(Courtesy of ICSN) Instead of learning and playing with friends his own age, 6-year-old David Babayan must be content with riding a tricycle outside the entrance of a cancer treatment center at Jerusalem’s Hadassah Ein-Kerem Hospital.

As David’s father, Eitan, watches his frail-looking son from a distance enjoying a few precious moments of fun amidst Jerusalem’s fresh air, he cannot help but wonder what his family’s situation would be without the on-going support of the Israel Cancer Support Network (ICSN).

“I’m waiting for a volunteer driver from ICSN to pick us up and take us both home for a few hours. Then David can see his mother and actually enjoy being with the family for a few hours, because then we have to return to the hospital to continue my son’s treatments,” he revealed.

A sick child is every parent’s nightmare. The impact on a family goes far beyond the worry for their child’s future. Eitan struggles to balance caring for David with his own work schedule and the needs of his other children. The bulk of the hospital visits fall on Eitan, while his wife stays home to juggle her own job and the rest of the household responsibilities.

The fiscal toll of dealing with a desperately sick child can wreak havoc even on families who were previously in an economically sound situation. ICSN offers families battling cancer with holistic support based on their needs from funding for medicines to household help.

“I honestly don’t know where we would be without ICSN’s help. It makes no difference what time of the day or night, if I need to get back to the hospital with David. They arrive with a smile on their face, ready to assist in any way,” claimed Eitan. “And because I’m not always able to work our financial situation isn’t great. But ICSN makes sure we have basic food staples by providing us with various forms of financial assistance. They are literally life savers.”

To learn more about how the Israel Cancer Support Network is helping families survive the worst, see www.icsn.org.