On Sunday afternoon at around 12:30 in Herzliya, an 86-year-old woman lost consciousness in her bedroom. The woman had just finished eating lunch with her daughter and granddaughter and excused herself because she was feeling unwell. The granddaughter immediately called emergency services when she saw that her grandmother was lying unresponsive on the floor of her bedroom and then proceeded to perform a guided CPR with a dispatcher on the line, while EMTs were on their way over.
United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Uriel Rosner was at home a few doors down. As soon as he received the alert that a woman needed help, he ran outside to retrieve his medical kit from his car, then continued running down the street and up the stairs into the apartment of the unconscious victim.
On the other side of town, United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Shalom Zohar was in the middle of work, but he, too, stopped whatever he was doing, jumped onto his ambucycle, and sped to the scene as soon as his communication device had gone off.
Uriel arrived first and found the granddaughter performing chest compressions. She was visibly shaken up and distressed. Once Uriel stepped through the doorway, ready to help, the young woman’s stress level lessened and she let the trained EMT take over.
When Shalom arrived, just a minute later, the EMTs carried the elderly woman out of the bedroom to the living room floor, where there was more space to perform the resuscitation.
For the next 15 minutes, everyone’s efforts were poured into the CPR process. The EMTs performed chest compressions, pushing oxygen into the woman’s lungs. During these procedures, an intensive care ambulance arrived with three paramedics on board. They assisted the EMTs with the more advanced treatments and administered medications through an IV.
All the while, the two women stood on the side somberly, in tears, waiting to hear good news about their dear mother and grandmother. They were overjoyed when the medical personnel finally found a steady pulse.
The woman was still unconscious as they transferred her carefully onto a chair and carried her down several flights of stairs, into the ambulance.
“People this age have a lesser chance of being successfully resuscitated than a younger person, and I am less frequently part of successful CPRs involving elderly people, so it was surprising and inspiring when we succeeded at bringing her pulse back,” Shalom said after the incident. “The group worked together smoothly and the Paramedic even thanked all the attendees for their help as we were packing up to leave. With plenty of prayers, the woman will hopefully make a full recovery soon.”
“This CPR left me with the amazing feeling of life-saving,” recalled Uriel, “In cases like this, the early first response makes the difference between life and death. I feel fortunate that I was here to help this woman so she can celebrate many more happy years with her family.”
