In addition to using regulars cars, ambucycles, ATVs, and other vehicles, United Hatzalah first responders also use electric bicycles.  Elie Becher is one such electric bicycle rider. Through his own struggles with Crohn’s Disease, Elie was inspired to study medicine and help others. At the tender age of 20, he spends his days volunteering as a medic and working as a dispatcher at United Hatzalah’s Jerusalem headquarters.

This past Friday night, an elderly woman collapsed and lost consciousness after choking on something she ate. Elie was fast asleep when he awoke to the urgent call from United Hatzalah dispatch. Elie leaped out of bed, slipped on some shoes and dashed outside to his E-bike. He zoomed through the Bet Hakerem backstreets, arriving on location three-minutes later.

An ambucycle medic joined Elie at the scene to assist with rescue efforts. Hurrying inside, the pair found the 80-year-old patient unconscious, with no sign of breath or pulse. Elie and his colleague initiated emergency resuscitation protocol, interspersing chest compressions with assisted ventilations. A paramedic joined the United Hatzalah volunteers on location and focused on removing the foreign object, as the EMTs continued with CPR. Eventually, the combined team managed to secure a clear airway and restore a steady pulse. The elderly woman was loaded into an arriving ambulance and evacuated to the emergency room.

Starting comprehensive CPR and re-oxygenating blood flow so close to the moment of collapse was a critical factor in saving this woman’s life. Elie’s emergency rescue provided by a generous donor to United Hatzalah made Elie’s rapid intervention possible.