Ezer Mizion

The Lego Workshop is an important part of Ezer Mizion’s extensive cancer support services for cancer patients (children and adults) and their families.

The Lego Workshop takes place once a week at Ezer Mizion’s “Oranit” cancer patient guest home that serves as home away for home for cancer patients through periods of outpatient treatment. When patients finish their ambulatory treatments, they return to Oranit where they are hosted. They are left with many hours each day that Ezer Mizion’s fills with creative, therapeutic, recreational activities – including the Lego Workshop – which they enjoy at Ezer Mizion-Oranit’s rehabilitation center. As all the other recreational and therapy activities, the Lego Workshop is offered as an activity outlet for cancer patients and their siblings and parents as well.

The Lego Workshop also travels to hospital wards several times each week, bringing cheer to children who are hospitalized for extended periods.

Alon was 21 when he completed his combat duty and was discharged from the IDF to begin civilian life. That was when he began to feel sick and was shortly after diagnosed with a form of cancer that hits kids only. Because of his condition and the treatment required, he was hospitalized at Dana Children’s hospital, the pediatric hospital of the renowned Ichilov Medical Center in Tel Aviv.

He obviously felt out of place and quite lost with the youngsters around him but had no choice in the matter. That is where he has to be for the kind of treatment that he needs. So he gets s steady stream of visitors and activities all geared for kids: arts and crafts, clowns, entertainers, puppet shows, game room, etc. Besides for not feeling well, Alon feels very out of place.

Alon’s frequent week long hospitalizations for treatment began to become bearable when ezer Mizion’s dedication Lego workshop coordinator, IDF Major Maor Cohen, found out about him and began visiting him every week, helping Alon pass the long, lonely evening hours busy building with Lego.

Before each hospitalization, Alon would call Maor and let him know. Maor would turn up with another Lego building set to keep Alon occupied and challenged, with his mind off his illness.

Alon especially enjoyed building a Mini Cooper vehicle, which kept him enraptured. That was when his girlfriend commented to Maor that Alon’s occupation with the Lego was ruining their relationship…

With a twinkle in his eye, Maor told her that Alon was building a Mini Cooper to take her on a picnic. Shortly after Alon’s hospital release, Maor – true to his word – came to pick Alon and his girlfriend up to take them on a picnic. He chauffeured them in an authentic Mini Cooper that he borrowed from a friend who collects antique cars….

It was truly a picnic they will always remember. We recently received a sponsorship gift from the Shemtob Foundation with which new Lego sets were purchased. Alon was the first patient to get a set, which will tide him over his scheduled hospitalization for surgery and recovery from cancer treatment.

Maor took his passion for Lego and developed it into an amazing tradition at Ezer Mizion. In addition to weekly meetings where participants build Lego creations, Lego parties and semi-annual Lego raffles are held as annual highlights at Ezer Mizion for kids with cancer and their families. These events give participants a chance to momentarily step out of their medical nightmare, and put together amazing Lego displays. At these much anticipated events, sick children are awarded huge Lego prizes that are donated by caring sponsors and every family leaves with a standard Lego set.

Generate Strength and Instill Hope: Become a Lego Sponsor!

Join Ezer Mizion in our support activities for cancer patients with a generous sponsorship of Lego sets for our Lego club and Lego prizes for children with cancer.

Become a Lego sponsor and give these children a chance to hold on to the security of a normal childhood. Donations to Ezer Mizion are tax exempt in Israel, USA, Canada, UK and France.

Thank you for your caring and partnership with us through your generous donation.

Donate online and specify LEGO: www.ezermizion.org

USA tel: 718-853-8400

Israel tel: 03-614-4573