A young couple were eagerly anticipating parenthood, but their joy was shattered by a car accident while Hani was 24 weeks pregnant with twins. Thanks to a multidisciplinary team at Rambam Health Care Campus (Rambam), today the family is once again filled with hope for the future.
Hani and Elhanan Greenberg were passengers in the backseat of a car, returning from a family wedding in northern Israel, when the accident happened. The car was severely damaged on all sides. While the driver and front passenger managed to escape, the Greenbergs were trapped in the back—the doors jammed shut until emergency services arrived.
Hani's injuries were severe, including a neck fracture dangerously close to her spine. She feared permanent disability, and both she and Elhanan feared for the lives of their unborn children. “I thought my life as I knew it was over,” she recalls.
Close to midnight, Hani was rushed to Rambam and underwent emergency surgery. The fate of her unborn children remained uncertain. She was transferred sedated and ventilated to the General Intensive Care Unit. Elhanan was gripped by fear and helplessness when he learned that the risk of placental abruption and premature birth was high.
“This case was complex and challenging,” explains Professor Yaron Bar-Lavie, director of Rambam’s Critical Care Division. “We had to care for the mother and continuously monitor her unborn twins while supporting the distressed family.”
Leveraging experience from previous cases, the medical team focused on stabilizing and treating Hani. They were acutely aware that her well-being would directly benefit her unborn children. Hani remained on life support, her neck immobilized by a collar, with nourishment via a feeding tube. When she regained consciousness, she felt trapped in a body she barely recognized—unable to speak or move. Intensive physical therapy followed.
Over the next two months, the nursing staff became more than caregivers—they were a lifeline of support for Hani whenever she needed it. “There were so many beautiful moments, and we truly felt embraced,” says Elhanan.” Every day, Hani’s condition improved, Elhanan felt at peace leaving her in the hands of the dedicated team, and the doctors grew increasingly optimistic about the approaching birth.
Her physicians decided to deliver the twins at week 34 to maximize their chances of survival. “We faced many dilemmas,” notes Professor Ido Sholt, Director of the Mrs. Edith and Prof. Dov Katz Maternal-Fetal Medicine Unit. “We couldn’t remove her from the ventilator without risking the fetuses, yet prolonged ventilation carries its own dangers.” Another decision involved anesthesia during the delivery—ultimately, local anesthesia was chosen so Hani could experience the birth.
Ten weeks after the accident, Elhanan sat fearful but patient outside the operating room while Hani delivered the twins by Caesarean section—he was overjoyed and grateful.
Hani’s intensive rehabilitation continued. The twins were cared for in Rambam’s nearby Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, though the distance felt endless. Caring for the babies was physically demanding, but compassionate staff offered constant support.
Seventy-two days later, Hani chose to continue rehabilitation at Tel Hashomer Medical Center closer to their Modiin home. The twins stayed at Rambam and Elhanan divided his time between both hospitals. When war broke out, he was briefly unable to visit the babies, and relatives in Haifa stepped in to help.
The couple’s deep faith and the care they received at Rambam sustained them through this ordeal. Last week, the twins were discharged home. Hani still faces a long recovery, but she and Elhanan remain hopeful for the future.
Based on an article that first appears on N12
