“Since the donation, I’ve become a member of Ezer Mizion’s group, helping out with chessed in my city, Petach Tikvah,” says Ro’i. “The first act of good brought more good. Today I volunteer distributing food to families of patients, driving patients home after chemotherapy treatments, and transporting test tubes of bone marrow donors. Once they were looking for someone flying to Europe to take a test tube with him, as they did with my donation, and I myself took it with me. It is amazing to see how the requests are snatched up in the dozens of Linked to Life groups, and I’m just talking about what happens in Petach Tikvah. Every time a request is posted, to bring food from one family to another family, or to offer one kind of help or another, within two minutes, the matter is arranged. It’s an unbelievable circle of chessed.”
One of the many heroes saving lives
For Avrumy, too, the donation was not the final word. Unfortunately, another close member of his family was stricken with the dire illness. “He, too, was diagnosed with leukemia,” says Avrumy. “As someone with experience, unfortunately, I reached out to him and I also decided to do things for his recovery. I started disseminating a dvar Torah (insight on the Torah) in large numbers every week in England, in order to spread Torah for his zechut (merit). Baruch Hashem, a bone marrow donor was found for him, too, and he regained his health. Today, in addition to my job in a Yeshiva for struggling youth, I continue to spread chiddushei Torah (novellae)on parashat hashavua (weekly Torah portion)every week, and — yes, of course, all of this is in the zechut (merit) and for the zechut of Ro’i, because without him, I never would have been able to…”
Ro’i, all worked up, admits: “Every week, when I receive Avrumy’s divrei Torah on parashat hashavua, I remember his descriptions of the serious condition he was in, lying in the hospital, and every time anew, it thrills me to see that he is alive, vibrant, healthy, and spreading Torah. There is no greater joy than this: to know that with a small deed, you saved an entire world and increased more and more the good and life in the world.”
Ro’i adds one more thing: “My family was behind me and encouraged me throughout the process, but when they tangibly saw how a life was saved thanks to this donation, many of them also joined the Registry. My mother and other family members went to give samples, and thanks to my donation, almost my whole family now volunteers in Ezer Mizion, in the Linked to Life groups and in other chessed activities, and they also spread this amazing idea further.”
And Avrumy? “I like to see the world. When I was sick, I couldn’t do it. Today I make the most of life. I teach students and I also visit Israel and do whatever possible to appreciate the life that I got back from Hakadosh Baruch Hu (G-d). Today I just need an annual checkup to confirm that everything is okay. I simply live my life anew. I live with Ro’i’s blood, but the life is mine. Thank you, Hashem (G-d) , for granting it to me!”
