In honor of Father's Day, we're spotlighting Motti Eisenbach — HIE parent, generous donor, and one of our newest Peer Support Mentors.
Some moments can split a life into before and after. For Motti Eisenbach and his wife Rena, that moment came in April 2024, when Rena gave birth to their daughter Temima at just 31 weeks and 5 days following a sudden and unexpected uterine rupture.
Temima experienced severe HIE at birth. Doctors told the family to say their goodbyes.
Temima had other plans.
After a seven-month hospital stay she came home and forever shaped the way her father sees the world.
"Being Temima's parent has shaped the way I see families navigating HIE. None of them should have to do it alone."
Like so many of our families, Motti discovered Hope for HIE in those early, disorienting weeks after his daughter's initial diagnosis.
"I was grasping at straws searching for resources online," he shared. He found our website, filled out an application for peer support, and began connecting with other parents who truly understood what he was facing. That connection has stayed with him.
"Hope for HIE means community, education, and support. It means connecting with people who understand the vocabulary of NICU life, brain injury, uncertainty, grief, adjusted milestones, and complicated joy."
What began as a family finding support has grown into a family fueling it.
Already in 2026, Motti and Rena have raised nearly $12,000 for Hope for HIE! Their efforts are a strong testament to the power of community and what it means to show up for Temima and others impacted by HIE.
"Supporting Hope for HIE is deeply connected to our whole family's story," Motti says, "because Temima's HIE journey affected us all."
For Motti, giving isn't transactional. It's a meaningful way to turn a harrowing experience into support for someone else on their journey.
"Giving to Hope for HIE has given me a way to transform the pain of my family's story into connection and purpose. It does not erase what we went through, but it helps me feel that our experiences can help another family feel less alone."
He thinks about what it felt like to sit in the NICU, not knowing what the future would hold, searching for someone who truly understood. His family’s legacy of giving ensures other parents who are scared, grieving, hopeful, exhausted, or some combination of the four, don't have to search as hard.
This year, Motti also started giving back through volunteering. He completed Peer Mentorship training and attended his first group session as one of Hope for HIE's newest Peer Support Mentors.
"When HIE enters your life, everything can feel uncertain and overwhelming. I want families to know they do not have to walk this road alone, and that there is space for fear, grief, joy, and hope along the way."
His daughter is the catalyst for his passion for supporting others with empathy, honesty, and hope, and helping them feel seen, heard, and less alone as they navigate their own HIE journey.
As we head into Father's Day, Motti's story reminds us that HIE shapes not just children, but the parents who walk alongside them. Some of the most powerful advocates in our community are dads who have sat in those NICU chairs and chose to let that experience be a force for good.
"This cause matters to me because Temima matters, and so does each and every family who has experienced HIE to any degree. Every family deserves support, dignity, information, and most of all — HOPE."
To every HIE dad out there this Father's Day: we see you. We know the weight you carry, and we know the strength it takes to keep showing up. You're not alone on this journey.
If Motti's story resonates with you, there are so many ways to be part of this community, whether through giving, volunteering, or simply showing up for another family.
Thank you, Motti and Rena, for turning your family's journey into a lifeline for others.
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