It happened three months ago but his parents will never forget. the horrendous terror that engulfed their very souls. Moments earlier all had been well in their day. Just the usual routine annoyances, a day like any other. Then came the screams from bystanders. Horrific screams. Other-worldly screams.
It was their three-year-old son. That cutie pie whose mischief they chuckled over at night when he was out of hearing. It was every parent’s nightmare. But it was real. Their precious child lay still at the bottom of the pool. The medics pulled him up. Their faces were serious. It didn’t look good. Scenes flashed before their eyes. His first day in playgroup so proudly coloring a picture of a shofar. His begging for a lollipop right before supper. Oh, they would happily give him hundreds of lollipops if only he would open his eyes.
The medics worked on him and then he was brought to the hospital. There were no reassuring words from the staff. And so they waited, they prayed. They went home to sleep, their ears tuned to any sound of the ring of the phone. The days ran into each other with waiting, prayed, tortured sleep and running back to the hospital which became their new home. Meanwhile, Ezer Mizion helped the family with medical advocacy, rides to the hospital and hot, nourishing meals. Until one day, a doctor smiled. It was a tiny smile. Very cautious. But it was a smile. The patient was beginning to improve.
It’s been a long, mountainous path with much more terrain to cover but the smiles are more frequent now. In an effort to strengthen his spirit, the medical staff has granted permission for him to spend a Shabbos at his grandparent’s home, together with his parents and family. Accompanied by breathing and feeding support, he will spend twenty-four hours basking among the people he adores, soaking up their love to give him strength for the battle ahead.
Ezer Mizion’s trained ambulance driver, gently lifted the child into Ezer Mizion fully equipped Ambulance Number 19, donated by Nory Hourizadeh of Great Neck, for the trip to Moshav HaShmona. Ambulance number 35 brought him back with the hope of many more trips to come until he can return home, healed, back to his Lego, back to his trucks back to the normal, healthy life of a little boy growing up to be a man.
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 ambulances outfitted for the mobility and respiratory impaired, offers safe and 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 in a dignified and respectful manner.
