After the few short hours of sleep Eli got we needed to wake him at 7:20AM for a 8AM appt with the surgeon. We went thru a lengthy registration process and finally met the DR who gave us the rundown of what he will be doing. In short we need to be at the hospital at 6AM for pre-op for a scheduled 730AM surgery. The surgeon did advise us that Eli will likely need to be transferred to the ICU in Cornell hospital for anywhere from a few hours to a few days as SKCC does not have an ICU. As the surgeon said “it will take as long as it takes until the job is done. It will be at least 5 hours and up to 18 hours but probably and hopefully closer to the 5 hour mark”. The recovery is planned to take anywhere for 7-12 inpatient days some of which myself and Bassy will be there for and some of which just one of us will be there but as always one of us will always IYH be with Eli.

After the consultation we took Eli to enjoy himself a little to the Empire state building and he really enjoyed the view from up on top of the observatory.

We have what they are telling us a long few days ahead. Hopefully they will be wrong about most of what they have told us and that Eli will have a short and easy full recuperation with the least pain possible but regardless he and we will need everyone to have him in mind in all their tefilos etc to get us thru it.

I hope to have time right after shabos to update good news on Elimelech Ben Basyas surgery to everyone. Gut Shabos

BH we have landed in NY late Thursday night after a very smooth good flight and will be sleeping in Manhattan by my cousin who really went all out to host us. We flew at 4:15PM landed at 12:30AM and were in the city by 1:20. Chai Lifeline which hopefully no one should ever need but if they are needed are so helpful have gone extreme lengths to make this surgery happen beezrat hashem and have taken it a step further and even arranged our flights today. We definitely couldn’t of done this without them.

On Friday morning actually in a few hours from now we have a 8AM appt with the surgeon in the hospital at which time we will find out a few details and some rules. We are hoping to give Eli a small tour of NYC after that.

Hoping and davening that all will go smooth and bshah tova for Elimelech Ben Basya and us as we continue on the road to IYH a full refua BKAROV

The morning started early with a DR appt at CHLA at 8:30AM which went as quick as its ever gone and we were out by 9:45. BH Elis blood counts were very good and he was cleared to begin the dreaded unnecessary round of chemo on Monday 4/8.

After non stop pressure from many different people Mrs Esther Schwartz who works for Chai Lifeline calls me and says you are not going to believe this she says I spoke directly to the surgeon and he is willing to come in on Shabos a day he doesn’t work at all to spend the day on Elis behalf to perform the surgery so that he shouldn’t have to go thru more then he already has. We don’t know how we can possibly thank Mrs Schwartz and the surgeon for doing this tremendous favor and for the non stop effort they have been putting in for us as did many others. We couldn’t of asked for more and we are going to NY on Thursday 4/4 hopefully on a private jet arranged by a company that does this purely for chesed for cancer patients. The reason it is a lot more preferable is because flying on a regular plane with hundreds of other peoples germs can chas vshalom transfer some illness to Eli which in turn would not allow for him to have surgery. As of yet we don’t have a confirmed jet but hoping it will work out. Either way we have a appt for pre-op with the surgeon at 8:00AM on Friday 4/5 in Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in NY city.

We have very conflicting ideas on how long we will need to be there but it is all based on how Elis recovery goes etc. It varies from 4 days to 2 weeks and we are hoping that it will be closer to 4 days so that we can get back to LA. BH we have a lot of family and friends in both LA and NY who have been extremely helpful and will help us look after Ari and Sori while we are gone.

There are VERY strict rules in the hospital in NY and as much as we know there are a lot of family and friends that would like to come visit us we are begging that you please not be pushy and ask prior to just showing up that you call or text us to get a time that works for Eli and us rather then what works for you. We hope you understand and not take this personal.

Now more then ever we are asking of everyone to daven on behalf of Elimelech Ben Basya that everything should go as planned and that we should be home in record time without chas vshalom any complications.

Eli and all of us had BH exactly what we asked and davened for an enjoyable, relaxing, uneventful YT. He spent all the time with the family enjoying the seudos and keeping everyone entertained as usual. Bli ayin hora he had the most energy and strength we have seen him have in a very long last few months.

On WED its back to CHLA for a scheduled visit with his Dr to try to figure out what the plan is for the next few weeks etc. To make a long story short Eli can’t be doing nothing he has to be either having surgery or getting treatment. We would love to do the surgery now but the surgeon as of now is booked thru the 1st week of May. If we get a scheduled surgery with him in the next week or so then we won’t need to do this unnecessary round of chemo otherwise we will need to do that probably starting Monday. We have a long list of people that are doing what they can to get the surgeon to squeeze us in but its not looking very good as Elis surgery doesn’t have a time table the surgeon needs to set aside a full day for it as it can take anywhere from 4 hours and up to a full day.

We will be davening hard that somehow beezrat hashem a date will open for Elimelech Ben Basya and that he will have the surgery bshah tova in the next week or so.

Eli spent most of the day at CHLA getting a blood transfusion which itself takes about 2-2.5 hours but the process before that is very long. First they need to triage him for his weight, temperature, blood pressure etc. Then they draw his blood and send it to the lab to see how much he needs and they make sure which apparently can happen that his blood type is the same. This whole process alone is 2-3 hours but BH Eli needed only what they expected and felt fine all day and thruought the process.

We are looking forward to a relaxing and uneventful shabos and 2nd days of YT and are hoping that by some miracle the surgeon will be available sooner then what they now have us scheduled for and that Elis blood counts will be good when we finally do get that call. Eli is looking forward to just being in shul and spending time with the family, cousins and friends and so are we.

Please keep Elimelech Ben Basya in mind in your tefilos etc as we continue on the road to a refua shelayma. Gut Shabos

We finally received the phone call late last night that we were waiting on for a few weeks “the surgeon has an available spot for Eli on Monday 4/1”. We of course said yes even though its Pesach but the rov said being that its pikuach nefesh we should take it. So I immediately took Eli to CHLA to check his blood and then the bad news came his blood and platelets were low and even though he will be getting blood and possibly platelets on Friday that isn’t good enough for the surgery as he needs to have a week with good blood counts without having any blood transfusions. So the good news is we will IYH be home to enjoy the 2nd days of Pesach the bad news we have to wait again for the next availability.

We spent the day today at Legoland in San diego which was a huge shlep and while the kids enjoyed I can honestly say I don’t think I or they ever want to return. The drive was long and there is a lot better entertainment a lot closer. BH Eli had the strength and the will to get on some rides and laugh and enjoy so for us it was worth going just for that. On Friday we will be back in CHLA like I mentioned for a blood transfusion and possibly a little more.

Please keep Elimelech Ben Basya and the many other local and not so local cholim in mind. We saw a lot of people today that have gone thru or are going thru what we are going thru and its a chizuk to see them all doing what they can to pull thru knowing that they will all win the fight and we will see all cholim get what we and they all wish for a FULL refua BKAROV. A Gut Moed

BH we got exactly what we hoped for and some. Eli felt very good and enjoyed, relaxed and ate throughout the first days of YT. He sat thru both sedorim from beginning to end and had a lot to ask and say and we all enjoyed.

While we don’t have an exact date yet for surgery we are getting a good idea of when it maybe and hopefully we will know very shortly. We are hoping to have it done sooner then later and are hoping Elis blood counts will allow for it.

Hoping to continue having good news as each day passes and are davening that the surgery will take place bshah tova bkarov so that Elimelech Ben Basya will be able to continue on the road to a full recovery BKAROV

We still don’t have an exact surgery date and our hopes are that we will have one set for right after YT. Bli ayin hora Eli is getting better with each passing moment and we are looking forward to a enjoyable uneventful peaceful YT with our family and friends.

There are so many people that we can’t properly thank for the many different things they have done on Elimelech Ben Basya and our familys behalf and they know who they are and they mean the world to us. So I will put it simply “GUT YOM TOV AND THANKS A MILLION”

As they say No news is good news. Eli had a great relaxing day with not much on today’s agenda other then picking up his cousins from the airport and then spending time with them. He was very prepared and helpful with bedikas chometz.

Monday will be a very busy day in our lives between preparing for Pesach and literally harassing everyone that has any connection to the surgeon we are going to use in NY. We will hopefully beezrat hashem figure a way to have Elis surgery done as planned in the beginning of April. The difference is huge as it will add a month to the treatment plan as well as add a unnecessary round of chemo.

We are looking forward to Pesach and are davening that all our tefilos are answered that the road to a full recovery for Elimelech Ben Basya will go smoothly and as planned and that chas vshalom there should be no side effects or even small bumps in the road.

With each passing good day that Eli keeps improving physically we adjust what we do and don’t let him do. Instead of wanting him to just rest and relax he goes out a lot to do exercise such as walks not in a stroller. So BH we continue although slowly to definitely see physical improvement. Friday and shabos is Elis happiest days of the week as he really enjoys going to shul for all the tefilos so we did that of course.

The next few weeks will be very trying as we were under the impression that Eli would beezrat hashem have surgery right after Pesach but we have been notified by the surgeon that he is completely booked until the begining of May which poses many problems. So we are first on a standby list that if there are any cancellations we will be in NY as quick as physically possible. At the same time Elis blood counts have to be well enough to do the surgery so we will hope that his counts stay high and that the surgeon will be able to squeeze us in.

We hope and look forward to a quiet, peaceful and uneventful yom tov for Elimelech Ben Basya and all cholim. And we look to seeing him only improve with each passing minute.