After more than a year of intensive chemotherapy for a brain tumor, 17-year-old Oren was taken by surprise when a group of motorcyclists met him outside Rambam Health Care Campus (Rambam) in Haifa, Israel, and took him for the ride of his life.
Expecting to go straight home after completing a rigorous course of chemotherapy at Rambam, Oren stepped outside the hospital and was met by a group of volunteers from Custom Angels, an Israeli motorcycle community with thousands of members, many of whom were waiting to escort him home.
Dr. Maria Pritsker, Oren’s mother and a senior physician in the Department of Vascular Surgery at Rambam, shares: “Until the diagnosis, Oren was a healthy, active child—an excellent student and a dedicated athlete. A month before his diagnosis, he started complaining of dizziness, headaches, and fatigue. As a physician, I didn’t immediately assume the worst.”
When Oren’s complaints worsened, the Pritskers rushed Oren to Rambam and took him directly to the Cheryl Spencer Pediatric Emergency Department at the Ruth Rappaport Children’s Hospital there. "An emergency CT scan was performed, revealing a tumor, which was later confirmed to be malignant.”
Oren’s diagnosis came shortly after the events of October 7, in the midst of the Swords of Iron War. While the country was facing its own crisis, the Pritsker family found themselves in a battle for Oren’s life. The day after being diagnosed he underwent emergency surgery at Rambam to remove the aggressive tumor; two months later, he traveled to the United States for eight-weeks of specialized treatment.
“The disease turned Oren’s life upside down,” says Pritsker. “He was about to graduate from high school, go on trips, and start thinking about military service. Suddenly, my energetic, active son became weak and withdrawn. He had no energy. It was heartbreaking to see him like that.”
One day, while driving, they saw a motorcyclist speed past them. Pritsker asked Oren if he’d ever be interested in riding a motorcycle. His enthusiastic response led her to write a post in a dedicated Facebook group. “The response was crazy—so many people commented, liked, shared, and offered to help. Even now, thinking about it moves me,” she says. “These tough-looking bikers turned out to be some of the kindest and most giving people I’ve ever met. We arranged a surprise ride for Oren, and from that day on, we stayed in touch with them.”
On the day of his final chemotherapy session, Oren had no idea the motorcyclists were waiting outside. “He came out of treatment completely drained—it had been a really tough round,” Pritsker adds. “Then he saw them. His eyes lit up. I asked, ‘Who’s taking my son home?’ And off they went.”
Oren describes the moment: “It was a rainy day, the weather was unpleasant, and the treatment had been difficult. I felt really bad, but when I saw them, everything changed. They came just for me. Riding in that convoy, with the music and their support all around me, I felt like I had won. By the time I got home, I didn’t even remember how I felt leaving the hospital. I just want to say thank you to them.”
Oren Pritsker (second left) and his mother, Dr. Pritsker (center) with the volunteers from Custom Angels - Photography: Rambam HCC