March 11, 2012, Updated February 6, 2014

Israeli doctors from the Eye from Zion organization removed a large tumor from the eye of a 10-year-old Ethiopian girl thereby saving her life.

The Israeli team of physicians and volunteers first met the girl, Kavda Imsak, while on a mission in Ethiopia where they performed 160 pro bono cataract surgeries in a portable operation room donated by Chaim Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer.

Imsak underwent preliminary surgery in Ethiopia but the Israeli doctors urged that she be brought to Israel for the proper care.

“The chances of recovery are very slim,” Eye from Zion founder Nati Marcus, who insisted on bringing the girl to Israel, told Ynet. “As soon as I saw her I decided to take a chance.”

MASHAV, Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation, the Foreign Ministry, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and the surgeons who agreed to work free of charge coordinated and organized Imsak’s trip to Israel.

She recently underwent successful surgery and is now waiting for a prosthetic eye. Imsak is then expected to return to Ethiopia.

Eye from Zion is a group of Israeli doctors who volunteer their time to restore sight to people in developing countries.

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