Vladaya was nine and pale. She coughed and had trouble breathing. She had a meager appetite and could not seem to gain weight even when she ate. Local doctors told Vladaya’s mother that she had an immune deficiency syndrome and could not offer any real help.

A visiting American pulmonary specialist from the Tzivos Hashem group examined Vladaya and came back with startling news. Vladaya was suffering from tuberculosis. Because tuberculosis is the type of disease that should not be misdiagnosed, Vladaya’s doctors were skeptical about the findings. Because tuberculosis comes with a stigma, Vladaya’s mother was reluctant to accept the diagnosis as well.

The American doctors reassured Vladaya’s mother that finding out the illness was tuberculosis was a blessing, not a shame, for young children may be cured with a simple regimen of antibiotics. At last report, Vladaya’s condition had vastly improved, her life sentence of illness had been lifted because an American doctor from Tzivos Hashem saw what the local doctors could not.