Overcoming Leukemia and Achieving Her Dreams in the IDF

Second Lieutenant Neta is a Protocol Officer in the IDF’s International Cooperation Unit, but her journey to the IDF was not easy. 

When 2LT Neta was just ten years old, she started to experience severe back pain. “I was a gymnast and I thought that I was suffering from growing pains. When I was officially diagnosed with Leukemia, my whole life turned upside down. I became the Cancer girl who was always in the hospital. I felt as though I was losing my identity. My body was swelling up because of the steroids and I lost my hair. I would cover every mirror I saw because I couldn’t recognize myself anymore. Whenever I walked into the hospital, I would hide behind the curtain because I was not the girl who everyone else saw me as.”––2LT Neta

After a full year of treatments, she received the good news that she recovered from Leukemia. “When I turned twelve, I had my Bat Mitzvah and celebrated my recovery from Cancer!”

She continued on with school but when it came to her goal of enlisting into the IDF, it was still uncertain if she could fulfill her dream. She never gave up on drafting until she was wearing her uniform. “It required a lot of bureaucratic work since Leukemia is a disease with many problems. They needed to make sure that I was capable of volunteering in the IDF.” 2LT Neta’s request to volunteer was approved and she was positioned in the 91st Division. “It was an intense and demanding job but I enjoyed every minute of my service in that position.”

Thanks to her strong will, not only did she enlist into the IDF, she fulfilled her second dream of becoming an IDF Officer. “I saw firsthand how my officers were helping to change the world. They were making operational decisions and having influence over diplomatic issues with other militaries. It was inspiring to see someone as young as 19 or 20 having so much influence on how Israel is perceived and I wanted to be a part of that.”

When 2LT Neta found out that she received the most outstanding soldier award in her Officer’s Course, she was choked up. “I decided to surprise my parents and have them find out at my ceremony. I only told my sister beforehand so she could take pictures of the moment. At the ceremony, when I was named the most outstanding soldier, I ran toward my commander.” 

2LT Neta’s story acts as a reminder that anything is possible with hard work and determination.