Unexpected. No warning sirens. Horrific. Terrifying.
Four soldiers were killed and at least 60 were wounded in a terrorist drone attack on the Binyamina area in northern Israel, approximately 25 miles southeast of Haifa. It was declared a mass casualty event. But Klal Yisroel? Klal Yisroel was at its best.
Volunteers from varied organizations dropped their plans for the day and ran to provide for the victims of the Binyamina drone attack. Ezer Mizion focused on a blood drive. Later we would provide rides for family members to the hospital, meals for those spending hours at the bedside of a victim, lend state of the art medical equipment, provide psychological support for the traumatized, retreats to help revive the spirit. The list goes on and on. But now it was blood that was desperately needed. Blood. Life. So that eventually the patient and his family can begin to rebuild.
The drive was heavily advertised but we never could have predicted the overwhelming response. The doors opened and crowds of orthodox Jews who had been waiting at the entrance began to stream in. Staff and volunteers were inundated. Hours passed and the crowds continued. Closing time came and went and there was hardly a lull. It was not till one A.M. that the last bag of life-saving blood was drawn.
Unfortunately, the war has created new needs and the varied Ezer Mizion divisions have done their best to meet those needs. Recently a 19 year old soldier was wounded by sniper fire. He was evacuated by helicopter to Soroka Hospital. Severely wounded but alive. As he lay there helpless in a hospital bed, he had one goal: to get back into the battle and fight the epitome of evil he and his battalion have encountered.
Within two weeks he was released to Tel Hashomer Rehab Center itching to return to the battlefield. Still so very helpless, he needed assistance in making the move. Ezer Mizion was contacted and an ambulance, donated by Paul Maroof, a New York philanthropist, fully equipped for the mobility challenged was sent to Soroka Hospital. It was driven by a driver not only trained in handling the physically impaired but also imbued with a desire to emotionally support a young man who has seen what no youth should ever know of.
Travel by ambulance is often the only option for a person confined to a wheelchair or a bed. Regular treatments or therapy require the patient to travel to the clinic and incur astronomical expenses on a weekly basis. Israel’s health insurance funds cover transportation costs only for specific types of treatments – and even then, only up to 50% of the cost will be refunded. Ezer Mizion, with its fleet of 20 ambulances, offers comfortable ambulance transport to destinations throughout the country – at no charge, saving Israel’s handicapped population millions of dollars a year. The Ezer Mizion Ambulance and Transport Division was established to allow these people to transcend their physical challenges and get from one place to another safely, comfortably and with dignity.
