Aviel Yosef David, 18, from the moshav of Zechariah, began fighting for his independence at just six months old, when he was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, known as DMD.
His parents, Odelia and Shai, driven by faith and hope, did everything possible to preserve his physical abilities through physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, and an intense daily struggle. Their efforts paid off. Until the age of 11, Aviel insisted on walking on his own. He fell, got up, and kept going.
Then, on his 11th birthday, the breaking point arrived. Aviel’s physical strength declined, forcing him to transition to a powered wheelchair. The change was devastating, emotionally even more than physically, and at first he refused to use it.
The reason, he later explained, was fear. He saw his older brother, Yarin, who lives with the same disease but whose condition is more advanced, and he was afraid of becoming like him.
“He refused to hear about the wheelchair,” his parents recall. “He wanted to keep walking, to be like everyone else. It took time for both his body and his soul to accept the new reality.”
Ironically, it was Yarin, the older brother who had gone through the same crisis years earlier, who gave Aviel the strength to move forward.
“Aviel looked at Yarin and saw how he coped, how he never gave up,” his parents say.
Despite his medical challenges, Yarin enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces in January last year and became a role model for his younger brother.
“When Aviel saw his brother put on a uniform and contribute to the country, he understood that a wheelchair is not the end of the road and not a barrier,” they say. “It is simply a means to reach the destination.”
Closing the circle in uniform
Both brothers were diagnosed at a very young age and enjoyed a normal childhood. They ran, played, and lived like other children. For Yarin as well, the move to a wheelchair was a sharp emotional blow. Watching his younger brother face the same struggle only strengthened his determination to serve as an example.
Aviel, for his part, found his own ways to contribute and lead. Despite physical limitations, he has strong verbal skills and a natural desire to guide others. In Zechariah, he is a well-known and beloved figure. He prepares holiday quizzes, gives talks, and reminds residents of prayer times at the synagogue.
“He always wants to feel equal among equals,” his parents say.
That sense of equality is something Aviel now experiences weekly at the Home Front Command logistics base. Through the ‘Special in Uniform’ program, operated by the Lend a Hand to a Special Child association and JNF USA, together with the Gvanim school where he studies, Aviel has begun volunteering once a week, wearing an IDF uniform and serving under Chief Warrant Officer Ran Maman.
For Aviel, this is not just any base. It is the same base where Yarin served and volunteered, under the same commander.
“Welcoming Aviel is a deeply emotional moment of closure,” Maman says. “After opening our doors and hearts to Yarin, we now welcome his younger brother with open arms. There is nothing more moving.”
With the support of his dedicated instructor, Nadav, who sees Aviel beyond the wheelchair and ensures he succeeds in every task, Aviel feels truly equal. For a young man who fought for every step until age 11, the uniform gives him the sense of belonging he longed for.
“The story of Yarin and Aviel proves that nothing can stand in the way of willpower,” says Mendi Belinitzky, CEO of Lend a Hand to a Special Child. “We see young people overcoming complex physical challenges and wearing the uniform with pride. Watching one brother follow the path of another, on the same base and under the same commander, is a victory of the Israeli spirit and a source of immense pride.”
Odelia and Shai, who accompany both sons on this demanding journey, remain steadfast in their hope.
“We always project optimism and faith,” they say. “We believe that one day, with God’s help, a cure will be found and they will stand on their own feet again.
“Until then, we are deeply grateful to the ‘Special in Uniform’ program, to the Prashkovsky Group that supports us, and to Commander Ran Maman, who give our sons the chance to be inspired, to contribute, and to live lives filled with meaning.”