Very few people will ever go through the difficult challenges Pinchas Deutsch has, let alone live to tell about it. At the age of 7, an eye injury caused by protruding, sharp objects caused him to go blind in one eye, despite extensive surgery. The other eye developed Sympathetic Ophthalmia, a painful disease so rare that he was the only one in all of Israel to have it. Since no local doctor had any experience with this ailment, he had to go to the US for extensive surgery. His situation became so dire that the Steipler Gaon, ZT”L, took upon him to daven 3 times a day for him.
He was prescribed Cortisone, the only medication able to treat this rare disease. The pills came with a hefty price tag, but because his life depended on it, there was absolutely no choice. It came with nasty side effects such as diabetes, osteoporosis, high cholesterol, stunted growth and when he was 33, a stroke which has left half of his body paralized, leaving him confined to a wheelchair. Because the pills are no longer enough on their own to keep him alive, though he still must take them, he gets chemotherapy treatment twice a week which zaps him of the little strength he still has.
Until recently if one told Pinchas that he must have had a hard life, he would have told them that they were wrong. He enjoyed life with Simcha. He overcame his pain to get married and marry off three of his five children. He even maintained an office job which he insisted on keeping to support his beloved family! Often, he came directly from the hospital to work.
Due to Covid-19, and being of high risk, he can only go to the office when no one else is around during odd hours, limiting his hours. Years of having to buy expensive medication has put him deeply into debt to the tune of 500 000 ש”ח (Approximately 195,000 USD). In addition, he recently made a modest wedding for his daughter, putting him into deeper debt. He can no longer afford to buy his pills, without which he will die!
For the first time ever, Pinchas has lost his Simcha. What the rare diseases couldn’t do to his spirits, the crippling debt and shame he feels have destroyed him.
With a little help, his family is confident that Pinchas’ superhuman will to survive will return. No donation is too small to save his life. All donations are Tax Deductible. Click here to learn more.
