M.G.P (Medical Grounds Petition) 7022-14

She was a little girl with big eyes, born with a wounded heart - a complex cluster of congenital cardiac defects discovered in infancy. But she was born in a country where she was considered a foreign resident, the child of foreign nationals.

The legal battle was an uphill struggle from the start. Residency status is rarely granted on medical grounds, even for a child reliant on a medical team that has known her delicate heart since birth. I told the parents the chances were nearly non-existent, but they insisted. Their fear of flying her abroad, even when medically cleared, was painfully tangible. What did they have to lose? Only to gain a little more time in the care of doctors who knew her best.

In the District Court, a little girl stood before the judge holding a teddy bear that had also undergone 'heart surgery' to explain her condition to her. The petitioner's pulse echoed in the courtroom - steady but faint. In contrast, the pulse of the justice system could not be detected, and the petition was dismissed out of hand.

Shirel was forced to leave the only country she had ever known and the doctors who knew the chambers of her heart. Standing before her, I felt like a physician fighting for a patient's life according to oath, even when facing impossible odds.

Sometimes it comforts me to believe that there is profound value in simply walking the distance with someone, even when the chances of success are low, even when we know we may not reach the destination. Simply knowing that at least we tried, at least we asked, at least we walked - together.