Shulem and Gitti Shutland are the proud parents of Chani, age 4, Chaim, age 1 and a half, and Yaakov, age 6 months. Until recently, they both worked extremely hard to provide for their family.
When Yaakov was born six months ago, Shulem and Gitti quickly realized that he was not like their other children. He was diagnosed with a rare skin disease that has affected his quality of life. Yaakov is extremely uncomfortable all the time. He cries all day from the pain of his own skin and is kept up at night by bleeding wounds. Yaakov and Gitti have been working tirelessly with top doctors throughout Israel, trying to find a cure for their son.
Amidst the chaos of helping their pained child, Yaakov became sick with what they assumed to be a mild virus. Given that it occurred during the same time as the coronavirus outbreak, they were told to stay home and avoid going to a doctor prematurely. Suddenly though, Shulem’s condition deteriorated and without any explanation, he was fainting just from standing up. He was admitted to the hospital and was diagnosed with a very serious condition of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). Shulem’s heart is unable to cope with even two quick minutes of standing without accelerating so quickly that it causes him to black out and collapse. Shulem is now bedridden in a hospital and being monitored every second of every day. His doctors are not optimistic as they explore different treatment options.
Gitti has been a true woman of valor, as she cares for her ill husband in the hospital, raises their young children alone, and continues to search for a cure for her pained baby boy. A top dermatologist from Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital has suggested a new treatment for Yaakov. It comes from Switzerland and is extremely costly. Of course, Gitti would do anything to help her son, but unfortunately cannot afford it. The Shutland family has no income as they are battling these rare and life altering medical conditions.
The weight from this family’s struggles is falling on the shoulders of one young woman. She is in desperate need of assistance, as she tries to restore the health of her family members. Any assistance Gitti and her family receive will be life saving. Please consider helping a young family in their time of need.
