Ten year old Shira wishes she could be like other kids. She wishes she could go to school, play jump-rope during recess, trade snacks, get into meaningless squabbles. But for some kids, being normal feels very far from reality.
The kid has been battling a deadly form of childhood cancer ever since she was seven years old. Although chemotherapy has not improved her situation at all, little Shira has made a tremendous Jewish impact in the hospital, constantly astounding the nurses with her incredible manners. Three years later, the child has been through a lot, and has developed the kind of wisdom that only suffering teaches a child.
“My family and the nurses call me a little champion. That’s because even though I’ve lost my pretty curls and my head hurts a lot of the time, I try to make everyone around me feel good. I know that Hashem has the power to help me get better, and my parents always remind me of how brave I am.”
Recently, Shira felt something she hadn’t felt in a long time: Hope. She visited a specialized doctor with her parents who officially listed her as a candidate for a groundbreaking surgery that can cure her from cancer forever. But unfortunately, health insurance will not cover it.
So Shira and her parents took matters into their own hands.
The family made an emergency crowdfunding page where Jews all over the world have caught on to the cause and began to spread the word on her behalf. Close to halfway to her goal, Shira writes a letter with a maturity beyond her years:
“I am one surgery from everything. From being a normal kid. From going to school, from playing outside with my friends. From fulfilling my goal of becoming a nurse so I can help other sick kids like me.”
As the weeks follow, the Jewish world will watch in suspense to see if this beloved kid will raise the funds necessary to reclaim the life she’s always imagined.