On Wednesday afternoon, a man complained of difficulty breathing and collapsed moments later in his house in Jerusalem. His daughter immediately alerted emergency services.

United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Giovanni Facouseh was nearby when he was alerted by the organization’s dispatch. He immediately drove to the location of the emergency. He arrived within 3 minutes at the scene, where he found the patient, in his 80s, on the floor, while a family member was performing chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. 

Giovanni checked vitals and found that the man wasn’t breathing and had no pulse. With no equipment on him, he took over performing chest compressions and reported back to dispatch, requesting that more responders be sent to the scene. 

A few minutes later, another first responder arrived at the scene with medical equipment. The pair attached a defibrillator and a bag valve mask to provide assisted ventilation. After three rounds of CPR, an intensive care crew joined the effort and attached a heart monitor, administering electric shocks and medication. Following the third shock, the man’s pulse was restored. He was transported to the hospital for further treatment.

“This was possible thanks to the fast response of the man’s relative and my quick arrival at the scene,” Giovanni reflected after the scene. “I’m glad we were able to restore the man’s pulse and hope he fully recovers.”