The reservist who was seriously injured on October 7 returned to play with the help of unique keyboards

M., a 35-year-old reservist, father of 2 from the center of the country, was seriously injured in an encounter with Nochva terrorists in Kibbutz Ra’im on October 7. He suffered injuries to his hand and pelvis, and was hospitalized for several months in Bilinson from the Klalit group.

M. has already had about 15 surgeries, and for the past six months he has been in a day rehabilitation hospital. During the process, he shared Sharon’s songs with the Occupational Therapy Clinic, because for years he has been playing the guitar and keyboards in various ensembles and open concerts, but due to the hand injury he can no longer play the keyboards.

Shiri decided to lift the glove and make him smile again. “As someone who plays the piano myself, I connected to it personally and decided to take on the matter as a project,” she says.

Shiri contacted the TOM organization, which works to develop accessible technological solutions for people with disabilities, as part of a broad initiative led by the Department of Rehabilitation at the Ministry of Defense, following the extent of the wounded in the war and the need to provide a personal and advanced response to the wounded of the defense system.

Noam Oren, TOM’s rehabilitation designer, says: “Working with Shiri, I learned in depth what M is able to do with his left hand, what limits him and which movements might actually be harmful. The idea was to create for him the possibility of playing keyboards at an angle that exactly suits his physical abilities. We did a wide scan on the Internet and discovered that to this day no solution to the problem has been developed. We used a folding piano as a base, and from that we developed a stand and set Precise accessories that allow M to play in a correct, safe and comfortable way, one that is specifically adapted to him.”

“It’s exciting to find a solution to a function that is ‘not necessary’, but so significant”

After 5 rounds of corrections and adjustments between Shiri, Noam, M. and the upright piano – the unique musical instrument was at his disposal in the restoration department.

Shiri Sharon: “As an occupational therapist that deals with the independence of patients in their day-to-day functioning, it is exciting to find a solution to a function that is ‘not necessary’, but so significant. It makes me happy to know that we were able to bring music back into M’s life again. He played the keyboards and sang for me and I was very excited.”

“M told us that his son was not at all aware that he could play, and this was the first time he had seen it,” says Oren. “It’s an amazing feeling to allow his little son to get to know him again.”

“I arrived at the hospital following an injury that included a severe infection in the pelvis and stomach that endangered my life. The action of the medical teams saved my life,” says M. “The first song I played on the new piano was Golden Slumbers by the Beatles. I chose it because it was the last song I played for my eldest son, two weeks before I was injured. Thanks to this project, and after two years of rehabilitation, I got to play the same song for him. The second song was Hey Jude by the Beatles and it was dedicated to my youngest son who was born after the injury. From the age of zero we found that this song calms him.”