Yehiel Yeshoua (Yeshua) יחיאל ישועה 1941-2001

This page is in memory of Yehiel Yeshua. We hope that the information found here may be of help.

Yehiel passed away from heart failure due to a disease called amyloidosis. This sickness is curable if diagnosed in time. Unfortunately many physicians are not familiar with  this illness and run tests which are not relevant to the disease.  Yehiel was a healthy person, did not have any prior heart or vascular problems, he did not have high cholesterol levels or any other heart related problems. He was initially diagnosed as having heart problems but all the prescribed tests came out fine. The physicians were faced with a "healthy" person suffering from heart failure. He was finally diagnosed as suffering from amyloidosis after two invasive tests. It should be noted that amyloidosis can be diagnosed with minimally invasive tests.

Yehiel's condition quickly deteriorated to the extent that he required a heart transplant prior to any treatment of the original illness. This was two months after the original diagnosis. The only place that would accept him even for evaluation is the  Columbia Presbyterian hospital in New York. As he was an Israeli citizen we were in contact with the hospital's global services unit. Unfortunately the disease was too far gone for successful heart transplant and stem cell transplant.

We would like to thank all the staff, both health care and administrative, at the Columbia Presbyterian hospital for their care and for their professional conduct. Such care is a rarity in the health care system.

If you are accompanying a patient which is hospitalized for a long period at the Columbia Presbyterian then the following may be of interest to you:

• Hotel - There is a small hotel inside the Milstien hospital building (177 Fort Washington Avenue), the Mckkeen Pavilion. It is expensive but there is no commuting. For a long term stay there is the Radisson in New Jersey (401 South Van Brunt Street, Englewood, New Jersey 07631). This hotel is cheaper and has a shuttle service to  the hospital. There are special rates for patients on the heart transplant program so check this with the social worker which is on the transplant team.

• Transportation - New York is expensive, even according to american standards. The Radisson shuttle service was the cheapest commute from our hotel.

Amyloidosis Related Information

• Amyloidosis support network - all the information on the disease types, treatments, research centers, etc.

• Boston University Medical Center - one of the leading research and treatment centers for amyloidosis.  We were in contact with this center and Yehiel was evaluated by them.

• In Israel the only physician we are aware of which is an expert on this disease is Prof. Mordechai Pras (Tel Hashomer Hospital).