On Sunday morning, a 16-year-old autistic teenager went into cardiac arrest after suffering a seizure at an institute for autistic children in the town of Yarka. Staff at the institute immediately notified emergency services.

United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Moner Kawas received an alert about a seizure on his communication device. He quickly raced to the scene on his ambucycle, arriving in under three minutes. 

Kawas found the teenage boy unresponsive, not breathing, and without a pulse. Without hesitation, Kawas alerted United Hatzalah dispatch and initiated CPR. Staff members informed him of the patient’s history, which included a heart condition, and that the teenager had previously had a pacemaker installed. 

Additional EMTs quickly arrived on scene and assisted Kawas with administering chest compressions and assisted ventilation. Five minutes later, the Advanced Life Support ambulance team arrived. Paramedics attached a heart monitor and administered vital medications through an intravenous line while the EMTs continued CPR. 

After an intense 35 minutes of combined efforts to revive the patient, a pulse was successfully restored. The autistic teenager was rapidly transported to Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya for further medical care.

“It was a very moving experience,” reflected Kawas on the successful CPR. “I’m so happy I was able to help him.”