Dr. A., a 42-year-old physician at Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv, has been serving in the reserves as a major in the Israeli Air Force since the outbreak of the war on October 7. Over the course of roughly 300 days of duty, she has balanced her military responsibilities with her civilian role as a pediatrician, stepping away from a newly begun neonatal intensive care fellowship just days after it started in order to deploy.

At the same time, Dr. A. is a single mother raising 7-year-old twins on the autism spectrum. While much of the public experiences the strain of ongoing sirens and constant uncertainty, her daily reality has become a multi-front effort that combines frontline military service, hospital work and intensive parenting.

She describes the greatest challenge not as the demands of service, but the transition back home to her children after long stretches away. Her story has become a source of inspiration, reflecting the personal sacrifices and resilience required of many reservists balancing professional duty, national service and family life.