On Monday around 10:30 PM, a 50-year-old woman collapsed in her front yard in Ein Naqquba, an Israeli Arab village west of Jerusalem. Her children found her lying unresponsive on the ground and immediately called emergency services for help.
Samr Salama, a Muslim volunteer EMT for United Hatzalah, left his home, a few blocks away, and as soon as he got the notification, sped over on his ambucycle to be the first responder at the scene.
Upon his arrival, Samr connected his defibrillator to the pulseless woman and began to perform chest compressions. The woman’s family crowded around, worried and upset about their mother.
“Understandably, the family members would want to be present as I performed the resuscitation but it was incredibly frustrating for me, since they prevented me from working efficiently,” Samr said after the incident. “Many people don’t realize that the best thing they can do for their loved one is to stand back and let the trained EMTs do what they can to save the patient, instead of trying to get involved. I was trying to tell this to the family because it was quite chaotic.”
Other United Hatzalah volunteers arrived a few minutes in, including Dovi Bash, a volunteer EMT from the nearby town of Kiryat Ye’arim. He was in the synagogue at the time of the incident and rode over on his ambucycle as fast as he could to help with the resuscitation.
The volunteer EMTs performed compressions and ventilating with a BVM (bag valve mask) for around 10 minutes but the defibrillator still hadn’t detected a heart rhythm in order to administer a shock. As the time continued to pass, some of the team members’ hopes for a successful resuscitation started to wane.
An intense care ambulance arrived at the scene and the paramedic administered medications and fluids to the patient via an IV. The paramedic attached a heart monitor which showed that the patient’s pulse returned to a steady rhythm of 140 bpm. The team was relieved and excited that they had just witnessed a miracle.
The woman was fitted with a non-rebreather oxygen mask and transferred into the ambulance to be taken to the hospital for further care and recovery.
“I would like to point out the incredible teamwork that took place between all of the EMS personnel at the scene,” Dovi said. “In general, I am always pleased that the United Hatzalah volunteers, and the patients that we treat, come from all different races and religions and that we work together as a team with no discrimination. It always feels good to go home for the night after saving a life.”
Samr Salama said after the incident: “This was one of the hardest resuscitations I’ve been a part of, but I’m just happy that the resuscitation went smoothly and that the woman is okay and I thank my fellow responders for joining me in saving her life.”