Hanukkah Miracle

A four-year-old boy from Petah Tikva was playing at home one afternoon with a gel toy ball that burst into small fragments. By accident, he inhaled one of the pieces. His father noticed, but seeing the boy continuing to play as usual, he assumed it would pass naturally and did not give it much thought.

The following day, the boy developed a fever, prompting his parents to take him to a clinic, where he was diagnosed with viral pneumonia and sent home. However, as his condition worsened with abdominal pain and difficulty breathing, his parents brought him to the Emergency Medicine Department at Schneider Children's Medical Center, part of the Clalit Group. There, he was diagnosed with severe pneumonia. Following a week of intensive treatment, including care in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, the boy was discharged in good condition.

The boy's father recounted: "When I told the doctors at Schneider Children's about the gel ball he had inhaled, they quickly realized that the material from the ball had been absorbed into his lungs, causing severe chemical inflammation. My son is usually a healthy, active child—always running, jumping, and playing. Seeing him in such a state was heartbreaking. Now he's back home, recovering, and I hope he'll return to his normal self soon. We were incredibly fortunate; it could have ended very differently. I am deeply grateful to the team at Schneider Children's who saved him."

Dr. Meir Mei-Zahav, a senior physician at the Pulmonology Institute at Schneider Children's, explained: "The boy arrived with severe pneumonia, high fever, and difficulty breathing. His treatment included antibiotics, oxygen, and a bronchoscopy. If his parents had delayed bringing him to the hospital, his condition could have rapidly deteriorated, potentially leading to a life-threatening situation. Parents must be aware of the dangers posed by children putting small objects, toys, or foods inappropriate for their age into their mouths," he emphasized.