Three-year-old Noya Haya Sabag has taken her first steps into kindergarten this September, a moment her family once feared might never come. Just months earlier, during the 12-day Israel–Iran war, Noya nearly drowned in a hotel pool in Netanya and was left unconscious for seven minutes.

What began as an ordinary family moment, Noya enjoying an ice cream by her mother Maayan’s side, turned into a nightmare. In an instant, Noya disappeared from view. Maayan found her at the bottom of the pool and jumped in, pulling her out of the water while sirens wailed overhead warning of incoming rockets.

At the same time, Noya’s father, Michael Sabag, a volunteer medic with United Hatzalah, received an emergency call about a child drowning at a nearby hotel. He had no idea he was being dispatched to treat his own daughter until a relative phoned him en route. When he arrived, emergency teams were already working to resuscitate her. After stabilising her, they transferred her urgently to Laniado Hospital in Netanya.

At Laniado, Noya received the immediate, life-saving care she needed before being moved to Rambam Medical Centre’s fortified underground facility, and later to the Loewenstein Rehabilitation Center for several months of intensive rehabilitation, including physiotherapy, occupational and speech therapy, emotional support, and specialised paediatric treatment.

Dr Sharon Shaklai, Director of Pediatric and Adolescent Rehabilitation at Loewenstein, explains that Noya sustained an anoxic brain injury, damage caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain. Such injuries can lead to cognitive challenges, speech difficulties, vision problems, and even paralysis.

Thanks to rapid emergency intervention, specialist hospital care, and months of dedicated rehabilitation, Noya has made remarkable progress. Today she is able to walk, climb stairs, and play like other children her age. Although she still requires speech support and ongoing cognitive monitoring, her recovery has exceeded expectations.

Her story is a powerful reminder of both the fragility of life and the importance of constant supervision around water, especially for young children, who remain at the highest risk.

Most of all, Noya’s journey is a testament to the heroic efforts of her family, the medics on scene, and the exceptional teams at Laniado Hospital and partner medical centres who helped give her a second chance at childhood.