The IDF, as part of national effort to help Palestinian Authority
cancer victims, treated children by the disease with a trip to a special
day of fun last week – with trips to the zoo and the beach!
Thousands of PA Arabs receive medical treatment in Israel on a yearly basis.
Efforts to improve the emotional well-being of these patients involve
taking children undergoing cancer treatment and their families out for
day trips outside of the hospital. Civil Administration Health
Coordinator Dalia Bassa works to ensure that patients with serious
illnesses receive comprehensive treatment and care.
There are currently 180 Arab pediatric cancer patients from Judea and
Samaria in Hadassah Hospital, of whom 50 have received bone-marrow
transplants.
A group of PA children receiving cancer treatment at Hadassah
Hospital and their families visited the Ramat Gan Safari, Jaffa
beachfront and Holon bowling alley last week.
The trip was made possible thanks to a coordinated effort by the
Israeli Civil Administration, the Israel Cancer Association and
volunteers from the “Encouragement From Ido” charity for pediatric
cancer patients in Jerusalem.
One victim, for example, Lagine Abu El Hayad of Bethlehem, underwent a
successful bone marrow transplant at Hadassah Hospital. The Israeli
Civil Administration made a significant financial contribution that went
toward finding a bone marrow donor for Lagine, as well as her surgery,
post-operation treatment and medication.