In 2018, 8-year-old Meori Landau was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor, requiring complex surgery to have it removed, to be followed by two months of radiation treatment in the United States. Not long after, he suffered blood vessel obstructions in his brain, which led to two bypass surgeries. Following surgery, he had a stroke that caused paralysis in the left side of his body.
Meori received treatment at a children’s hospital in Israel where he regained some function on the fingers of his left hand, although his left hand remained paralyzed.
The connection to ALYN
As destiny – beshert – would have it, Meori’s family already enjoyed a special connection with ALYN Hospital: Meori’s father, Hovav, had been participating in the Wheels of Love bike ride, raising funds for ALYN Hospital since 2005. Hovav thought of ALYN as a second home, and looks forward to combining bike riding with the mitzvah of tzedakah year after year.
Without thinking twice, Hovav contacted Dr. Maurit Beeri, Director General of ALYN Hospital, and asked if Meori could stay there for rehabilitation, to which Dr. Beeri agreed. “To us, it was clear we were going home.” Hovav recalls.
For the next 18 months, Meori underwent intensive rehabilitation at ALYN, working on restoring the full function of his left leg, his speech and his left hand. Hovav wanted to give something back to ALYN in return, and in the summer of 2020, during the pandemic, Hovav raised funds for some wheelchair-accessible outdoor picnic furniture for the hospital to enable family visits during the strict social-distancing protocols. He even found a friend who was willing to deliver and assemble all the furniture.
Meori still visits ALYN to focus on his left-hand fingers. His doctors are delighted with his progress – he attends his regular school, rides a bike and is back to being an 11-year-old boy. Hovav participated in his 17th Wheels of Love ride, with Meori joining him for the final stretch! Both starred in a television interview recently, discussing both Meori’s treatment and the charity ride.
Riding for the medical teams
In an article published in Ynet before this year’s ride, Hovav expressed his gratitude: “This year, I'll be riding for the wonderful medical teams who work with Meori, investing and believing in his ability to improve. I'll be riding so that other parents can benefit from the best of professional care for their children. I'm racing on these trails for the hospital’s sake, because I want to shout at the top of my lungs: THANK YOU! And that’s a fantastic feeling.”
Meori’s name comes from the word “or”, which in Hebrew means “light”. Soon we will all celebrate Channukah, the Festival of Lights. Meori’s family, and like many other families helped by ALYN Hospital, will be looking forward to a renewed sense of light and joy.