With the support and encouragement of her husband and children, Dr. Ornit Nachmani – a grandmother residing in the Lower Galilee, finally fulfilled her life-long dream. We share her story in honor of International Women’s Day.
Dr. Ornit Nachmani committed physician and anesthesiologist. Photography: Rambam HCC
Ornit Nachmani, is an example to all. Wife, mother, grandmother, homemaker, ambitious, determined, and strong, she made a dramatic change to her life when at the age of 45, she left her job and fulfilled her dream of becoming a doctor. From head to toe, scrubs have replaced the outfits she usually wore to work.
It was her dream to become a doctor. After completing her compulsory military service in the Israel Defense Forces, Nachmani applied to medical school but was disappointed when her application was rejected. Determined as ever, she completed a Bachelor’s degree, followed by a Master’s degree. For the next 15 years, she worked in the pharma industry.
Then, at the age of 45, her life turned around. A few months after the birth of her third and youngest child, Nachmani’s husband left a newspaper clipping on the kitchen counter – the Bar-Ilan University Azrieli Faculty of Medicine in Safed, a town in Northern Israel, was advertising a four-year medical degree upon completing a degree in biology. To her delight, there was no age limitation. Nachmani’s supportive husband told her to quit her job, follow her dream, and ‘go for it’ — and she did exactly that.
After attempting the entry examination three times, she was finally accepted into medical school. She recalls the time spent at university, “I was smiling every day – from ear to ear but the young students were always complaining. I made the long, daily journey from my home to Safed, and on the weekends, my family helped out wherever they could.” Now, more than a decade later, she is at the beginning of a new journey — the 55-year-old grandmother is a qualified physician and anesthesiologist at Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa, Israel. Her shifts are long, but she never complains. “It’s my life’s calling,” she says.
Nachmani did it all — she took care of her family, and managed her household. Her husband is in awe of her, and her children are proud and admire her for her determination and perseverance. Perhaps, as her grandson grabs a plastic toy – a stethoscope – he too is dreaming of becoming a doctor and following in grandma’s footsteps?
Based on a Hebrew news item that aired on Israeli television channel – Kan 11.