Menucha relives this episode: “I was sitting on the side that was hit in the accident, in the front passenger seat. The right side of my face must have hit the window or maybe the dashboard. My right eye was injured. I couldn’t open it and it was severely swollen. I later learned the orbit was fractured, the skin around the eye torn, and my nose and facial bones broken. I was suffering from a concussion and brain hemorrhage.”
Menucha was in critical condition. The Chabad Centers in Ukraine and in Moscow contacted Medi Assist, who decided to transport her to Sheba for its excellent medical care. She was transported by medical airplane while intubated and sedated. She underwent surgery shortly after her arrival at Sheba.
Menucha remembers: “Although the operation was long and intricate, it went very well. When I came back home to the US, the doctors were impressed with the excellent quality of the repairs to my facial fractures.”
Dr. Waseem Abboud, a senior physician in the Maxillofacial Surgery Department, was the surgeon who performed the surgery and repaired Menucha’s facial fractures.
Menucha was in a coma for a week and a half while Dr. Elena Mishuk, the head of the Neuro ICU, closely monitored her. Once her condition improved, Menucha was transported to an isolation room in the Surgery B Department where Dr. Yael Dreznik continued to treat her. “All the doctors were very professional and knowledgeable.
They explained the situation and all the procedures to me and my family in a clear manner,” says Menucha. After three and a half weeks, Menucha was released and returned to the States.
After recuperating for several months and some physical and occupational therapy, Menucha is back to herself again. Today, she leads a normal life, going to work, driving, and even skiing this past winter.
Menucha sums up her experience in Sheba, “I can honestly say that the treatment I received at Sheba was excellent. My family and I feel very fortunate that I was taken to Sheba with its outstanding medical care.
Our medical coordinator, Liliya Pasternak, was always available to answer our questions, to take care of our concerns, and help coordinate whatever was needed – from medical care to the apartment where my parents stayed. I would recommend that anyone choose Sheba for treatment of themselves or their loved ones.”
