JUST over a year ago, I was giving a tour of Shalva to a large group from the US and at the end of the visit as per standard practice we posed for a photograph outside the center. Jumping into the picture, I handed the camera to somebody who I presumed was the bus driver, and asked him to take a few photos. Happily he complied and the group went on its way.
Imagine my surprise when I saw someone else driving the bus and the person that I had presumed was the driver still sitting in the entrance plaza.
Can I help you? I asked.
He replied in a very strong Irish accent, My name is Captain Gerry Casey and Im with the UN Peacekeeping Division from Ireland.
He proceeded to tell me that he was scheduled to begin a years rotation in Israel, primarily because the youngest of his four children 16-month-old Rachel was born with Down syndrome and a severe heart defect.
The doctor in Ireland strongly urged Gerry and his wife Theresa to take her to a warm climate for her health.
Knowing that Israel was a medically advanced country, he came on an exploratory visit and one Friday morning, he went directly to Hadassah Hospital on Mount Scopus where he was told that he was in the wrong place. You want to go to Shalva. They are the specialists.
Gerry Casey resolved to go there the next day.
As a regular church-goer, the following morning he asked a Catholic nun in the Old City the directions to Har Nof (where Shalva is located) and learned his first valuable lesson about Saturdays in west Jerusalem. Were closed!
When we finally did meet on that mixed-up morning, Casey explained that his wife, Theresa, was very nervous about finding an adequate therapy program.
It goes without saying that she was also anxious about the language barrier.
I told Casey that she should call me any time at home and that we had many English speakers on staff.
Cutting to the chase, we established immediate contact with the Caseys and when they finally joined the program last January, we had all of the paperwork in place. We were waiting for them to make the experience as warm and familiar as possible.
Pulling up in front of our modest building, which is located in a very religious section of Jerusalem, Gerry and Theresa Casey emerged from a huge Hummer jeep adorned with the UN insignia and wearing full military uniform.
FROM the moment the Caseys entered the program, they became part of the Shalva family.
In Ireland, little Rachel was entitled to three hours of speech therapy per month, but at Shalva she received three hours per day.
Hydrotherapy, massage therapy, speech training, physiotherapy, and multi-sensory work were only some of the disciplines that were part of Rachels standard treatment.
Because the Me & My Mommy curriculum relies on parental partnership, Theresa Casey was enthralled with her newfound skills.
Envisioning their eventual return to Ireland, she felt better equipped and greatly inspired by her Israel experience.
In the midst of a wonderful therapy year, Rachel fell sick again and required heart surgery for the fifth time.
The Caseys were impressed with their treatment at the Schneider Childrens Hospital in Petach Tikvah and the personal 24/7 attention they received from surgeon Elchanan Brucheimer, together with the follow up they received at the Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem by Dr. Sarit Shahroor.
The other three Casey children, who attend the Anglican International School in Jerusalem, were favorite visitors for the nursing staff and kept the ward in stitches.
The Caseys were so wowed by their new friendships and eye-opening experiences that they vowed to invite their friends in the international and diplomatic communities to share a glimpse of the Israeli world that they had discovered.
AS Gerry Casey will readily admit, were it not for his sick little girl, he most probably would never have had the opportunity to interact and cross paths with regular Jerusalemites and other Israelis outside of the UN and east Jerusalem.
He knew nothing of the famous restaurant districts or of Jerusalems beautiful, family friendly parks with their bicycle paths and picnic grounds.
In fact, the evening he came to visit my home for coffee and cake was the first time he had actually ventured into a residential area of his posted city.
Casey approached us and suggested that he invite members of the larger UN and diplomatic communities to see for themselves what we do and open a door of opportunity for foreigners who might want to come to Israel but are unaware of the available services for their children with special needs.
To explain what we do in a nutshell, Shalva provides rehabilitative and respite services for children with special needs throughout Israel, along with intensive support for their families.
All of our programming and therapies are provided free to all. Babies and children at Shalva come from every segment of Israeli society: Jewish, non-Jewish, religious, secular, Hebrew- and English-speaking, Ashkenazi, Sephardic, Ethiopian, etc.
Just as special needs does not discriminate, neither do we.
Our volunteer staff of young people is unparalleled and the professionals on the staff are at the top of their respective fields.
Our magnificent six-floor building is constructed to provide treatment for every physical and mental challenge.
Shalva is the Association for Mentally and Physically Challenged Children, based in the Har Nof neighborhood of Jerusalem, founded by Kalman and Malki Samuels.
