A Childhood Shaped by Sirens

April 2026

“Am I a normal kid? I’m always waiting for the next siren.”

Eitan*, a 16-year-old high school student, spent countless hours in bomb shelters in the days and weeks following October 7. What began as acute fear slowly became something deeper. Sirens dictated his routine—interrupting sleep, meals, school, and any sense of normal teenage life.

“At first, it was just scary,” he said. “But then it never really stopped.”

Even when the immediate danger passed, Eitan couldn’t relax. He became withdrawn, struggled to concentrate in school, and developed severe anxiety around loud noises and confined spaces. Nights were the hardest—he would replay the sounds of sirens and explosions, unable to rest.

His parents noticed the change. “He wasn’t the same kid. He was always expecting something bad to happen.” It got to the point where Eitan was not functioning and couldn’t be left alone.
After consulting with medical professionals, Eitan was admitted to Shamir Medical Center for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT).

Eitan had two-hour HBOT sessions every day, in addition to regular individual therapy and meditation sessions. After just one month, the constant sense of panic began to ease. He started sleeping through the night again, returned to school more consistently, and began reconnecting with friends.

With the increase in rockets and sirens over the last month, Eitan admitted, “I still get scared sometimes, but now it doesn’t take over everything.”

For Eitan, healing from trauma means reclaiming a childhood interrupted and beginning to imagine a future again.

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CHW’s 2026 annual campaign is in support of both urgent, lifesaving medical care and long-term rehabilitation and mental health treatment—because healing Israel requires both immediate action and sustained support.

If you would like to donate to the campaign and support healthcare for youth like Eitan, please click here.