It’s not often that an Israeli doctor has the opportunity to help a girl in Afghanistan, but when a US Army doctor located near the Afghani capital of Kabul needed help with a diagnosis, that’s exactly what happened.
A young Afghani girl named Afifa suffering from severe infections came to the US doctor, who suspected she might have a rare genetic disorder known as Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency, or LAD. In LAD, a patient’s white blood cells lack a mechanism to sufficiently reach infected areas.
Dr. Amos Etzioni, director of the Meyer Children’s Hospital at Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa, Israel, is a world expert on the disease, and agreed to test Afifa’s blood to determine if she had LAD. Since funds for the effort were limited, the Haifa hospital agreed to perform the diagnosis for free.
Unfortunately, the blood test came back positive, and Afifa is now in need of a life-saving bone marrow transplant, which Dr. Etzioni said might cost at least $60,000-$70,000. Without the procedure, according to Dr. Etzioni, her chances of survival beyond a year are not good.
Dr. Etzioni said the American doctor is trying to find a philanthropic organization to raise funds for Afifa, and Dr. Etzioni has also done his part by contacting people as well. Those interested in helping Afifa can contact Dr. Etzioni at Rambam Health Care Campus.
Dr. Etzioni, who has had medical requests from Turkey and has worked with the Palestinians, said receiving a request from Afghanistan was a surprise. Regardless of where the need originates, however, he said he wants to help children.
“I like to see kids as a universal asset; and therefore I am ready and happy to help kids. It doesn’t matter whether they are from Afghanistan, from Pakistan, from Iran, or from the States or from Israel,” said Dr. Etzioni. “I want to help all of them.”
(By Joshua Spurlock, BFP Israel Mosaic Radio, January 1, 2008).