Doctors from Rambam Hospital have successfully saved a Gaza toddler who was suffering a brain tumor. The child, Wallah Omar, is recovering well, and hopes to return home within a week.
Wallah first became ill four months ago. Her parents initially thought she had a virus, but soon she began to lose motor skills. They took her to a Gaza hospital, where doctors found she had a tumor pushing against her brain.
The doctors in Gaza City told the family to go to Rambam, which they said had care far superior to that available in Gaza or under the Palestinian Authority in Judea and Samaria.
Rambam administrators agreed to transfer Wallah immediately. When she arrived, a scan showed that her tumor was roughly the size of a large orange. Doctors performed surgery immediately, and removed the growth.
Her father, Ayad, said Wallah “is recovering amazingly,” and credited the staff at Rambam for saving her life.
The Children's Hospital at Rambam treats approximately 700 PA Arabs children each year, and has provided care to 200 people from Gaza over the past six months. Patients from Gaza and PA-controlled areas of Judea and Samaria are accepted in other Israeli hospitals as well.