Family struggles with medical debt for son's bionic hands
Then-12-year-old Assaf Yasour scaled an electrical pole to retrieve a ball, and he ended up getting electrocuted and losing both his hands; his family is NIS 1 million in debt for bringing their son to the US for operations and prosthetics.
It's hard not to be impressed when 14-year-old Assaf Yasour and his parents talk about how he dealt with the amputation of both his hands; they speak with an exceptional amount of courage, willpower and optimism as they take on the challenge of trying to raise the one million shekels that they need to pay for the complicated surgeries that Assaf has been through and the bionic hands that will permit him to lead an independent life.
The terrible accident happened two and half years ago when Assaf, then 12 years old, was playing with his friends in a field in their hometown of Alonei HaBashan in the eastern Golan Heights. When Assaf tried to pry free a ball that had become lodged in the box of an electrical pole, he was severely electrocuted and fell.
His father, Lior, recounted, "When I reached the scene, I saw that the situation was extremely serious. I saw that his fingers were crushed and out of place. There wasn't even any blood because everything was burnt. There were open fractures, and two forearm bones were protruding. I stood behind Assaf while the paramedics treated him. I leaned over him and told him, 'Assaf, no matter what, I'm with you.'
Lior and Assaf Yasour (Photo: Effi Sharir)
"There were two serious things: the injuries to his arms and the danger to his life. In the first stage, they dealt with life. It was a miracle that Assaf was alive.
"Nobody understands how his heart survived. He also fell from a height of four and half meters, and nothing happened to him. There was a large transformer inside the electrical box that it's enough just to lightly touch it and be burnt, but luckily he didn't touch it. He also had the presence of mind to call his friends to get a medic."
Assaf's parents tried to raise the money they needed for fitting prosthetics before they travelled with him to the US for his operations, but they were afraid that failing to get it done before the school year began in September would have meant that Assaf would have had to wait until next summer. So they made a payment plan and brought Assaf to the States.
Their Israeli insurance only covers prosthetic hooks, but they wanted to give their son the bionic hands due to his preference for a more biological look. Lior said, "The hand is very functional: He ties shoes with it, eats with it, gets dressed, carries out all his daily activities, types on the computer. Practically, he does everything important."
Lior said that friends expressed their condolences in such a dreary manner that it seemed as though someone had died. He said then to his wife, Ravital, "'This situation is crazy; let's act like crazy people. Let's decide that this is the best thing to have happened to us.' When you say that for the first time, it's weird, but with time it starts to make sense. It's the best thing that we've done because we're able to believe and understand that the sky's the limit for Assaf. Otherwise, we wouldn't have made it."
After many long months in an American hospital, Assaf made another step forward and started learning at a religious high-school yeshiva in Rehovot, far from his parents. His father explained that Assaf wanted to go to school in that area, as his friends were all going to boarding schools. Lior and Ravital decided to accede to their son's request so that he would not be isolated in their small village while his friends left for school. At his school, he enjoys drawing and tae kwon do.
Those who would like to contribute financially to the Yasours can do so via Jgive.
Father and son
Photo: Effi Sharir
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