‘My Biggest Triumph’: Israeli Critically Injured at Nova Festival Leaves Hospital After a Year

November 8, 2024

by: Yael Ciechanover ~ Ynetnews

Friday, 8 November 2024 | Nati Ganon, a father of three who was seriously injured on October 7 at the Nova Music Festival, was discharged from Sourasky Medical Center on Tuesday. Shiran, Nati’s wife, was murdered at the massacre executed by Hamas terrorists.

“I’m the longest hospitalized patient in the department. There were maybe two others who came a few days after me and then mainly combat soldiers arrived. They’re strong; I don’t need to give them advice,” said the 40-year-old Ganon, a hairdresser living in Bat Yam.

He arrived at the Nova festival with his wife, Shiran. “When the attack began, we fled in a car and were shot at. They shot me, and I lay on the ground bleeding for five hours, realizing that the situation wasn’t good. Only after I arrived at the hospital did I understand that I was injured in the back—the bullet pierced my back and missed my spine by millimeters.”

“I knew my leg was in catastrophic shape, but I decided that rehabilitation was better than amputation no matter how long it would take, even though amputation was an option. The doctors fought to save my leg. Now I can already walk for almost 10 minutes without a cane,” he recalled.

Ganon considers his small successes to be part of the miracles that happened to him during the rehabilitation process. “The staff has a big heart. What I’ve been through isn’t something ordinary, nor is it something out of a movie. It’s something that the brain can’t process; over time, you piece together the puzzle and understand the details.”

“I had two mental breakdowns during rehabilitation, meaning I didn’t get up for treatments, stayed under the blanket up to my neck and didn’t want to talk to anyone,” he shared.

Ganon’s discharge was also emotional for the staff. “Despite the tragedy Nati went through and his mental and physical pain, here he is now being discharged back on his feet—looking ahead,” said Dr. Anna Sajina, head of the hospital’s rehabilitation department.

“My journey doesn’t end here,” Nati added. “My biggest triumph will first and foremost be to go home and raise my children and my dream is to return to the profession I love—cutting hair.”

Posted on November 8, 2024

Source: (This article was originally published by Ynetnews on November 5, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: McCoy Brown/bridgesforpeace.com