Finding A Missing Elderly Woman In The Coronavirus Era

Posted on September 9, 2020 by Raphael Poch

Liran Mazkereth is a United Hatzalah volunteer EMT living in Tel Aviv and serving with the Herzliya team. On a recent Wednesday night, United Hatzalah’s Dispatch and Command Center was alerted to an 80-year-old woman who was reported missing in Herzliya just after 11:00 p.m. She had last been seen at 5:00 p.m. and, given that she was suffering from diabetes and was in a troubled emotional state, there was significant concern for her welfare. It was reported that she was scared to undergo a scheduled leg operation and thus she had fled from the hospital. Although she had cut off contact with her daughter and son-in-law, they continued to care for her from afar and notified emergency services that she had not returned to the hospital or to her home.

scene of he rescue where the old woman was foud

United Hatzalah initiated its search and rescue protocol and, in spite of the late hour, began a massive man-hunt in conjunction with the police and fire and rescue services. Liran joined the search effort and was one of several United Hatzalah volunteers deployed around the area who began to comb locations that the woman would likely visit. Just after 2:30 a.m. following several hours of searching, Liran located the woman who had wandered off and fallen asleep amongst discarded boxes and garbage behind a medical clinic. She had sought relief for her swollen leg but found the health center closed. The elderly woman was barely able to walk on the leg, so she decided to simply sleep nearby for the night.

Liran immediately notified dispatch and within minutes, the other United Hatzalah volunteers and police officers who had been searching arrived at his location. They conducted a thorough medical examination noting the clearly painful leg and the woman’s skyrocketing fever. They took her vital signs and stabilized the disoriented woman until an ambulance arrived and transported her back to the hospital. Since the woman was suffering from a high fever, it was suspected that she might be a Coronavirus carrier. Thus, all of the EMTs who were present were warned that they should stay in self-isolation until the woman could be tested and the results were returned.

“Fortunately, the test results came back negative,” Liran reported. “But even if it would have meant quarantine, it would have been worth it. Saving her life is worth it. As an EMS volunteer in the Covid-19 era, I put myself in harm’s way every time I go out there and respond to an emergency. We follow all of the protocols that we can in order to protect ourselves, but still, there is always a chance of catching this virus. Regardless of the danger, we still go out there and do what we do, because otherwise, people would not receive the help they need in time. I helped save this woman’s life, and there will be others. That is my purpose and I’m going to keep doing it.”

To support the work of volunteers like Liran, please click here:

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Special Bar Mitzvah At A Corona Hotel

Posted on September 8, 2020 by Raphael Poch

On Saturday night, A special Bar Mitzvah celebration was held at the Ya’arim Hotel in Ma’aleh HaHamisha, which has been designated as a “Corona Hotel” housing people who have been diagnosed as being ill with the virus.  One of the recent occupants of the hotel is a 13-year-old boy named Yosef Chaim Biton and his family. The Biton family hails from Ashdod, but when they were diagnosed with Covid-19 Coronavirus, they were transferred to the Ya’arim hotel.  

The cake that the volunteer made and gave to Yosef Chaim

Due to the requirement for the family to stay in isolation inside the hotel until they recovered, they were prevented from celebrating Yosef Chaim’s Bar Mitzvah in the normal way. Instead, the family was treated to a special Bar Mitzvah celebration that Yosef Chaim will never forget. 

The volunteers outside the hotel celebrating with Yosef and his family who were on the inside

Knowing that Yosef Chaim really loves United Hatzalah, his family called the Mevaseret chapter of the organization and asked if they could send a few volunteers to come and make their son happy. The team got right to work in an effort to make the celebration unforgettable. A short time later, a United Hatzalah ambulance, followed by a parade of ambucycles, drove up to the hotel. They called Yosef to come to the window of the lobby to receive a special blessing from the volunteers for his special day. In addition, the volunteers prepared a special cake for the Bar Mitzvah boy which they presented to the staff of the hotel who then brought it to Yosef Chaim. The entire event was done free of charge. 

Part of the entourage outside the hotel

In addition to the United Hatzalah vehicles, a fire department command truck driver by Reshef Shlmi Sa’adon, who joined the mission to help bring a smile to the bar mitzvah boy’s face.

 

Maor – Center, and other volunteers outside the hotel

Deputy Head of the Mevaseret Chapter, Maor Nachum spoke about the efforts of the volunteers in organizing the event. “I was very moved to receive this unusual request from the family. Our volunteers, together with those from the local Fire Department, joined forces and took it upon themselves to do what they could to make this a memorable party. We arrived at the hotel with the sole purpose of making a young man and his family happy, in spite of their being in a tough situation. I wish them, as well as all others who are suffering from this disease a speed full recovery. May it be God’s will that Yosef Chaim will merit to celebrate another Bar Mitzvah party with his extended family and friends.”  

To support the efforts of United Hatzalah volunteers click here.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Participating In A Miracle On A Construction Sight

Posted on September 8, 2020 by Raphael Poch

One afternoon a few months ago, United Hatzalah EMT Omer Elian, was at a customer’s office, installing a door for their entrance, when his United Hatzalah communications device alerted him to a nearby accident. A man had been observing construction at the house he was building when he stumbled and fell two floors to the courtyard. The 46-year-old man landed on an upright metal rebar that pierced his skull. Omer dropped what he was doing and hurried to the location.

Scene of the man’s fall

Omer arrived in just two minutes, took the patient’s vital signs, and monitored bleeding from his mouth. The EMT carefully immobilized the patient to limit movement and to prevent secondary spinal cord injury. A United Hatzalah ambulance crew arrived five minutes later and assisted in monitoring his condition until he could be extricated.

Removing the rebar from the man’s skull in these conditions would have led to uncontrollable bleeding and further brain trauma, spelling certain death. Omer, a reserve IDF Officer in the Home Front Command’s special rescue unit, assisted the firefighters in carefully cutting the rebar underneath the victim’s head. With the rebar severed from the concrete, the experienced EMT was finally able to prepare the victim for medical transport. He attached oxygen and transferred him to a backboard before loading him aboard an ambulance to be rushed to a nearby trauma center with the impaled rebar still in place.

At the hospital, doctors discovered that the rebar had penetrated between two important arteries that supply blood to the brain which appeared miraculously undamaged. However, they were concerned that the rebar was blocking an arterial tear which they couldn’t see and that as soon as they removed the rod, the victim would immediately bleed to death. The surgeons performed a 10-hour long surgery and successfully removed the rod. After just four weeks of treatment and rehabilitation, the now recovered man walked out of the hospital.

Omer’s rapid level-headed response and professional stabilization were vital components in this man’s miraculous survival. “It was a hard thing to see,” Omer later commented. “The victim’s brother fainted when he saw the metal rod piercing through his brother’s head. When you see such an accident and then see the same man walking out of the hospital in perfect condition only four weeks later, you feel as if you participated  in a miracle.”

 

To support the work of volunteers like Omer please click here:

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Listen To Your Intuition And Save Lives

Posted on September 7, 2020 by Raphael Poch

Osnat Reuven, a United Hatzalah volunteer EMT, is unwavering in her commitment to lifesaving and is constantly responding to emergencies. Last Shabbat, a group of children were playing in the family yard when a four-year-old was struck on the head by a hard object.

UH volunteers responding to a motor vehicle accident (illustration)

The child lost consciousness for a couple of minutes and the alarmed parents called emergency dispatch for help. Being one of the closest responders Osnat was notified about the incident and quickly rushed to the address. In spite of Osnat being close by, another EMT arrived before her. He assured Osnat that her help was not needed and that she could return home, but Osnat’s intuition and her dedication to her patients caused her to stay.

The child, after regaining consciousness, was panicking and refused to speak to the EMT. When he tried to monitor the child he would scream and run to his mother’s arms.

Osnat quickly noticed that the little boy had Down’s Syndrome and realized that this required special treatment. Sitting down on the floor, Osnat began to play with the child, distracting him with toys and funny games. The child, fascinated and entertained, was soon occupied so that Osnat was able to check basic vital signs and assess the child’s level of consciousness.

There was no significant bleeding, but the boy required examination at a hospital to check for a concussion. Osnat continued to play with the toddler until the ambulance arrived. Later that same week, Osnat received a call at 1:30 a.m. regarding a crash between a car and a tractor. Once again, Osnat was not the first responder to arrive and the victims were already being treated. But a feeling in her stomach was telling her that there was more to be done at the scene.

Osnat surveyed the scene and saw that the tractor driver had sustained mild injuries, while the car driver was dazed and disoriented as a result of his head wound. Looking at the car, Osnat noticed that the back window was smashed, although the impact had been from the front side of the car. The accident had occurred on an unlit road, and the area was extremely dark, so Osnat used her flashlight and hurried to examine the car and the surrounding area

A quick search revealed a motionless figure lying in a ditch. It was a two-year-old child. He hadn’t been in a booster seat and had been thrown through the window on impact. Osnat called for the other EMTs as she began to perform a field assessment. The child was unconscious and severely injured after sustaining a significant blow to his head.

The EMTs worked rapidly to administer lifesaving oxygen, immobilize the little boy, and bandage his bleeding wounds. A long twenty minutes later, an intensive care ambulance arrived and the injured child was taken to the trauma center. His injured father and the tractor driver were evacuated to the hospital as well.

When reflecting on both of the incidents Osnat said “You have to be persistent, strong, and listen to your intuition in order to get things done right” Osnat commented. “I didn’t give up on what I thought was right because of what someone else said to me. I listened to my intuition and that enabled me to go home with the feeling of ‘yes. I did it. I helped save a life today.’”

To support the work of volunteers like Osnat, please click here:

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Not Your Typical Saturday At The Zoo

Posted on September 3, 2020 by Raphael Poch

By – Devo Klein

One Shabbat afternoon at 3 pm, David Badar was enjoying an afternoon nap when he awoke to the buzzing of his United Hatzalah communication device. The dispatch was alerting him to a child who had sustained a serious injury in his vicinity. David instantly got up, rushed outside, jumped on his ambucycle and headed to the location. 

David Badar on his ambucycle

The incident had occurred at a local park adjacent to a small petting zoo. Within minutes, David arrived and noticed a crowd of children and some adults who looked shaken. The EMT quickly located the injured child. The boy had just visited the petting zoo with his friends for a Shabbat outing when a vicious rottweiler got loose and attacked the 8-year-old. As David was doing an overview of the child’s injuries he discovered 19 different bite marks on the child’s body, causing serious wounds on his ear and shoulder.

 

The experienced EMT began bandaging the injured areas while attempting to calm the traumatized boy until his mother and the ambulance were able to arrive. 

 

It took another 10 minutes for the ambulance to arrive. When it finally did, David briefed the crew and accompanied the patient and his mother to the vehicle for transport to the Schneider’s Children’s Hospital in Petah Tikvah.

 

A week later, David and his fellow EMT contacted the boy’s parents and discovered that he had undergone a number of operations and was released from the hospital a few days after the incident. The boy still needed to undergo follow up medical care and rehabilitation. 

 

The boy’s parents expressed their gratitude to David. They told him that their son experienced a miracle that he hadn’t been more seriously injured and that because of David’s quick response, he was able to recover from the incident. 

 

“I’ve been volunteering as an EMT since I was 16. I’m now 32, but this is a story that I won’t ever forget.” David explained. “Saving someone else’s life changes you as a person, and I haven’t been the same since I rescued the young child from the zoo. When I went home that day, my face was radiant. It gave me a feeling of satisfaction that I have never felt before.”

 

To support the lifesaving work of volunteers like David click here:

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

First Responder Acts Quickly To Save a Life In East Jerusalem

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Raphael Poch

By – Devo Klein

Mohammed Ahbeed is a Muslim volunteer EMT living in East Jerusalem who joined United Hatzalah last year. He has quickly proven himself as an active and dedicated volunteer who selflessly gives of his time and energy to help others, saving both Jewish and Muslim lives. Mohammed is passionate about lifesaving and is also a dispatcher both for medical emergencies and for the organization’s newly established humanitarian aid services.

Ambucycle in Jerusalem – Credit Shira Hershkopf

A few weeks ago, Mohammed was sitting at a coffee shop next to the Damascus Gate when he received an urgent alert that a medical emergency had just occurred near his location. He left his coffee on the table and jumped on his ambucycle and rushed to the location. Less than three minutes later he arrived at the address. Outside the building, Mohammed was met by an agitated woman and brought to the backyard where he saw a group of frightened children surrounding an older man who was lying unconscious on the ground. Mohammed approached the man and checked his vital signs. Mohammed discovered that the man had dangerously low blood sugar. The experienced volunteer quickly administered glucogel under the man’s tongue, providing an instant sugar boost. The man slowly began to regain consciousness as an ambulance crew joined Mohammed on the scene. The team provided supplemental oxygen, further stabilizing the man’s condition. However, his blood pressure remained sky-high, and the team quickly concluded that the man had suffered from a stroke.

As the intensive care crew continued treatment, the man’s wife approached Mohammed and asked how much to pay him. She began offering Mohammed large sums of money only to shockingly find out that it was completely free. Mohammed replied that United Hatzalah does not charge for its services. “I came to help,” Mohammed told her simply. “Just be healthy and well.” The woman, who was distraught over her husband’s condition, was moved beyond words by the concept of United Hatzalah. Mohammed’s kindness and caring gave her a tremendous sense of support and she looked at him with wordless gratitude.

“I feel a great deal of satisfaction when situations like these happen,” Mohammed said. “I feel that I am just doing my job, this is what I need to do, but some people don’t understand that concept. When I see the look on people’s faces after I have helped them or their loved ones it brightens my day. The feeling I get when I know I have saved a life is unlike any other. People in my community are not so familiar with United Hatzalah yet. Receiving medical service for free is not something that is common here. I feel honored to represent an organization whose sole purpose is to help others at no charge and with no strings attached.”

To support the work of volunteers like Mohammed click here

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Covid Scare Causes Volunteer EMT To Postpone His Wedding Anniversary

Posted on August 31, 2020 by Raphael Poch
  • By Deena Hornstein 

Mohammed Gnaiem works as a nurse in Loewenstein Hospital, a rehabilitation center in Ra’anana, and is a very active United Hatzalah volunteer EMT. This past Saturday was Mohammed’s wedding anniversary and he was planning to go out with his wife that night to celebrate. Mohammed was getting ready for his night out and went to take a shower. Just as he was stepping in, the emergency app on his United Hatzalah communications device started to sound.

Mohammed Gnaiem with his emergency e-bike

Mohammed read the alert and saw that an adult male in his vicinity was not feeling well. Despite the vagueness of call, and the incredibly inconvenient timing, Mohammed jumped out of the shower, threw on his clothing, and apologized to his wife as he rushed outside to his emergency E-bike. He quickly put on his Covid-19 protective suit, hopped on the bike and sped off to the scene.

Less than five minutes later Mohammed was kneeling next to the man who was semi conscious., Mohammed took the man’s vital signs and gathered information from his concerned children about their father’s medical history. The family members explained to Mohammed that their 90-year-old father had hardly eaten or drunk anything in the last few days and a short while before they called for help, their father had stopped responding to his environment.

Mohammed noticed that the elderly man’s blood oxygen level was low and that he showed signs of dehydration and had a mild fever. Due to the patient’s symptoms, Mohammed was worried that the man might have had Covid-19 Coronavirus, but that didn’t stop him from treating his patient. Mohammed removed the oxygen tank from his medical bag and administered high-flow oxygen and started an IV to replenish the man’s essential fluids. In an effort to help the man regain full consciousness Mohammed spoke gently to the elderly man, and just a few minutes later the man was alert and conversing with Mohammed.

When the ambulance arrived about 10 minutes later, the United Hatzalah volunteer briefed the crew and handed over a treated patient who was now stable and prepped for immediate transport. The family thanked Mohammed and promised him that they would inform him immediately of the outcome of their father’s Covid-19 test.

Mohammed returned home and jumped back into the shower. Because of his close contact with a possible COVID-19 patient, he informed his wife that the evening’s anniversary celebration would have to be postponed until he received an answer from the family of the elderly man. His wife was a little disappointed but at the same time understanding and proud of her devoted husband.

At 3:45 AM, the elderly man’s son texted Mohammed that his father had tested negative for Covid-19. Mohammed didn’t wake his wife up at that unearthly hour, but rather waited until the morning to tell her the good news and that they could go out that evening to celebrate.

“My wife and I were both disappointed that we had to cancel our anniversary plans, but we were both happy to hear that the next evening we could go out and celebrate. Although it came at the cost of postponing my anniversary celebration I’m glad I saved the elderly man’s life and am glad he did not test positive for Covid-19”

To support the work of volunteers like Mohammed please click here:

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Shot That Saved A Woman’s Life

Posted on August 31, 2020 by Raphael Poch

Rabbi Menachem Bakush hails from the town of Adei Ad in the Shilo region. He rides an ambucycle, drives a rescue ATV in the rocky hills of Samaria, and serves as assistant team leader for United Hatzalah’s lifesaving activities in the region. Last Thursday morning, Menachem was on his way home from running errands in the central region of the country. On his way home, while passing through the city of Ariel, United Hatzalah’s dispatch alerted him to an elderly woman who was suffering from a severe allergic reaction nearby.  Menachem was inside the apartment, 60 seconds after receiving the alert. 

Rabbi Menachem Bakush

“When I received the alert, I immediately rushed over to the address and ran into the apartment. The woman was suffering from shortness of breath so I gave her oxygen and then asked her what was causing her condition. She told me that she has severe allergies to fish and had just finished eating when he began suffering symptoms of a severe reaction. I saw that she was showing all the classic symptoms including a severely swollen tongue.”

 

Seeing the woman’s symptoms, Bakush immediately administered a shot of epinephrine from his the EpiPen that he carries and saved the patient’s life. A few minutes later, the Mobile Intensive Care Unit (MICU) ambulance arrived. Menachem updated the crew and assisted in transferring the elderly woman to the back of the ambulance. Additional medications were provided, and the now-stabilized patient was evacuated to the hospital for further observation and care. 

 

“I have helped a few people with EpiPens in the past,” Bakush said. “We always try to make sure that as many of our volunteers have EpiPens as possible because situations like these are unfortunately all too common. I was happy that I was nearby and able to help this woman so quickly. Too me, that is what being a member of United Hatzalah is all about, helping others as soon as possible.

To support the work of volunteers like Menachem, please click here:

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Family Of Boy Who Drowned in Sedot Michah and Miraculously Survived Thanks First Responders Who Saved Their Son

Posted on August 20, 2020 by Raphael Poch

On Tuesday morning a week ago, United Hatzalah volunteers were dispatched to a private pool at a vacation home in Sedot Michah where a two-year-old boy had drowned in a private pool. The volunteers who arrived performed CPR on the child and managed to regain a pulse before he was airlifted to Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center for further treatment.

Yosef (right) and Dudu, help evacuate Noam to the helicopter to be taken to hospital

One week later, the same volunteers were able to visit the child and his family in Hadassah. The child, Noam Levi, had woken up and fully come back to himself on Monday, just six days after the drowning. By Tuesday he was playful, interacted with his rescuers, and even played with some of them during the visit.  

 

Noam’s mother, Sara Levi, thanked the volunteers for helping to save her son’s life. “The day that Noam drowned was the craziest day of my life. I only really understood what happened the next day. We have seen miracles in the past and this was one of them. United Hatzalah arrived so quickly and treated him so well. He received the best care from them and from the staff here at Hadassah. Between the expert care that Noam received and the prayers that everyone was saying for him, I truly believed in my heart that Noam would return to us. And thankfully, here he is.”

From left – Yosef, Daniella, Sara, Noam Aviel, Dudu, Akiva, Shimon

United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Yosef Rimmel who was the first responder at the scene joined the family in celebrating Noam’s miraculous recovery. “When I arrived at the scene I was joined very quickly by two other volunteers from United Hatzalah. We found that Family members had pulled Noam from the water after he had drowned in the pool. The boy’s grandmother was performing compressions on him. We took over compressions and continued with a full CPR.”

 

Rimmel continued, “At the time that we arrived, Noam was unconscious, was not breathing, and had no pulse. Even though the defibrillator did not recommend giving Noam a shock, we managed to regain a pulse and get him breathing again prior to his being transported to the hospital. He was still in critical condition when he was transported but thankfully here he is today alive and well. There cannot be any greater satisfaction for a volunteer EMT than what we are witnessing here today.”

 

Noam’s Father Aviel Levy said, “We have no words to thank United Hatzalah and everyone who helped save our boy’s life. We witnessed an open miracle. This is not an incident that logic can explain. God brought our boy back to us with a miracle. I told my wife, people hear on the news stories of children who die they are accidentally locked in cars. How must the parents feel I asked her? So now, unfortunately, we know how they feel. I was looking at my son and I thought to God, what are the chances that he survives? The team of volunteers kept going. No matter what, they kept doing compressions. They kept at it for more than 20 minutes. The whole time I asked myself ‘what are the chances that my son my Noam survives?’ But they didn’t give up and that is why he is here today.”

 

Dudu Amar another United Hatzalah volunteer EMT told Aviel about what was going through his mind when he was performing compressions. “I was thinking that no matter what we can not give up. This story is exactly why we can never give up. We always must keep trying, especially with children. Children are by nature resilient and they have a knack for surviving in situations where no one else would. This was a miracle, but it shows us that we must never give up.”  

 

Daniella Smadja who also responded to the incident and treated Noam told Noam’s parents “Your son will be an important member of the people of Israel one day. He is going to grow up and become someone who does great things and brings people joy. He has a lot of merit being rescued like this, watch and see.” 

Daniella with Sara and Noam

Yosef, Dudu, and Daniella, together with Akiva Galandawer and Shimon Kapiloff who also participated in the CPR and the visit at Hadassah, are among the 6,000 volunteers of United Hatzalah who answer more than 1,800 emergency calls each day with an average response time of fewer than three minutes

An additional incredible anecdote to this story:

Just a few months ago, Yugi (Yosef) Rimel had an unfathomable tragedy happen to him and his family: Yugi’s son Ephraim stopped at a red light and out of nowhere a Palestinian driver drove full speed of 120 mph into his car. It was not clear what caused the accident or why the driver was going so fast, but the collision was devastating. Also in the car was Yugi’s 3-week old granddaughter Noam, his 10-year-old grandson Itai and his daughter-in-law Tzippora. Yugi’s son and 10-year-old Grandson were both critically injured and are still in the hospital recovering, but both of them will probably never walk again. Even more tragic, 3 week old Noam and her mother Tzippora did not survive.
Yugi’s life is dedicated to helping others and this has been the worst year of his life. Despite the horrible things that have happened to his family, Yugi continues to help others and the ordeal has inspired him, even more, to save as many lives as possible.
When Yugi received the emergency call about a young boy drowning, he ran so fast you would think he was a youngster, but Yugi is nearly 60 years old. He arrived at the scene and immediately started professional CPR to get the boy’s pulse back, connected one of our defibrillators to the child, and after twenty minutes of not giving up, the toddler finally got his pulse back and was flown into the nearest hospital.
Yugi is truly a lovable person and everyone he encounters sees his kindness and compassion. When he went to visit the boy in the hospital he connected with him immediately and began hugging and kissing him as if he knew him. All of a sudden he heard the little boy’s mom calling him Noam, he was in complete and utter shock. Both his granddaughter who perished and the boy he saved had the same name. He was completely blown away by this and it gave him great closure.
This is such an inspiring story in more ways than one and gives a perspective from the volunteer, not just from the side of the little boy’s family. This is why we do what we do every day, and when we succeed, we feel so happy and proud to play a role in saving lives. To know that someone is alive today and with their loved ones because of the work we do –– there is no greater joy in this world.

To support the work of United Hatzalah volunteers please click here:

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Saving A Life at My Own Son’s Wedding

Posted on August 17, 2020 by Raphael Poch

By Dr. David Kupferberg

Dr. David Kupferberg

On Tuesday night, I was dancing at my son’s beautiful wedding. We held the festivities outdoors at the Gush Etzion winery to comply with the Covid-19 coronavirus restrictions that are currently in place in Israel. The guest list was limited to very close friends and family. As I am not only a Pulmonary and Critical Care physician but also a first responder for United Hatzalah, I had my medical kit with me in the trunk of my car as is my usual practice.

 

I was overjoyed to see my son and his new bride so happy under the chuppah even amid the pandemic that is currently raging all around us after many changed wedding plans and evolving regulations. Their joy was infectious and shared by all who attended.

 

After the ceremony amid the celebrations, I was in the middle of the dancing with the groom when all of a sudden the mother of the bride came and pulled me from the dancing circle. The first thought that went through my head was, “Had I missed a round of picture taking? Was it time for the family dance?”

 

As she pulled me across the floor she shouted (so that I could hear her over the music) that a young woman was ill and needed help. I rushed over and saw the young woman was clearly suffering from a very severe allergic reaction. She was still able to talk and I asked her if she knew whether or not she had any severe allergies.  She said she had suffered from this before and is allergic to fish and erythromycin (neither of which were served at the wedding!).  I immediately sent someone to grab my United Hatzalah medical bag from the car.

 

As I held the woman, she told me that she was having difficulty breathing and felt like she was about to pass out, which she then promptly did in my arms. I caught her and laid her down. The person had returned with my bag and I immediately pulled out a syringe and administered some epinephrine. 

 

My brother, Jeff Kupferberg, who is also a volunteer first responder and was wearing his Corona PPE hazmat suit to the wedding for some schtick (having some Covid-era fun), quickly joined me, and while he was still wearing his suit, together we stabilized the girl’s condition. I called dispatch and asked that an ambulance be sent. I could barely hear what I was telling them over the phone due to the music, but thankfully they heard me. It took a few seconds for the epinephrine to kick in and the young woman’s symptoms started to abate. She slowly began to regain consciousness.

 

When the ambulance arrived, they had a stable patient to transport to the hospital. After she was on her way, my brother and I went back to dancing, thankful that we were able to help.

 

Helping to save a life at my son’s wedding was surreal and beautiful. I am grateful that as first responders we take our medical kits with us wherever we go and for just this reason. One never knows when or where they will be needed. As a physician, my first response bag includes a variety of medications that I am allowed to administer in the field. This is precisely what United Hatzalah is meant to do: Have first responders go about their daily lives and when called upon, be ready to act to save lives. 

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment