Chesed in Edmonton for Leo Kazakov

By Regan Lipes

(AJNews) – Leo Kazakov is a beautiful and happy little boy who just celebrated his first birthday.  Surrounded by his loving parents, two older siblings, and a community of friends, he knows he is cherished. The typical milestones to salute the one-year mark were different for Leo.  As his mother, Kseniya, explained to Alberta Jewish News in a recent interview: “He’s beginning to move his right hand a little to reach for toys, and when we hold him in a specific position, he’s started to hold his head up for a few second by himself.”

At 37-weeks, Kseniya was rushed to the ER, and an emergency C-section was performed. “They monitored me, and I could hear his heart, but they said he wasn’t breathing, and they didn’t know how long he’d been without oxygen.” This was the beginning of a difficult road for Leo and his family. The prolonged depravation of oxygen, a serious cervical spinal cord injury, and a collection of fluid in the brain meant that the newborn baby boy was immediately admitted to the NICU. Before he was even two months, Leo underwent multiple surgeries and battled a subsequent infection. While most families would have been scheduling infant photo sessions, Leo’s parents were camped out at his Stollery crib-side in shifts; it was months before they could even bring him home. “We were so happy when he started breathing on his own,” recalled Kseniya.

“We know that there’s no miracle cure for Leo, but of course we still pray for one,” Kseniya confided. “We want to help him reach his full potential.”  Following discharge from the Stollery, the family was referred to rehabilitation services through the Glenrose, but Kseniya, and her husband Dan, were quickly disheartened by the lack of intensive attention Leo received.  “After less than an hour of working with him, he’d get a bit fussy, and they’d bring him out to me for a snuggle. I love snuggling with Leo, but we can have that time together at home; I needed them to support us in helping him progress.”

After speaking with other parents navigating the terrifying obstacles of caring for an infirm child, the Kazakov family found a private physical therapy programme. “It’s not covered by Alberta Health, but they show results,” explained Kseniya. “If he gets the focussed attention he needs now, while he’s little, he might be able to regain more motion in his body. We are hoping that he’ll be able to practice holding up his head for longer, then move on to flipping over, and sitting independently.” When the family relocated to Edmonton from Rishon le Zion, Israel in 2022, they could not have imagined the additional hurdles they would need to overcome or how deeply entwined they would become with the over-burdened, under-funded Canadian healthcare system.

The sign of a healthy community is how it supports its members who need the most help; if this is the measure of unity and strength, then Edmonton’s Jewish community is an example to be followed.  Business owner, and local community member Eli Salmanov has known the Kazakov family since Dan came to work at ES Services in 2022.  “Yes, Dan works for me, but he’s also a dear friend,” said Eli.  “I depend on him, and he always comes through for me. Now it’s my turn to come through for him and his family.”  Eli, who moved to Edmonton from Eilat, Israel in 2014, and never misses Shacharit at Chabad on Wednesdays, believes strongly in the restorative power of chesed. “Acts of kindness are not just for others but make the people doing the kind deeds uplifted. As Jews, when we can do something to help, it’s a call that needs to be answered.”

Eli took it upon himself to rally the troops.  What began as a GoFundMe account to help the family afford Leo’s private physical therapy, has turned into a community effort.  “My wife and I were away when the GoFundMe campaign started, but I forwarded the link to my close friends in the middle of the night, and by morning, they’d all donated, and were organizing a bottle drive.” The spirit of Tikkun Olam is vibrant and flourishing in Edmonton.  The news was posted to an Israeli WhatsApp group, and within days gained serious momentum.

“We started by doing a few runs to pick up bottles for recycling from people we knew and reached out to,” explained volunteer Dmitriy Lipes.  “Then we started getting messages from people we didn’t even know who just wanted to help. It’s really moving. I’d even say that it’s bringing the Jewish community together in a new way because I’ve been driving to do pick up runs in my own neighborhood and keep discovering Jewish families I didn’t realize lived down the street.”  Dmitriy, and another volunteer, Lev Broner, are now recognizable faces at the bottle depot and are coordinating their efforts to keep up with the number of bottle donations. “I blast my Israeli music and roll down the window,” said Dmitriy explaining how he passes the time while collecting bottles. “The Jewish community needs to stick together.”

“It’s very emotional for us not just because we want to do the best for Leo, but because we see how much our community wants the best for him too,” confided Kseniya.  “This is what it means to be part of a Jewish community,” emphasized Eli. “We’re stronger because we take care of one another.”

Tzedakah is most commonly known as “charity” but can also be translated as “righteousness” and is a foundational tenant of Judaism. Edmonton may be considered a smaller Jewish community in number, but if the recent outpour of support for Leo is any indication, the population is overflowing with the brightness of Jewish values.  “Tzedakah isn’t about how much you give, but that you consciously did something,” emphasized Eli. “We know times are tough, but every little bit is appreciated. If people want to give to the GoFundMe, we appreciate it, but this incredible act of chesed is as easy as sending a WhatsApp message to have your bottles picked up by our volunteers.”

“My husband and I lived in Israel most of our lives,” explained Kseniya. “We were kids when we made Aliyah. We both grew up there, served in the military, and started our family in Israel. Coming to Canada was exciting, but scary.  It’s always scary when there’s a big risk. With Leo there have been so many scary moments, but everyone always comments about what a happy boy he is, even the doctors after surgery say so. People who’ve never met us, and don’t know Leo are showing so much support. Israel was home for over twenty years but feeling this much love from the Jewish community in Edmonton, makes this new place feel like home too.”

If members of the community would like to arrange to have their empty recyclable bottles picked up for donation to Leo’s ongoing private physical therapy, please message either Eli Salmanov: 780.909.5508, or Lev Broner: 587.501.7851.

Click here for the Go Fund Me page.

Regan Lipes is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for Alberta Jewish News.