For over a month in the reserves already, Dr. Ido Lavi, a plastic surgeon at Maccabi Health Services in the North, has volunteered as a plastic surgeon and as a medical officer in a paratrooper battalion on the northern border. A resident of Shabi Zion, he is married and the father of three children, and has already managed to miss two of his children's birthdays —and they will probably miss his birthday, which is expected to be celebrated in the field.
Lavi is longing for his wife and children, who haven't exactly returned to their normal lives. While his supportive wife has also been working for a long time as an orthopedist at Maccabi Health Services, the family has a babysitter who works overtime and they are also reliant on grandparents who get involved.
"These are not easy days," he said. "It was important to me to take a significant part in the war, to be at the front and I actually provide medical care for emergency medicine, battle injuries and even sore throats. By and large, my job is to protect those soldiers who protect us every day."
Lavi has made many new friends in the field, as he shared that the unity that has been created between all types of populations in the country is what motivates him to continue and act. "It's simply amazing, everyone here gets involved, the recruits who each come from a different background, the citizens who really bring us everything: food, clothing, supplies and what not.
"For me, going to the army is a great privilege to protect our people," the doctor said. "I'm here as long as necessary, even another year or two, for the peace of the people—that's what I'll do until they tell us it's safe to return home."
Hoping to eventually return home
In the meantime, Dr. Lavi misses his workplace. On a daily basis, he provides medical services throughout the North, —Bnei Yehuda, Nahariya, Safed, Kiryat Shmona and Afula—where most of the cities are now under fire. "Even these days I try to respond to patients; they also understand the need of the hour, they care about my safety and bless me and my friends."
And finally, to the most pressing question, what is the first thing he will do when he returns home? "There is no question, a big hug for the wife and children, and of course for the parents, to spoil them and complete the celebration."