Yesterday afternoon, a man in Herzliya arrived to pick up his daughter from preschool, when he discovered that the little girl had broken out in a rash with a swollen tongue. The girl was coughing repeatedly and showed worrying signs of suffering a severe allergic reaction. He called emergency services for help. 

Shalom was at work nearby when his United Hatzalah communications device started beeping with the urgent alert. With the clock ticking, Shalom dashed outside to his ambucycle and raced to the given location. When he arrived he was the first responder at the scene.

The patient’s panicked father was just buckling his daughter into the car in a desperate attempt to race to the emergency room and get her medical attention as quickly as possible. Shalom approached the vehicle and alerted the man that he was there to help. Shalom quickly assessed the 4-year-old child and saw that she was in the throes of an anaphylactic response. Shalom took out an Epipen that had been recently donated from his medical kit, and administered the dose of epinephrine. He then calmed the little girl and her father as he monitored vital signs.

Within moments, the patient’s breathing began to ease, her coughing subsided, and her complexion returned to a healthier hue. Shalom reassured the little girl and her father that the immediate danger had passed as he prepared them for medical transport to the hospital. When the intensive care ambulance arrived, Shalom updated the crew and the patient was transported to the hospital for further observation.

After the incident Shalom said, “In situations such as these, every second counts. I am thankful that I received one of the EpiPens that was recently donated to the organization. This tool enabled me to help save this young girl’s life. It is such an important tool in these instances, simple but important, and it is imperative that anyone with strong allergies carries one at all times.” 

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