When Noam Avikazer, age 13, became severely ill with COVID-19, he needed continuous respiratory therapy to breathe. Thanks to the care he received in the COVID-19 Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem, he recovered sufficiently to return home.
Noam was brought to Hadassah when his condition began to deteriorate. “I’m just a kid,” Noam said, “and it is very scary not to be able to breathe without the oxygen mask, not to be able to remove it even for a few seconds without feeling like I was suffocating. But I trusted the staff, who were doing all they could to help me feel and breathe better.”
For more than 10 days, Noam was cared for by COVID-19 PICU director Dr. Uri Pollak, head nurse Sonia Sharabi and their team. Noam’s mom, Shiri, recalled, “The staff worked around the clock with all their hearts to care for the children. They truly gave their souls, and we felt we were enveloped by people we could trust, professionals who knew how to make the situation easier for Noam.”
Now recovering at home, Noam no longer needs oxygen support during the day. “I want to emphasize,” Shiri said, “that, in my opinion, this is a result of the proper treatment Noam received at Hadassah. We couldn’t believe our eyes as we saw how Noam improved day by day, but indeed it did happen before our eyes. The staff did not release Noam from the hospital until they were sure that he was well enough to continue to recover at home.”
Shiri added, “It wasn’t an easy experience for a parent, but we passed through it with a staff of angels at Hadassah.”