On October 7, Michael Gutsman, a member of the Shlomit emergency defense squad, bolted over to Pri Gan, a nearby community, to join the fight against Hamas terrorists who had infiltrated the area. After hours of intense fighting, Michael was hit. Suffering gunshot wounds to his arm, out of commission and no longer able to fight, Michael was successfully evacuated under fire.
Following an initial period of hospitalization, Michael transferred to the Harvey and Gloria Kaylie Rehabilitation Medical Center at ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran for continued treatment.
As a result of his injury, Michael had a significant decrease in arm and hand function. He had to relearn simple tasks such as answering his cell phone, holding a cup, and even lifting his children. Michael was extremely diligent and invested much time in practicing his physiotherapy and occupation therapy exercises. He worked out a lot at the gym and regularly participated in hydrotherapy.
Last week, during a work session with occupational therapist Oriya, Michael’s persistence paid off, and he finally saw real results. Using his injured hand, Michael lifted a cup, made the requisite blessing over water, and drank from the cup by himself for the first time since he was injured.
Water never tasted so good!
