Picture Above Was Provided To Me From Hatzalah And Is Of The Choleh Arriving From Orlando To New York via Hatzalah Air
February, 2023
No matter our personal financial circumstances, comparative to history, we live in a time of luxury. Most, wisely, would not trade their current lifestyle and its modern-day comforts even with that of a 16th century king at peace-time. We sometimes take for granted our many modern marvels – indoor plumbing, to name just one.
But out of all of them,travel, perhaps, may be our greatest contemporary extravagance. Throughout history, those who ventured into the vast wilderness of the open roads of yore were not simply journeying from point A to point B, rather they were embarking on an odyssey. Often, they did not voyage because the wanted to go someplace, rather because they had to leave somewhere.
It is therefore remarkable, even now, close to 100 years since the dawn of flight, that one can board a plane in New York City, or London, or Australia and be anywhere in the world mere hours later.
The miracle of flight is often interrupted by silly complaints of seat space, critiques of beverage charges and frustrations over delays. However, not only must we appreciate this gift, but as I learned the other week, we should consider how it could be harnessed for amazing chesdaim.
My family recently arrived in Orlando erev Shabbos, and it was soon time to head to mincha. Orlando has a thriving and growing frum community, however, we were staying in an area of housing rented to families on vacation, where certain houses were designated for minyanim. As I pulled up, something seemed off. I saw frum people, but no one was davening or preparing to do so. Stepping out of my car and walking closer, the painful reality hit. A man coming to mincha complained of faintness and then collapsed on the ground. He was bleeding profusely and was responding incoherently.
It was a jarring site.
It would later be confirmed that he had suffered a major incident. Within minutes both local EMS and local Hatzalah arrived to swiftly bring the serious choleh to another location from where he would be rapidly airlifted to an appropriate hospital in Orlando’s center. In the meantime, the amazing frum owner of the home at which we were daveneing was holding the choleh’s head up to contain the bleeding, while another vacationer -himself a Hatzalah member back home -was giving guidance. All this time, the wife of the choleh was, wisely, talking to her husband to keep him awake and his mind active. As it was no time for ersatz modesty, I explained to her as she boarded the ambulance, a quick-and-condensed summation of the halachos of a hospital stay over Shabbos (too often, people are overly and unnecessarily strict, at the risk of the choleh and/or the lucidity of those caring for them).
The rest of Shabbos was overcast with a thick air of anxiety, as we all awaited any news. B’chasdei Hashem, our small minyan was made up by rabbanim, askanim and bnei Torah; we came together through tefilla, Torah, and deep conversation.
While the choleh survived the initial episode, we soon learned that he would have to be transported from the Orlando hospital to Hospital X in NYC, where certain specialized and careful procedures could be performed to save his life.
But how would such a transport be possible?
And, at what cost?
Most saliently, any fluctuations in air pressure, any sudden turbulence or other abrupt vicissitudes could potentially, and severely, aggravate his status…and that would be the best outcome.
Our small group of vacationers in the area received the following text two days later, which was sent to hundreds of his family, friends and anyone else aware of the situation:
“Ploni is entering a very critical phase. In a few minutes he will begin to be transferred from Orlando to Hospital X in New York. The flight is extremely dangerous for him and we need all additional teffilos and zechusim. This period will last for many hours, until he is safely at Hospital X. Please do what is needed”
That last line of the text still gives me chills. It serves as a forceful reminder to us all that we are already well-aware of what we as individuals need to work on, the skills we have to share, and the teffilos that serve to open our hearts.
I received that text at 2:56pm, and we now could only wait and daven, ever apprehensively, for any morsel of information.
At 7:52pm, my phone chimed again with a message from the owner of the shul/home where this all began, to our minyan group. I anxiously opened my phone to read the following message:
“Flight was complex yet uneventful and smooth. We are now on the way to Hospital X. Thank you all for all the incredible logistical support -at every level. May we only be busy with simchos.”
The sender then shared, “The above text was written by Eli Rowe”.
Ah! Now this miracle flight made sense!
Eli Rowe is the talented, energetic and creative founder/president of Hatzalah Air…and one of their pilots! For the unfamiliar reader, Hatzalah Air an incredible and relatively new organization.
Since their maiden flight in 2019, they have flown over 200 urgent airlifts and flights ranging from patients to transplant organs to other medical essentials. Their mission also includes transportation for dozens of patients from eretz yisroel for crucial treatment in the United States. They are also working with Israel, recently sending the country emergency-use helicopters that can be highly beneficial in urgent -and densely populated -emergencies.
So, while the responses to this choleh’s successfultrip ranged from “Baruch Hashem” to “Miracles are happening!” -all true -I knew there was more to this flight than we could ever fully grasp.
After waiting a couple of weeks, I reached out to Eli Rowe to hear how this astonishing chesed was accomplished from his perspective. He explained that this was one of the most challenging flights they had ever undertook, on many levels. As one example, he sahred that, “We needed to fly at 18,000 feet -instead of 45,000 -so as to pressurize the plane to sea level”. Aside for the complexity of flying at that altitude, we should note that flying that low burns far more fuel due to the air being more dense.
He then shared the team that was involved. “We had an incredible Hatzalah Air crew consisting of a Flight Physician, Flight Nurse, Raspatory Therapist, and Paramedic, as well as two Hatzalah Air pilots. His condition was critical, so we asked a shailah [risk vs reward by cholim is a very complex issue in halacha], and consulted with Dr. Zimmerman, the medical director of Chevrah Hatzalah, as well as Dr. Avishai Neuman and Dr. Michael Grushko, who are the medical directors of Hatzalah Air”.
Mi k’amcha yisroel?
Even on vacation, and among strangers at a makeshift minyan, among people he had yet to even shake hands with yet, we are card-carrying members of the greatest health insurance conglomerate known to man –achdus yisroel.
On that note, please be mispallel for Yona Michel bas Adina Sima, as he is still in need of critical refuah, and I await the day I can finally greet him and finally get the chance to daven together.
Shul Chronicles 
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