The bags are not packed yet. But Talia is ready.
For nearly three years, her daughter Hallel has battled PLE - Protein-Losing Enteropathy - a rare, life-threatening condition that strips the body of the proteins and antibodies it needs to survive. No vaccines. No immunity. Due to her complex condition, even a mild stomach bug can rapidly escalate into a life-threatening deterioration Israel's leading specialists have done everything they can. Their conclusion: only one place on earth can save her - the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Now, Talia is one document away from getting there.
"I'm waiting for the medical document from the hospital," Talia shared late last night. "They were only contacted this morning. It's nighttime now and I don't know. The moment I receive it, I can submit the request."
The request she's referring to is not a visa or a booking. It's an application to a humanitarian exceptions committee - the body that controls who can board the few flights still leaving Israel since the war closed the skies. Thousands of people are waiting. Talia is among them, document in hand, the moment it arrives.
→ Donate now - Help Hallel reach Philadelphia before it's too late
Hallel's father, Dudi, has described what life looks like inside their home: "When something small enters the house - a stomach bug, a common cold - we don't see a sick child. We see prolonged hospitalization, months of isolation. When the proteins drop, she swells up from head to toe, from her face to the soles of her feet. This child cannot simply go out and play in the yard."
Hallel has spent up to two months at a time in complete isolation - a room barely larger than a square meter. Four siblings wait at home. Two parents hold everything together. And a country at war has made the road to Philadelphia longer and harder than anyone imagined.
"I assume we'll be flying in the coming days," Talia said. "There's no light here. I really don't know. Everything is up in the air."
Everything - except her determination.
CHOP - the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia - is the world's foremost medical center for cases like Hallel's is the only place offering her a real chance at a functioning immune system and a normal childhood. Israel's doctors didn't just recommend it. They put it in writing: go to the United States immediately.
→ Join Over 1,000 Donors - Help Close the Gap for Hallel
The financial reality of this journey - two households, long-term accommodations in Philadelphia, ongoing treatments, and daily costs - adds up to 2,800,000 ₪. More than 1,059,000 ₪ has already been raised by over a thousand people who refused to look away. But the gap remains real, and the journey is about to begin.
"We are setting out on a journey we don't know how we will survive," Talia and Dudi said. "It is a brutal journey - medically, emotionally, and financially. We cannot do this alone. Every shekel you donate brings Hallel one step closer to a new life."
The skies over Israel are not open to everyone right now. But your support has no borders.
A humanitarian flight. A medical document. A mother waiting through the night. This is not a future crisis - it is happening right now. Your donation today is not symbolic. It is fuel.
→ Donate immediately - Hallel's journey starts any day now
