Today is a very special day. Today, for the first time in five months, Ron Halevi has been able to run. Sports were always a major part of Ron’s life. In school he was a competitive kayaker and won a few medals in the six years he competed. He used to row every day, twice a day, morning and afternoon. You could either find him at the gym, running long distances, or kayaking.
During Operation Protective Edge, Ron’s unit carried out a number of operations in the Gaza Strip. One day, while heading back to Israel from the Gaza Strip, enemy combatants fired a mortar shell that struck the armored personnel carrier he was in and blasted fragments in all directions. As a result five soldiers died and eight were wounded. Several fragments struck Ron in the thyroid, forehead, and sclera. Fortunately his vision was not affected. However, significant shrapnel hit him in the leg, which led to amputation below the knee.
After a long rehabilitation process and installation of prosthesis, he was fortunate to walk again. Step by step, literally getting closer to his dream of renewing his athletic lifestyle, Ron trained at the gym, swam and walked as much as possible. However, the one thing he was missing the most was his ability to run.
The Belev Echad community first heard of Ron’s story when he joined us on a ten day trip for wounded IDF warriors this passed December. We immediately sprang in to action, raising the funds to provide Ron with the ability to run again. In particular, we’d like to thank Yoseph Yunger, Leora Gurevich, Martin Hoffman, Tzvi Gurevich, Robert Rimberg, Tomer Dafna, Leon Hofman, Michael Yunger.
And now with our hearts full, we happily say, “Run, Ron. Run!”
