Shani Hadar, 35, is undergoing further surgery this week at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem. The first operation cleaned her shoulder and arm where she was shot by Hamas terrorists. The next surgery will repair the damage.
Shani, a fitness trainer, parked her car at the Re'im trance party just after 6 am on October 7.
"My friend and I heard rockets, so we lay on the ground, hands over our heads," she relates from her bed in the Orthopedics Department in the Sarah Wetsman Davidson Hospital Tower. “We decided to get out of there sharpish."
They hadn’t traveled far when they saw a masked man. He opened fire.
"As he shot, we turned the car into an open, rough field. That’s when I was shot. Still, I accelerated away. My friend was unhurt."
Her friend took off her kimono and removed a long shoelace from Shani’s Caligae Roman-style shoes. She tied the garment to Shani’s arm to stem the flow of blood.
They lay in the field for eight hours, calling for help. Eventually, a police officer told them by phone to use Google Maps to lead them to safety. After once again passing near terrorists, the pair found safety and initial field treatment.
"Having seen the nature of my injury, they told us to keep driving to Hadassah," she says, stopping to take more painkillers. "I'd remained conscious the entire time, but when I was at Ein Kerem I was screaming with pain. Soon after, I lost consciousness and only awoke post-surgery.
"It’s my first time in Hadassah and wow, honestly. The treatment, the team. Even the kitchen staff came up to ask how I was doing."