they can only hope that strangers across the world will connect to Shalom’s heartbreaking situation and help them reach their goal in time.
Until then, Shalom’s life hangs in the balance.