When 12-year-old Etai Rimel fell asleep in the car on December 1, 2019, he never imagined waking up without his mother and baby sister—or without the lower part of his left leg.
(Source material from news article in Maariv – see below for link)
A Tragic Turn of Events
When 12-year-old Etai Rimel fell asleep in the car on December 1, 2019, he never imagined waking up without his mother and baby sister—or without the lower part of his left leg. After a speeding driver collided with his family’s car on Route 443, Etai was rushed to Shaare Zedek Hospital in critical condition, sedated for weeks with multiple injuries. “I don’t remember the events of the accident,” he says. “I fell asleep in the car and woke up at Shaare Zedek.” His mother, Tzipi (34), and his three-week-old sister, Noam Rachel, were gone instantly; his father, Ephraim, left paralyzed from the waist down; and Etai’s life was irrevocably changed.
Reclaiming Independence: Etai’s Path to Progress
In April 2020, Etai began a rigorous rehabilitation journey at ALYN Hospital, where for two years he lived as an inpatient and then transitioned to day treatment. Guy Sapir, a senior physiotherapist, recalls, “Etai arrived struggling to move from lying to sitting or from bed to chair—but even then, he had a spark in his eyes. It was clear he was going to fight.” Through daily physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, and the use of a standing aid, Etai gradually relearned how to sit, stand, and walk—first on crutches, then on a personalized prosthesis. “It was a slow and complex process, but every week we saw progress,” says Sapir. Beyond the physical work, Etai found friendship and camaraderie at ALYN, bonding over basketball with staff despite cultural differences. “I became attached to them, and they to me,” Etai reflects.
From Hallways to Himalayas
Today, at 17, Etai is part of “The Swift & The Bold,” ALYN’s rehabilitative cycling group, and is preparing to conquer the Annapurna range in Nepal—a once-in-a-lifetime expedition organized by the Erez Association for youth in challenging rehabilitation. “I’ll be flying with my aunt and my fitness coach. I don’t think I’ll be spending much time sitting—but that doesn’t bother me. I’m very excited. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I plan to plant a flag at the summit,” he says, his eyes shining with determination. Even as he dedicates the trip to his baby sister and mother—“I know she would want me to keep moving forward”—Etai admits the simplest freedoms still require planning. “Traveling abroad or even going to the beach is much more complicated for me. A child who doesn’t face challenges like mine can just get on a bus and go. I first have to check if the place is accessible. It bothers me that I have to rely on other people and not just on myself.”
Family as a Pillar of Strength
Through it all, Etai’s family has been his anchor. “They were with me through thick and thin. There were times I said, ‘That’s it, I can’t take it anymore,’ because it hurt and I was frustrated, but my family held me together in those moments and told me not to give up. I simply do what I was taught: lift my head, and if it’s not easy, then we take a deep breath and push on.” His father’s own perseverance—living life despite paralysis—gives him strength: “I see how he manages to live his life, how it doesn’t stop him—and that gives me strength. I believe I give him strength for the same reason.”
Empowering Every Climb: Your Support Becomes Their Triumph
Etai’s story is living proof that, with the comprehensive care that only ALYN Hospital can provide, a child who has lost so much can still aim for the sky. Because of supporters like you, thousands of children each year receive the same life-changing therapies—physical, occupational, speech, and hydrotherapy—along with the continuing education and emotional support that empowered Etai’s miraculous recovery. Your donations help ensure that more children like Etai can transform tragedy into triumph—because at ALYN, we believe that every child deserves the chance to conquer their own mountains.
Donate now to support children like Etai
Based on article by Or Hadar, 6 May 2025 https://www.ynet.co.il/health/article/yokra14357883
