Kinneret Bosani

“I am a survivor of terror…. NOT a victim. My motto is to live and to live at any cost.”

March 30, 2002, was just another regular day at “My Coffee Shop” on Allenby Street in Tel Aviv. I was not scheduled to work until my friend called to ask if I would cover his shift for him, as he had been called on reserve for a special operation.

A man came in, sat down at my station and ordered a drink. He appeared to be just another customer.  Suddenly there was a huge explosion and I was thrown to the ground. Everything around me turned hazy. Chaos surrounded me.

The suicide bomber caused severe injury to my head, the loss of one lung and my right eye.  I suffered third-degree burns to over 70% of my body. Who knew that the man I was serving a drink to would cause such devastation?

I was unconscious for 2 weeks, clinging to life by a thread. When I regained consciousness, I saw my family and friends surrounding me in a cloud of love. I knew then that I had to survive. In the Burn Unit of Intensive Care the doctors kept me in a drug-induced coma for 5 months to help me cope with the pain. My family and friends were with me 24 hours a day.

In January 2003, after numerous surgeries and 6 months in the rehabilitation wing of the Hospital, I finally moved back home.

It is at Beit Halochem, Tel Aviv where I feel most comfortable. Here at the Centre I receive my daily dose of rehabilitation through physiotherapy and hydrotherapy. I also try to strengthen my body by swimming in the heated pool and working out in the well-equipped fitness room, guided by professional coaches.

For my mind, I participate in the specialized art, computer and cultural programs and socialize with my many new friends, who never let me give up. If I am not at Beit Halochem by a certain time, they call me and motivate me to get there.  I listen to them because they are the only ones who understand where I have been and how I am feeling.

I am not alone at Beit Halochem, everyone has suffered terrible injuries; in fact I look around at others and feel fortunate – I am not paralyzed, blind or in a wheelchair.

I am very happy to have my cousin and parents come with me to Beit Halochem, where family is welcome. My family suffered with me and also needs to rehabilitate.

I realized that my life as I knew it would never be the same…I had been part of a performance group: singing, dancing and acting.  I had completed 2 years of studying Alternative Medicine – I did not think that at 24 years of age my life would take such a drastic turn! I am now studying a new career in documentary filmmaking, and plan to produce a film about my hopes for peace in Israel.

Beit Halochem has become a second home for me and my friends. Thank you for your help.