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Madonna, Cher, Michael Bublé and Kathleen Turner were among the supporters of the annual Wheels of Love, which broke records for Israel's leading pediatric rehabilitation hospital ALYN, raising more than $ 3.5 million .
The five-day cycling circuit, which offers a wide variety of courses for many levels of cycling, has just ended in Israel. The goal was to raise $ 3.2 million for the children of Jerusalem's ALYN hospital, a non-profit medical center founded 85 years ago to rehabilitate sick children the most. quickly possible. At the end of the race, this number was $ 3,517,634.
It is the most comprehensive annual international sports charity event in Israel, involving hundreds of runners and volunteers from the Jewish state and around the world.
Carol Sober is one of 600 cyclists who raised $ 3.5 million to help children at ALYN Hospital in Jerusalem. Credit: "Wheels of love."
Some 600 cyclists participated, the largest contingent of cyclists from outside Israel (nearly a third) from the United States. During the first three days, runners took advantage of challenging mountain roads and roads in the south and the Dead Sea region. The last two days, they faced the slopes of the Judean Hills. At the end of the trip, cyclists from all routes converge and climb into the hospital with a police escort, where they receive a warm welcome from current patients, staff, friends and families gathered to pay tribute to their efforts and their efforts. generosity.
"Entering ALYN on the last day of the race is both exciting and humbling," says Ben Cohen, who drives with the AK Riders team around his hometown of Woodmere, NY. "You have just completed five days of overcoming many obstacles: heat, wind, rugged terrain, steep slopes, grueling climbs, then we see the children who, every day of their lives, get up to great challenges … and they give we the medals!
Harmon Grossman of Teaneck, N.J., has already completed eight bike rides. "People are talking about all the holy places in Jerusalem, but I can tell you that Jerusalem's most sacred site is this hospital where professionals and volunteers help children from all over Israel to overcome the deepest challenges. that life can ask.
He adds that "the last ascent to Jerusalem is always a physical challenge, but when you go to the hospital and these deeply handicapped children are looking forward to seeing you and placing a medal around your neck, well, I'm not embarrbaded. tell you that I cry every year.
It was the sixth time that Ron Offer participated. Offer, who trains for the race in Silver Spring, Maryland, and the surrounding area, says the kids at ALYN are the "real heroes / heroines" of the race. "They fight every day of the year, long after we get off our bikes. They have not volunteered for the hard work on their part, and they can not just "stop driving" when they want. They fight and never give up everyday.
Ride in the desert for a good cause. Credit: Tomer Feder Sport Photography.
Indeed, the most inspiring group of participants is patients and former patients themselves – cyclists Swift and Bold ALYN, who join in full or just for a day riding on tandem bikes, on a bike to hand or even on a regular bike, according to their individual abilities and under the direction of dedicated volunteers.
"I feel really good," said 17-year-old Qais Oweis, who had just completed 50 kilometers of road cycling on his hand bike for the second time. Qais, who can now walk on crutches after several operations, was rehabilitated after operations at ALYN for months.
Redefining themselves by their abilities
Ruth Witztum, physiotherapist at the ALYN Rehabilitation Center, has been managing Swift and Bold for 7 years. A cyclist herself, the first year at ALYN, she participated in "Wheels of Love" as a participant. The following year, she examined the children she was treating and thought that some of them might participate. At first, children and families thought it would be impossible. Some could not walk, others could only take badisted steps – and Witztum was asking them to run for two kilometers!
But the children took up the challenge and Ruth witnessed a remarkable change. The "dream" of 2 kilometers became 10 kilometers; with that, children's self-esteem has grown, as well as that of their parents. The parents were so used to working their schedules around the processing times that they had to change equipment and know that they were now organizing a schedule around the training sessions. Children who could not participate in other extracurricular activities were now part of the group.
A cyclist received a medal from an inpatient. Credit: ALYN.
According to Witztum, "cycling has improved the health, independence and mobility of these children. We just needed to find the right bike for everyone. More importantly, being a successful runner allows them to redefine themselves no longer based on their disabilities, but their driving abilities. "
Now children aged 10 to 22 years are training seriously with a group of volunteers for four months before departure. This year, the 15-member Swift and Bold team set off on all-terrain and road routes in tandem and handbike with other Israeli and international cyclists.
Campaign donations help bridge the gap between actual hospital expenditures, the quality of multidisciplinary rehabilitation treatment it provides, and the reimbursement of the official payment received for each hospitalized child.
Dr. Maurit Beeri, Director of ALYN Hospital, explains that "the funds raised allow us to give children the treatments and therapies they need, rather than limiting the care to the basic needs covered by the treatment system. Israeli national health. Each additional cent goes to additional therapists, a wider choice of emotional support modalities, innovative interdisciplinary projects and more practical care. This helps give the child that extra chance that could make all the difference in the world. "
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