Poisoned Brothers Return Home

By: Sandy Eller – VIN News

Jerusalem – Two Israeli brothers who were placed on life support following the pesticide poisoning that took the lives of their younger sisters, returned to their Jerusalem home this afternoon.

Yitzchak and Michoel Gross, ages seven and five, walked out of Schneider Children’s Medical Center in Petach Tikva, according to reports on Israeli news site Walla. As previously reported on VIN News, the boys’ father, Shimon Gross had made public requests for Jews worldwide to daven for the full recovery of his two sons’.

“Our emotions are running high today and it is hard to digest everything that has happened,” said Gross. “We are going home today with two healthy, whole children, something that is hard to believe and we are grateful that we are here to see this day. On the other side, it is hard not to have thoughts of Avigayil and Yael. During this time we have practically not left the hospital but we have felt the enormous love and the influence of the many tefillos that have been said for the boys and a tremendous sense of achdus. This has given us the fortitude to continue during this difficult time and we feel that we are part of a very special nation.”

Gross also expressed his public gratitude to the hospital staff.
“I want to thank our extended family, which is the Schneider family, who are standing with us today and who literally gave their hearts to save the lives of our two sons, day by day, hour by hour. Thank you also to Shaarei Tzedek Hospital that made the right decisions at the right time, which saved my sons’ lives.”

Dr. Ovdei Dagan, director of the intensive care unit at Schneiders was pleased with the progress of his two young patients.

“When they came here we never imagined we would be standing where we are today,” said Dr. Dagan. “They are going home in good condition. From a neurological standpoint they are in good condition and they have sustained no long term damage. Yet we have to remember that with the great happiness that we are experiencing, the Gross family has still lost two little girls.”

Dr. Einat Birk, head of Pediatric Cardiology at the hospital said that both boys’ hearts are functioning as well as they did before the incident occurred.

“As soon as we knew what had happened to these boys and that the entire world of this family was resting in our hands, it became a very emotional situation,” observed Dr. Birk. “They have responded beautifully. They are curious children, who like to see all the hospital equipment and to understand the heart and how it works. They asked if their hearts are functioning properly. They are intelligent, curious children.”

At the press conference this afternoon, Dr. Birk mentioned the public health situation and the difficulties that are taking place at Hadassah Hospital.
“Everyone talks about how much money doctors earn, but there are rewards that can’t be measured in financial terms, such as this,” said Dr. Birk. “This is why we study medicine and if the State of Israel does not properly fund the health care system, miracles like this will not happen.”

Israeli police have recommended that the 70 year old exterminator who inadvertently exposed the entire Gross family to toxic pesticides be indicted for negligence in the death of the two little girls and the prosecutor has recommended that the case be brought to trial. The exterminator, Yossi Barkan, is currently under house arrest and is banned from working with pesticides.