Unable to stand on his feet, suffering from severe respiratory distress, a four-year-old boy from Gaza gained the ability to walk once Hadassah Hospital surgeons identified and removed a large tumor lodged in his chest.

Born with a number of birth defects affecting his spine and chest, Sliman had seen many doctors, but they were not able to improve his situation. After Hadassah’s pulmonary specialists treated his acute respiratory distress, and its surgical team tackled the complex surgery to remove the entire tumor, Sliman’s recovery was rapid, relates Prof. Uzi Izhar, head of Hadassah’s General Thoracic Surgery Unit.

“Come on, kid, we start walking,” Prof. Izhar told Sliman. Read Sliman’s story in The Jerusalem Post.

Pictured above:  Four-year-old Sliman takes first steps after successful surgery at Hadassah.