IDF soldiers who lost limbs defending country get life-altering treatments in NYC: ‘Most important thing is being alive’

Following the harrowing events of the Oct. 7 terror attack, numerous injured soldiers from the Israel Defense Forces have embarked on a journey of recovery that leads them to New York City.

Niv Shtaif, an IDF reservist who suffered paralysis while serving along the northern border in December 2023, views his arrival in New York as a pivotal step towards fulfilling his dream: walking down the aisle on his wedding day.

An anti-tank missile resulted in a spinal cord injury for the 30-year-old, leaving him reliant on a wheelchair.

“We had to delay the wedding due to my injury. I didn’t want to marry from a wheelchair,” Shtaif shared with The Post, reflecting on the cancellation of his grand 400-person wedding planned for the previous year.

“I made a commitment to walk down to the chuppah [Jewish wedding canopy].”

Through innovative treatments in New York, Shtaif has regained his ability to walk, as well as his confidence and independence.

In addition to his recovery, the soccer enthusiast, who also lost his left hand, returned home with a remarkable keepsake—a $100,000 mioelectric pattern recognition prosthetic hand from Brooklyn’s Orthocraft, a premier orthotic and prosthetic care provider.

“Israel doesn’t see many amputees like this due to the lack of resources,” said Rabbi Uriel Vigler, founder of the NYC-based organization Belev Echad, which has facilitated treatment for over 150 severely injured soldiers in the U.S. in the last two years.

“There are individuals who have lost the ability to walk and face life-altering injuries, and their gratitude for life is indescribable,” noted Hershey Dauber from Orthocraft.

“Their resilience is beyond anything you could envision.”

The expense of prosthetics can be exorbitant. A prosthetic hand can range from $100,000 to $1 million, with the intricate process likened to assembling a jigsaw puzzle, according to Dauber.

“It involves delicate wiring and troubleshooting,” he stated.

Dr. Omri Ayalon, co-director at NYU’s Center for Amputation Reconstruction, emphasized the severity of injuries they are addressing.

“We’re dealing with blast injuries that we usually don’t encounter in typical cases,” he explained.

“These injuries are from wartime,” he added, noting his clinic’s work on amputation reconstruction surgeries for numerous soldiers since the October attack.

Amit Bar, a reservist in the Nahal Brigade, lost his right leg when a building collapsed on him during an operation in Gaza in December 2023, an incident that also claimed the lives of two of his commanders.

“I believed I was dying,” he recounted to The Post, describing a traumatic helicopter flight back to Israel.

He subsequently entered a coma, waking to the shocking realization that he had become an amputee.

After a six-week medical journey in New York, the 24-year-old is not only walking again but has taken up running.

As an enthusiastic runner, Bar received a specialized running prosthetic equipped with a blade.

“It operates like a slingshot,” said Dauber. “Your weight compresses it, launching you forward.”

The technology minimizes the impact during landing while providing the necessary propulsion for running.

However, the determination and fortitude displayed by Shtaif and Bar are truly their own.

“You have a choice to question your situation and despair or to keep striving, pushing for a brighter future,” Shtaif expressed.

In April, he accomplished his dream of walking at his wedding, embraced by jubilant family and friends.

“Reaching this moment of standing beneath the chuppah has been a challenging journey,” he said as the second anniversary of October 7 approached. “Yet, I am immensely grateful to have achieved it, and it will forever be a cherished memory.”

“It’s just a leg,” Bar stated. “The most vital thing is that I’m still alive.”