On Saturday night, just after 10:30 p.m., a man in his late 60s in the neighborhood of Silwan in east Jerusalem suffered a sudden cardiac arrest. His worried family members called emergency services for help.  

United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Ameer Awesat, who runs his own ambulance company called Nuran Ambulance, was driving by the Lion’s Gate of the old city when he received the alert notifying him that he was one of the closest first responders to the emergency. 

Ameer quickly informed dispatch that he was en route, flicked on his lights and sirens, and rushed over to the emergency. He arrived a few moments later and was the first medical responder at the scene. 

Upon entering the home where the collapsed man was, Ameer did a quick assessment and informed dispatch that he was beginning CPR. “The man was unconscious and without a pulse,” Ameer recalled. “Another ambulance arrived shortly after me and we worked together, alternating between administering chest compressions and assisted ventilation. We opened an intravenous line and administered medications with the team from the mobile intensive care unit (MICU) that arrived a short time later. We fought hard to save this man and after 25 minutes we were rewarded as his pulse came back to a steady rhythm.”

Once the man’s condition was stable enough for transport he was placed in the MICU and taken to the hospital. 

“I’ve been an EMT for seven years now and every emergency that I respond to is different,” Ameer reflected. “I spend my days helping people who suffer medical emergencies, this is what I have dedicated my life to do both professionally and as a volunteer. It gives me a sense of satisfaction that I haven’t found anywhere else. I am glad that I do this and I am happy to help others. I do my best and I try to save everyone I can.” 

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