For the first time since the accident, 9-year-old Ryan fulfills his dream and sees the sea again
Ryan, who now lives at Adi Jerusalem, was a healthy, curious and lively child until the accident that left him dependent on a ventilator and on constant around-the-clock care. Despite his complex medical condition, he communicates fully, is sharp-minded, speaks Arabic, Hebrew, English and Turkish, and even studies with a private teacher to continue developing his abilities.
About a month ago, during a routine lesson, he told his teacher about one wish, to see the sea. “He said he wanted to see the sea,” Moishi Ben Zeev, head of the ventilated patients department at Adi Jerusalem, told Walla. “He was not even sure whether he remembered seeing the sea since the accident. It was a simple request, but for a child in his condition it is a very complex operation.”
Once the request reached the staff, preparations began. Taking a ventilated child out of a medical facility requires careful planning, suitable equipment and close medical accompaniment. “We contacted MDA and they responded immediately,” Ben Zeev said. “There are many risks, from breathing difficulties to malfunctions in the ventilator equipment. In the field, there is not always the same response you have inside the medical facility. It is complex and frightening, but we knew we had to try.”
Last Tuesday, Ryan set out, accompanied by a nurse from Adi Jerusalem and a team of MDA paramedics. After hours of coordination and preparation, he arrived at the seashore, heard the sound of the waves, smelled the salt water and saw the blue horizon again.
“Ryan, 9, fulfills a dream and sees the sea again,” courtesy of the photographers.
“Our department was opened to give children like Ryan the opportunity to realize their potential,” Ben Zeev said. “Health is not just medical treatment. Part of maintaining proper mental and physical health is allowing a child to experience, dream and fulfill those dreams. That is why we took him to the sea.”
According to him, the staff does not replace the family, but becomes an inseparable part of the children’s lives. “We are not in the place of the family, but we are definitely another family. We are with them 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our goal is not only that they stay alive, but that they find life.”
Ben Zeev concluded: “It is an enormous sense of satisfaction. These are children whose lives are filled with unimaginable challenges and difficulties. And if we can give them even a few moments of peace, happiness and freedom, that is huge.”
