Shulamit Elimelech relived "every parent's worst nightmare" during an impassioned appeal to Monday's dinner of British Friends of Shalva, the Association for Mentally and Physically Challenged Children in Israel.
Addressing more than 200 guests at a Knightsbridge hotel, Mrs Elimelech recalled that "our beautiful, happy daughter Adi" was four when she fell four metres from the top of an escalator.
"All the doctors told us there was no hope. We stayed with Adi for 11 long months while she was between life and death. One day, when I was singing by her bedside, Adi miraculously started to move her lips to try to sing with me."
Adi had lost 70 per cent of brain function and when the family was eventually able to bring her home, she could not walk, talk or feed herself. But Adi's life - and that of her family - was transformed when a place became available at Shalva. "With the wonderful love, attention and, of course, therapies that Adi has at Shalva every day, she began to open up. Today Adi communicates through song."
Mrs Elimelech added that Adi, now 13, slept over at Shalva once a week. "We miss not having Adi at home but this night is so important to us as a family. We can relax and enjoy a solid night's sleep. It's something many take for granted. For us it's huge."
And the "wonderful staff" at Shalva had made it possible for her and husband, Yosef, to come to London for the dinner. It was the first time in seven years they had been able to leave Israel.
There was entertainment from the Gat Brothers, famous in Israel through TV show Rising Star, its equivalent of The Voice. The evening raised almost £300,000 for Shalva, which is building a national centre on land donated by the Jerusalem municipality.
