Amor is 14, has Duchenne, and wants to live.
He roots for Barcelona and Maccabi Haifa, can name any plane in the sky, and knows the world map by heart. Since age 11 he has used a wheelchair. His mother, Mikaela, is raising him on her own and raising money for experimental treatments in the United States that, in her words, stopped his decline for the first time in years.
Next treatment: November 9, 2026. Donations go through the family's secure campaign page (in Hebrew). PayPal and credit cards accepted, amounts in NIS.
"The smiliest kid in the world"
That is what Eyal Berkovic, the former Israel and Premier League midfielder, called him after they met, and it is not an exaggeration. Amor was born in October 2012. In November 2020, when he was eight, he was diagnosed at Schneider Children's Medical Center with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a genetic disease in which the muscles weaken year after year. At 11 he stopped being able to stand and moved to a wheelchair. Today, at 14, he needs help with almost everything, and his hands have started to weaken too.
And still, the people who know him talk first about the smile. The curiosity. The stubbornness that keeps everyone around him going. He wants to drive across America, to swim, to walk onto the grass at Sammy Ofer Stadium in Haifa. Most of all, in his mother's words, he wants to live.
One minute with Amor
Meet him yourself: the room, the Lego, the Messi jersey, and the smile Berkovic talked about. Hebrew with Hebrew subtitles.
"I am his hands and his legs for everything his body no longer lets him do on his own. I am a mother. I cannot give up on my child."
Mikaela, Amor's mother, from the campaign page (translated from Hebrew)The decline stopped. For the first time.
In 2023 Mikaela reached out to a physician in the US who developed an experimental stem cell protocol known as VSEL. In June 2025, after a first fundraising campaign, Amor received his first treatment in San Diego. Since then he has had four more in Philadelphia.
According to the family, after the third treatment in March 2026 the decline stopped for the first time in years: Amor sits straighter, his arms are stronger, he swims and dives, and transfers from the wheelchair are easier. We want to be straight with you: this is an experimental treatment, it is not FDA-approved, it is not covered by Israel's health system, and nobody is promising that Amor will walk again. What the family sees with their own eyes is a boy who stopped getting worse, and that is why they refuse to stop.
"Duchenne doesn't stop when we stop," Mikaela writes. "And right now, of all times, we cannot afford to stop."
Six trips to the US, so far
The treatments are given only in the United States, now every two months. Each trip covers the treatment, flights, lodging and medical escort. The sixth treatment is scheduled for November 9, 2026, and according to mako the family is still about 100,000 NIS short for it.
- Jun 182025
First treatment
San Diego, CaliforniaAfter the first fundraising campaign. The family reports an "energy boost"; in the pool, Amor managed to lift himself up.
- Nov 242025
Second treatment
Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaAfter a five-month gap, at double the dose.
- Mar 92026
Third treatment
Philadelphia"The decline stopped for the first time in years": sitting straighter, stronger arms.
- Jun 142026
Fourth treatment
PhiladelphiaSwimming and diving, "walking in the water," easier transfers from the chair.
- Sep 142026
Fifth treatment
PhiladelphiaShahaf, the neighbor and family friend from the kibbutz, came along. On the way: amusement parks.
- Nov 92026
The kid from the kibbutz who came home and signed up
Shahaf Kuttner is a neighbor and family friend from Beit Keshet. "I used to babysit him, play soccer with him," he told mako. After his army service and a trip through South America, he became the campaign's most active fundraiser and flew with Amor to the fifth treatment. "Amor loves amusement parks. I lifted him out of the wheelchair and put him on the ride with me."
Around them is a whole community: neighbors from the Galilee and from towns across northern Israel donated dozens of rewards that are sold on the campaign page, from books and workshops to a studio song recording and a family portrait. Leah coordinates the volunteers. 5,344 people have already given.
"His dream is to walk," Shahaf says. "We are full of hope."
Amor's story in the Israeli media
Wants to walk again: 14-year-old Amor's moving journey to a special treatment in the US
Berkovic's plea for "the smiliest kid in the world": "This can't be happening"
The kid who moved Berko
Wants to live and play soccer: Amor's journey
Honest answers, briefly
Where does the money go?
To Amor's experimental treatments in the United States: the treatment itself, flights, lodging and medical escort. The family set the ₪3,500,000 goal to cover a series of treatments, the search for a matching stem cell donor, and the research that goes with it. The next treatment is scheduled for November 9, 2026.
Is the donation secure?
Yes. Donations are made on the campaign page at Gius MeHalev, an established Israeli crowdfunding platform, by credit card, PayPal or Bit (an Israeli payment app). This website never collects payment details at any stage.
Does this treatment cure Duchenne?
No. There is no cure for Duchenne today. The treatment Amor receives is experimental, is not FDA-approved and is not covered by Israel's public health system. What the family reports after five treatments is that the decline stopped and his day-to-day function improved, and that is what they are asking to continue.
I live outside Israel. Can I donate?
Yes. The campaign page accepts PayPal and international credit cards. Amounts are shown in Israeli shekels (NIS); your card or PayPal account converts them at its own rate. The page itself is in Hebrew, so we wrote a short English walkthrough.
I can't donate right now. How else can I help?
Share. Every time Amor's story reaches a new person, a new family, a new group chat, it matters. You can also open a personal fundraiser page on the campaign site, or point friends in the Duchenne and Jewish communities abroad to this English page.
Amor wants to live. You can help him today.
Every gift joins the 5,344 people who have already chosen to stand with Amor. Donations go through the family's secure campaign page on Gius MeHalev, an Israeli crowdfunding platform. The page is in Hebrew; PayPal and international credit cards are accepted, and amounts are in Israeli shekels (NIS).
Donate on the campaign pageNeed help with the Hebrew page? A short walkthrough in English.