A Call for Chesed to Save Alexis

At the CIBC Run for the Cure on Oct. 3, not only was attention brought to the ongoing fight against breast cancer but also awareness about all cancers in general was raised. Debra and Rick Wronzberg have appealed to the city of Toronto to help save the life of their daughter Alexis.

Alexis, at the age of 21, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia on Sept. 28 2004. She completed two years of chemotherapy and stayed in remission for three years, but then on Aug. 22, 2009, on her birthday, she discovered signs of leukemia on her body, in the form of mass bruising. Sadly, she had relapsed. This time, chemotherapy alone was not an option. In order to survive, she needed a stem cell transplant, but before proceeding with a transplant she had to get back into remission again, which turned out to be very difficult. After several rounds of chemotherapy, the biopsy showed that she wasn’t in remission, and she needed a higher, even more toxic, form of chemo.

You might call it a Chanukah miracle, as it worked. Once again, on Dec. 9, 2009, the first night of Chanukah, Alexis was in remission. Two months later, she received her stem cell transplant, and for the next 7-1/2 months, Alexis felt well. The family was cautiously optimistic.

The most devastating news was yet to come. On September 28, just one week ago they learned that Alexis has relapsed again. This time the options are not only limited but time is also of the essence. The hope for further treatment can now only be found in Israel. Dr. Shlomo Slavin of the Ichilov Center in Tel Aviv is a leading researcher in stem cell transplants and has developed a HAPLO transplant protocol. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations charges international patients $300,000. To date, only about half that amount has been raised.

A trust account has been set up to make a donation. Give what you can and save a life.

1. To donate at any TD Bank: 0004 transit 12142 account 6328765 (Hilda/Clark in Thornhill) payable to Deborah Wronzberg in Trust for Alexis Wronzberg

2. Or you can, via Internet banking, use Interac transfer – the e-mail reference for the transfer is damw@rogers.com and you should send a separate e-mail to damw@rogers.com with the security question and answer.

3. Beth David B’nai Israel Beth Am Synagogue is accepting cheques payable to Beth David, 55 Yeomans Rd., Toronto, ON, with memo/reference “Alexis” and credit card payments by calling 416-633-5500.

4.Contributors can also donate online via credit card or PayPal, by using the "Donate" button on this web page: http://j.mp/helpalexis