(Courtesy of Ezer Mizion) Hundreds of eyes were turned toward the sky. Waiting…for the ball to drop. Ezer Mizion’s Golf Classic added a new feature to its annual event. The day had been glorious. The weather perfect. Now all players gathered to watch as a bucket truck-cherry picker lifted its bucket 200 feet above the green and dropped 701 golf balls that had been purchased by those participating in Ezer Mizion’s life saving mission. Comments like, “Where would my ball drop?” “Would this be my chance to get a hole in one?” “That was one of the coolest things I have ever seen at a golf tournament!” were heard from so many.

The atmosphere changed to a more serious note at the dinner, as one guest remarked, “I watched the videos you showed and I cried. Then I heard the incredible story of Yitzi Stern, the IDF soldier who donated his stem cells to save a life, and I cried more. What an emotional evening.”

For many cancer patients, the sole chance of survival is a stem cell transplant. Success is dependent on the genetic matching of donor and recipient. Ezer Mizion, the largest Jewish registry worldwide, has saved over 3,300 lives but too many requests are returned with the ominous words: no match found, a virtual death sentence. Enlarging the registry is essential and the annual golf event has brought the organization much closer to its goal of a positive response for every request: Yes! There is a match!

Thank you Simmie Chiger, Manny Malekan, Alex Dembitzer, Johnny Halpert and the entire golf committee!

For more information about Ezer Mizion and it’s lifesaving work around the world, please contact Ryan Hyman, national director of development, at 718-853-8400 ext 109 or [email protected]