אילוסטרציה
אילוסטרציהצילום: ISTOCK

Chaos erupted in a Jerusalem elementary school classroom last week when teacher Ayala F. collapsed in the middle of teaching a history lesson to her fourth-grade students. It was only after the chaotic incident had occurred that Ayala’s heartbreaking secret was accidentally revealed: She is battling a brave fight against cancer, and she is doing it completely on her own.

A single girl who made aliyah with no family in the country, Ayala had been quietly fighting cancer for years but after her hospitalization after the incident last week, her condition began to deteriorate rapidly. Now under emergency care in Shaarei Tzedek hospital, she is not responding to the treatment effectively. As every day passes, she grows weaker.

“She’s my favorite teacher,” said a student to reporters. “I have a learning disability so it’s hard for me to focus in class, but Ayala makes everything so fun and interesting, and she’s so nice and patient! She takes time after class to explain everything to me when I don’t understand what we learned. I really miss her.”

Ayala gives reporters the latest on her health:

“The doctors said they discovered a treatment tailor-made for my specific kind of cancer with a very high success rate, but it costs thousands of dollars, and I can’t possibly afford it on my own as a single girl struggling to pay for my own rent, groceries, etc... If I don’t receive this treatment, I might die. I need it soon if I want to live, to get married, to have children and build a family one day….Please, I’m begging you. Just give me a small chance at the life I want to build. I have noone else to help me.”

Ayala’s story is utterly heartbreaking, and her friends and students are praying hard for a miracle. She has noone else to help her, and she can’t possibly begin to afford the expensive treatments on her own. To be an active partner in saving Ayala's life, visit SAVINGAYALA.COM.