Dave Khatib, 81, had a serious frontal car accident at the end of January 2020. “I was the driver,” he recalls. “It happened in Deir Hanna (in northern Israel, on the hills of the Lower Galilee – DI). I don’t remember what exactly happened.”
Dave was hospitalized in critical condition at the Baruch Padeh Medical Center near Tiberias, with head injuries as well as internal rib and abdominal injuries.
Following a lengthy hospitalization in the respiratory intensive care unit, Dave’s condition improved and he was transferred to Internal Medicine. He was later moved to the geriatric rehabilitation department for his rehabilitation process.
His son, Sami, said, “We went through a very difficult time, we did not know if Dad would live, his situation was difficult and there were ups and downs…”
Dr. Khatib Mohana, Director of the Intensive Care Unit, noted: “Dave was in a very difficult situation with his life in jeopardy. He had a liver transplant, and following the accident he suffered multiple injuries, a cerebral hemorrhage, and several fractures. “During the treatment he was under induced coma and respirated for a long time, and I can say that we saved his life. This was a very complex and unusual case.”
Dr. Hadassah Cohen Lulav, a physician in the Department of Geriatric Rehabilitation, added, “He arrived at the geriatric rehabilitation ward confined to his bed, breathing through a tracheal fistula (tracheostomy) and fed through a feeding tube. Dave was in a nursing home situation and it was not clear if there was rehabilitative potential, but we made a decision to face the challenge. Thanks to his high motivation, through a slow and stubborn process and under the combined care of the staff: physiotherapy, occupational therapy, communication clinician, social worker and nursing staff, after two months of hard work on his part and on ours, Dave has recovered, is eating on his own, and to our joy has returned to being a person who functions independently again.”
On August 20, after 7 months of hospitalization in four wards, Dave Khatib returned home to his family. His son Sami was very excited when he was informed that his father was finally released from the hospital.
“When he got to rehab he started standing, walking with a treadmill, we saw a very significant improvement in his functioning,” Sami said. “I’m very happy, it’s a great source of excitement for us. We thank all the great staff who took care of my father and gave him back to us.”