VOICES
THE DAY MY LIFE CHANGED BY ADAM KOVKIN
O
n the 3rd of November 2012 I attended a Motorcycle Charity Event to raise money for the Children’s Cancer Foundation. Each year over 2000 participants gather in Thredbo NSW for a mass ride through the Snowy Mountains. This particular day conditions were ideal as I set off in the morning with my group. I was riding along and enjoying the scenery when I entered a steep bend…. And that’s all I remember. I know now that I came off my bike at high speed, left the road and hit a tree. My life had just changed forever. Along with two co-riders (which included my ever faithful mate), a third rider who was unknown to me stopped to render assistance. He placed me in the recovery position and established
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my breathing while waiting for medical help. He assisted for forty five minutes until the Care Flight Helicopter arrived and flew me to Canberra hospital. The medical crew in the helicopter said that if not for the quick actions of this man, I probably would have died at the scene. I learned later that this divine hero was an off duty fireman who had completed first aid emergency trauma training just one week earlier.
In hospital, I was placed in a medically induced coma, in critical condition. My wife left our three kids at home, my Melbourne family jumped on a plane from Melbourne, and all immediately came to Canberra. They did not leave my bedside for the duration of my hospital stay. All our wonderful family and close friends stepped into action (as our community does so well), caring for and organising the children. A week after my accident, my sister-in-law contacted a very dear friend (a member of The Central Synagogue), regarding the mezuzah on my front door. He contacted his close friend, Rabbi Yehuda Niasoff as he felt Yehuda was the man for the job. Yehuda immediately contacted Shlomo Israel (Sydney’s scribe / Sofer) and within hours they were in the car with my friend, driving around in search of mezuzot. After collecting what was required, a team of Rabbis were in my home fixing mezuzot and saying prayers. Not long after, I opened my eyes for the first time. Last year Yehuda’s father passed away and I was asked by my friend to attend the minyan with him. Upon completion of prayers, I sat with Yehuda and some of his closest family/friends to talk about life. What started out sad and sombre turned into a mood of hope, happiness and positivity. This was a special time for me. After a long time of recovery, it was my son Riley’s Bar Mitzvah. Yehuda taught him his parsha, B’reishit and Rabbi Wolff welcomed all my family to his home for a beautiful family lunch. The Bar Mitzvah day at Central was a highlight of my life. There I proudly stood a husband, father, son, brother and friend, fortunate enough to share this experience with The Central Synagogue community, who I consider family too. A lot of people prayed for my recovery. I am grateful every day that I am here to thank them.
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