Hadassah miracles

Joyce Toub, Collier/Lee Hadassah President

I hope you had a wonderful summer and now that we are in the middle of our High Holidays, I wish the very best for you for the coming year 5784! I want to thank you for your dedication and support that allows Hadassah to continue with its miracles in Israel, in the United States and around the world. Hadassah remains the heart and soul of medical innovation for more than a century because of generous supporters like you!

In past articles, I promised to share more of Hadassah‘s miracles with you. The following are just a few:

Miracle: ovarian torsion operation

In early August, doctors at Hadassah Ein Kerem achieved a medical first: they successfully operated on a newborn, saving her ovaries, less than 30 minutes after her birth via cesarean section. The baby’s condition, known as ovarian torsion, is typically only seen in adults. The surgery had never been performed on a newborn until Hadassah’s doctors successfully completed this operation.

Miracle: multiple myeloma treatment

In fighting cancer, Hadassah has an exciting experimental treatment that put 88% of patients with multiple myeloma, a rare type of cancer that develops from bone marrow cells, into remission, extending the patients’ life expectancies.

Miracle: radiation using protons

An Israeli company called P-Cure is partnering with Hadassah to run the Proton Center in Modin, where radiation using protons limits the harmful effect of radiation on healthy tissue.

Miracle: genetic engineering fights cancer

Doctors at Hadassah’s Center for Melanoma and Cancer Immunotherapy and Hadassah Cancer Research Institute developed new technology in genetic engineering to fight cancer. It offers patients additional and stronger immune cells grown in the lab. They take a sample of white blood cells from the patient’s blood and generate a large number of white blood cells. Using genetic engineering, they insert a synthetic gene into these cells that allows them to specifically recognize cancer, significantly delaying the progress of the disease.

Since we last celebrated the new year, we have so much to be proud of, and so much more to anticipate. You are an indispensable component of Hadassah‘s inspiring work. I am optimistic that, with your generous donations, we can continue on this remarkable path!

Please join us for Collier/Lee Hadassah’s upcoming programs:

Oct. 18, 10:30 a.m. – “Whatever Happened to the Great American Railroad?” This is the last of our Expanding Horizons Plus program. Jeff Margolis will enlighten us during brunch at the Nina Iser Jewish Cultural Center.

Nov. 15, 11 a.m. – “Keeping Our Faith” will be a Crafty Women’s Artisans’ Showcase at the Audubon Country Club. Cantor Azu joins us in an interview with Diane Schwartz. A delicious luncheon is planned.

I wish you and your families a wonderful L‘Shana Tova and may you and all of your loved ones have a sweet, joyful, healthy and peaceful year ahead.