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Alon Paz, 39, is completely paralyzed and attached to a respirator. Two weeks ago, he realized his dream of visiting the Dead Sea, Wadi David, and the national park of Ein Gedi.

Seven years ago, Alon was involved in a severe car accident near Netanya which left him in his current state of paralysis. Currently, he can only move his mouth and his eyes. While he cannot move his limbs, Alon’s mind is crystal clear and his dreams have remained as real as ever.

Since the accident, Alon resides at a specialized nursing hospital by the name of Beit Rivka, located in Petah Tikvah. He is bedridden and is permanently on life-support. Two weeks ago, Alon spoke to United Hatzalah volunteer Yisrael Zeltas, who visits him on a regular basis, and asked Zeltas if he could help organize that Alon be taken on a tour of the Ein Gedi and Dead Sea area.

The problem, however, is that in order to leave the hospital, Alon must be accompanied by medical personnel at all times. Zeltas therefore engaged the help of fellow United Hatzalah volunteers, ambulance driver Harel Shaltiel and Paramedic Yehuda Attias, in order to fulfill Alon’s long-time dream.

Last Wednesday, this dream became a reality. In the early morning hours, the team together with Alon left the hospital and headed on their way to a tour of the Dead Sea and Ein Gedi region. They visited the botanical gardens of Kibbutz Ein Gedi, and entered into the national park of Wadi David. The National Parks Services has made Wadi David a fully accessible hike to people with disabilities and wheelchairs, thus Alon was able to gain access to the park and visit the waterfall towards the end of the trail. At the end of the tour, Alon was brought to a lookout point where he could gaze at the Dead Sea from up close.

“I live in a hospital room,” said Alon “and I very rarely ever have the opportunity to leave. This tour is absolutely wondrous for me. I am able to look at the Dead Sea, the mountains, the flowers, and the views of Israel with my own eyes. This gives me a tremendous amount of strength,” exclaimed Alon.

United Hatzalah volunteer paramedic Yehuda Attias, who lead the complicated medical transport, said, “To take Alon, a paralyzed person who lives on life-support, out of the hospital and bring him to a place with extreme weather patterns and heat, a place that is far from any medical center, is not an easy task. We went to incredible lengths in order to make certain that this trip took place safely, without any medical mishap, and in a way that Alon would be able to appreciate. We have a great sense of satisfaction that we were able to help Alon travel and tour in nature. We are happy to have participated in fulfilling one of his long-time dreams,” he concluded.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)