14 | JANUARY 5 • 2023 

OUR COMMUNITY

T

hanks to a generous Southfield cou-
ple, an Israeli boy with special needs 
had his wish fulfilled for his 17th 
birthday.
Idan Yaron, who lives near Haifa, Israel, 
loves horseback riding, which had become 
a therapeutic activity. But the equestrian 
center where he used to ride closed at the 
start of the COVID epidemic and has not 
reopened.
His mother, Liat Yaron, contacted Magen 
David Adom’s “Wish Ambulance” program 
to ask if they could help him get back on a 
horse.
Most of us know Magen David Adom 
(MDA), the Israeli equivalent of the Red 
Cross, as the organization that operates 
the country’s ambulance service. Through 
its Wish Ambulance program, MDA uses 
a specially equipped ambulance to take 
seriously ill patients on outings to realize a 
dream they wouldn’t otherwise be able to 
fulfill because of their health.
Janelle Konstam and Stuart Teger of 
Southfield have been loyal supporters of the 
American Friends of Magen David Adom. 
Several years ago, they donated an ambu-
lance in memory of Janelle’s parents, Henry 
and Stacia Konstam, and recently donated 
another in memory of Stuart’s parents, Sol 
and Ida Treger of Allentown, Pennsylvania. 
“[Our parents] never set foot in Israel, 

but at least their names are there,
” Janelle 
said.
Itai Mazor is a senior emergency medical 
technician in Israel who rides horses. When 
he learned about Liat’s request, he and fel-
low EMT Heli Biton took the ambulance 
donated by Janelle and Stuart and showed 
up at Idan’s home on his birthday. They 
drove Idan to a horse farm at Kfar Bialik, a 
moshav in northern Israel, where he spent 
the rest of the day riding.
Stuart, an attorney, and Janelle, a retired 

veterinarian, didn’t know about the Wish 
Ambulance program until Magen David 
Adom informed them about Idan’s birthday 
surprise. 
The couple, who are members of 
Young Israel of Oak Park and Beth Tefilo 
Emannuel Tikvah, knew only that the 
ambulance bought with their donation had 
come into service within the past month.
They were pleased to hear that it was 
used for a happy occasion.
MDA
’s Wish Ambulance project began 
in 2009 and has since fulfilled thousands 
of critically ill patients’ wishes. The project 
was started because most of these patients 
cannot get around without medical help. 
Each trip is coordinated in advance with 
the patient’s physicians and family. Medical 
professionals accompany every patient on 
their journey, which up to three family 
members can join. The Wish Ambulances 
are equipped with special features such 
as adjustable beds and a camera that lets 
patients see outside while they in the ambu-
lance.
Most of the program’s beneficiaries 
are children, but sometimes wishes are 
granted for adults, too. Recently, the pro-
gram helped reunite a brother and sister, 
Holocaust survivors in their 90s who lived 
in northern Israel but hadn’t seen each 
other for more than 10 years. 

Southfield couple helps “Wish Ambulance” fulfill a dream.
Making Wishes Come True

BARBARA LEWIS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Janelle 
Konstam and 
Stuart Teger

Idan Yaron on horseback with 
Magen David Adom EMTs 
Heli Biton and Itai Mazor.

The Life Support 
ambulance 
sponsored by 
Janelle Konstam 
and Stuart Teger 
arrives at the 
horse farm.

