“I will never forget the image of my daughter choking before my very eyes.” This statement was made recently by Yisrael Amar, a United Hatzalah volunteer who decided to become a volunteer EMT and first responder because of a personal story that almost ended in tragedy. His grandmother collapsed spontaneously and the first ones to arrive to provide aid for her were volunteer EMS personnel from United Hatzalah.
“I began the training course to become an EMT, and approximately two weeks after we learned how to treat a choking victim, I myself experienced something which I will never forget,” Yisrael relayed. “My own daughter, Tohar, who was only two years old at the time, choked on a piece of plastic. She turned blue and lost consciousness because she could not breathe. Within seconds I performed the maneuvers we learned in the course and I succeeded at dislodging the piece of plastic from her windpipe. She began to breathe once again and she slowly regained consciousness. I saved my own daughter’s life. I continued with the training and after 7 months of intensive work I was certified as an EMT.”
Today, Amar volunteers as an EMT on the streets of Rehovot and the surrounding area. “I have saved lives on many occasions. It is a tremendous feeling, one which I cannot fully explain. But even before I went out to save others, I believe that I received some divine inspiration to take this training course, because it was due to the knowledge which I gained there that I was able to save my daughter who is more valuable to me than anything else.”
President and Founder of United Hatzalah, Eli Beer said: “Each and every one of our 3,500 volunteers has a story that inspired them to become a volunteer EMS responder, whether it was someone close to them who died, or was saved, or they saw a medical emergency occur and wanted to help, or they simply always felt a longing to help others in need. Each story is important in its own right, but together, our volunteers make up the fastest network of medical responders in the world. These are not stories about one person or one medical incident. These stories have become the fabric of the millions of lives that have been touched by United Hatzalah volunteers who help others because of their own personal stories. Now it is your turn to help. Please help our volunteers make sure that stories of medical emergencies have as many happy endings as possible.”
To Donate to United Hatzalah please click here: https://israelrescue.org/donate.php
