On Sunday, a yeshiva student was in the middle of shiur on Ben Uziel Street, in Elad, when suddenly he got an allergic reaction due to coming in contact with peaches to which he is severely allergic. United Hatzalah Dispatch and Command center got the call regarding the emergency and alerted all first responders in the vicinity.

Mordechai Shimoni, a volunteer EMT with the organization, was in his minivan nearby when his communications device began to sound alerting Mordechai to the emergency nearby. Mordechai immediately drove to the scene where he found the yeshiva student suffering from severe swelling and a bad rash on his back. The yeshiva student was able to tell Mordechai that he had the sensation of scorching and burning all over.

Mordechai asked that a mobile intensive care ambulance be sent to the scene. At the same time, Mordechai injected the young man with an EpiPen auto-injection device. Just a few moments passed and the yeshiva students’ swelling subsided and his situation stabilized. When the ambulance arrived the young man was taken to the hospital for continuing treatment and observation.

Mordechai stated after the incident: ‘’The anaphylactic reaction the yeshiva student had was severe but wasn’t the worst that I’ve treated. The worst anaphylactic reaction I saw took place this past Purim and almost killed the patient. In that situation, if I hadn’t injected him with an EpiPen he would’ve died minutes later.’’

The incident on Purim took place early in the morning when Mordechai’s proximity alert went off at 4 a.m. Mordechai was at home sleeping and the incident took place near his home. Mordechai rushed over to the scene and saw a man with severe swelling on his face and body. The patient couldn’t walk or even open his eyes. A doctor arrived to join Mordechai and treat the patient. Mordechai, after consulting with the doctor, didn’t want to wait any longer and injected the patient with an EpiPen. After a few short moments the patient’s swelling went down and the immediate danger passed. The ambulance arrived not long after and transferred the man to the hospital.

Mordechai added; ‘’I know how effective the EpiPen injection is and how fast it works on this kind of reaction. When I arrive at a scene I always try to provide medical treatment as soon as possible so the patient will stay stable. An EpiPen is a necessity to have and saves many lives.”

To equip more volunteers such as Mordechai with an EpiPen, please click here.