Avraham Levinger
IsraelSeen Exclusive – An Ambucycle Saves Two Lives In Two Days
Wednesday at 2:00 PM, Avraham Levinger (27) was on his way to his afternoon job teaching when he was alerted to a man who had fainted. On his ambucycle, he raced through the congested streets to arrive on site in under 60 seconds. A 50-year-old man lay unconscious on the ground. Together with another United Hatzalah medic, Levinger quickly checked the unconscious man, finding that he had not just fainted, he was pulseless.
The medics sprung into full blown CPR and radioed United Hatzalah dispatch for additional manpower plus an intensive care ambulance. Within minutes, another two United Hatzalah volunteers arrived and assisted with the intense chest compressions, systematic ventilations and four shocks from the defibrillator. The team’s efforts were critical in keeping oxygenated blood flowing to the man’s brain and vital organs during the 14-minute wait for the ambulance. Cardiac drugs were administered and the medics kept up the fight for the man’s life for another 15 minutes until his pulse suddenly returned. The patient was whisked away to the hospital in serious but stable condition.
The very next day at about 3:30 PM, a 52-year-old woman in the supermarket was checking out when in mid-purchase she collapsed to the floor. The cashier screamed, shoppers panicked and a level-headed worker called emergency services. Once again, the residents of Beit Shemesh saw Avraham on his speedy ambucycle flying through the local streets on his way to save a life. Arriving in 90 seconds, Avraham rapidly joined another United Hatzalah volunteer who had just begun CPR on the pulseless woman right there in the check-out aisle. Other medics arrived as well as the police, who distanced curious onlookers from the immediate area. Avraham attached the defibrillator pads and the device advised a shock. The woman’s body jerked from the powerful electric jolt, after which the medics resumed their rigorous CPR.
An ambulance arrived and the crew joined the battle for the relatively young woman’s life. Finally after 25 minutes of strenuous CPR and one more shock from the defibrillator, the team succeeded in restoring the woman’s pulse. The patient was stabilized before being rushed to the hospital for further emergency care. Avraham later heard that the woman had regained full consciousness and was scheduled to be released from the hospital this week.
“As a volunteer of United Hatzalah, I never have a “normal” day. I don’t know what emergencies I will get called out to and how painful those emergencies will be. I, therefore, always have to maintain a relaxed state of mind mixed with professionalism and readiness.
Many times the calls come in at the most inconvenient times but I still rush out to answer them hoping that it won’t mess up my plans too badly, but even when it does I don’t keep score. I go and try to provide whatever help I can. The moments of true satisfaction are sweetest when I get an instance of a successful CPR or I see the worry on the faces of the patients and their loved ones when I rush in and they know that someone who can help has arrived.
What really drives me, as a person who volunteers, is the encouragement and support that each that I, as well as my fellow volunteers, receive from the organization itself which supplies us with everything we need. I always hope that I will meet people at happy occasions, but even when it is during medical emergencies I try to greet everyone with a smile and help lift up their spirits as well as treat their injuries or illnesses.
