If I Had the Words to Say Thank You - The ODEH Story

[00:00:05]If I would have [music] the words to say thank you, I would tell them all.

[00:00:13]>> [music] >> My name is Israel Sorota.

[00:00:15]This is our story.

[00:00:21]When Shmuel was born, we were so grateful and thankful to Hashem because we waited so long until he arrived.

[00:00:26][music] We got home and just like every other baby and thinking he's healthy, he just started smiling. He was He had the cutest smile.

[00:00:36]It was melting our hearts.

[00:00:40]A month later, we realized that he's jaundice.

[00:00:44]He's [music] uh yellow. We went to the doctor and they told us uh he'll be okay.

[00:00:50]Goes by another month, we come back and the [music] doctor is like, "Maybe we should do blood test."

[00:00:56]And a few hours later, we get a call that something is wrong with the liver.

[00:01:01]We should [music] go to the ER immediately.

[00:01:03]As we arrived to the ER in Columbia, they told us that he most probably has biliary atresia, [music] which further testing confirmed it and I was diagnosed uh >> [music] >> with biliary atresia and needed a urgent uh emergency surgery [music] and uh after he's going through the Kasai surgery and we saw him laying in bed, [music] sick, not able to smile, it just uh was very hard. It was very hard to see.

[00:01:34]It's uh very hurtful.

[00:01:38]2 months later, [music] we were told that the Kasai surgery was not successful and he needs [music] a a liver transplant.

[00:01:48]We waited so long to get the >> [music] >> the most beautiful baby and all of a sudden, we got hit with this terrible news, they need a new liver.

[00:01:57]Where are we going to find a liver now?

[00:02:00]We were lost. We didn't know what to do.

[00:02:03]Who are we reaching out to? Where are we going to get a liver from?

[00:02:25]In the process of the liver donation >> [music] >> We did testing. We learned the process name, we learned the recovery name. It's a bunch of questions and answers back and forth. At the end I decided I'll go for it. We started testing in Cornell Hospital.

[00:02:59]And [music] A couple of months later, they winter >> [music] >> baby that's in need of a liver.

[00:03:14]After testing, we had a surgery date approximately April And I was okay with it.

[00:03:28]It was a week before Pesach. All of a sudden our baby Shmuel got a got the flu.

[00:03:35]Got the fever and they told us we got to be admitted in the hospital.

[00:03:40]He got more and more sick >> [music] >> and they told us he needs a liver immediately.

[00:03:45]His stomach started swelling up and he was very sick. He was wasn't smiling.

[00:03:52]barely ate.

[00:03:54]We were devastated. Who was going to give us a a liver 2 days before Pesach?

[00:03:59]I don't think any donor is going to go to a hospital 2 days before Pesach for surgery to donate a liver.

[00:04:19]>> [music] >> And the donor was shocked us.

[00:04:40]He's a tzaddik. He He also had plans to go with a Pesach.

[00:04:44][music] He canceled all his plans just so he can donate a liver to save our baby.

[00:04:50]We couldn't believe it. To give up all [music] your plans for Pesach, being in pain, you chose to be in pain for Yom Tov just to give our baby life. We really have no words to thank you.

[00:05:02]You're mama's malach.

[00:05:04]To see now my baby with his natural color, smiling, he's rolling [music] over, he's doing what every baby is supposed to, he's gaining weight.

[00:05:14]You literally saved his life.

[00:05:26]>> [music] >> I was [music and singing] lying on the floor of a valley, praying for a second life.

[00:05:39]My heart was trembling, my hope was dwindling, by your grace I'm loving my life.

[00:05:45]Your needs [music] your needs will be done done, [singing] done, done. Your fears, your fears will be gone.

[00:05:51]>> [music] >> Your needs, your needs will be done, done, done, done. Your fears, your fears will [music] be gone.

[00:06:02]>> [music] >> Your needs, your needs [music] will be done, done, done, done.

[00:06:14]Your fears, your fears will be gone.

[00:06:16]>> [music] >> Your needs, your needs will be done.

[00:06:20]Your fears, your fears will be gone.

[00:06:23]>> [music] [music] >> They come to them, bearing the whole desperation in their [singing and music] eyes.

[00:06:44]They fall to the souls, right into the fire to try [music and singing] to save another life.

[00:06:51]Your needs, your needs will be done.

[00:06:52][music] Your fears, your fears will be gone.

[00:06:57]Your needs, your needs will be done.

[00:07:00]Your fears, your fears will be gone.

[00:07:04]>> [music] [music] >> I [music] can raise a child, see the life unfold because you gave me what I cannot do [music and singing] alone.

[00:07:22]Wake another morning, finish building my home. [singing] >> [music] [music] >> Now I can go home to my dream.

[00:07:41]>> [music] [music] >> Once I put down with the transplant [music] team and step-by-step we got and any money lost [music] due to the travel plans government other transport [music] and reimbursements from the companies such as Airbnb, flights or whatever else was spent and I would manage to get all the reimbursement on anything [music] else that is missing.

[00:08:41]I am going to discuss hospital bed, couches I got the recovery package all those kind of stuff and >> [music] >> finance >> [music] [music] >> but I will ship the whole entire package.

[00:09:26]>> [music] [music] >> I am going to send the paperwork >> [music] [music] [music] >> I want to thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Austriker, for helping us, for saving our baby's life.

[00:10:36]You made our journey, which was so hard and difficult, [music] you made it simple and easy.

[00:10:45]Literally from a just a phone call, and you took care of everything.

[00:10:49]It's it's unbelievable what you guys do.

[00:10:52]May Hashem give you a lot of brochos, should have nachas from the kids, from the grandkids, and should have only good news and and good health.

[00:11:06]>> How does it feel to save a life?

[00:11:09]My answer for the question is, it's an indescribable feeling.

[00:11:12]>> [music] >> For the item in the middle of the world to save them lives, still a chef of the world, is the one who's get the end label.

[00:11:21]But, I was happy and it felt very good.

[00:11:28]To help on the heat, enjoying the community of donors.