the photo is of Moshe Mizrachi holding a defibrillator that he used in the CPR
IsraelSeen Exclusive – Answering the Call Of Duty
So what’s it like to be an EMS volunteer? Is it a position that is filled with glory or action and adventure? Perhaps. Although most of the time it is a position that can be lonely and make you even lonelier when you have to leave your warm bed in the middle of the night to rush out when you would much rather be sleeping. There are no accolades on a 3:00 a.m. drive across your neighborhood to help treat an ill patient. There are no cheering crowds, just you fighting the exhaustion you feel and feeding off of enough adrenaline in order to do what needs to be done.
This is the situation that was faced by Moshe Mizrachi, a father of four who lives in Givon, just before 3:00 a.m. on Monday morning. “I got an emergency call that there was a minor injury nearby. I had just gotten into bed after a long day’s work and new had to leave it again. I got dressed, got to my car and raced over to the address and arrived in three minutes. I found the person had a full heart attack and was unconscious on the floor with a head injury. I attached a defibrillator and began CPR. The defibrillator did not give a shock and I requested backup from the dispatch center.”
Mizrachi continued his recounting of events the lead up to eventually saving the man’s life. “I was performing CPR on a man I didn’t know by myself for about six minutes before the next United Hatzalah volunteer arrived. At that point, other EMS personnel joined and we began to work together as a team. The first ambulance arrived after 10 minutes and the ICU ambulance arrived after 15 minutes. It was a long time to be doing CPR alone, but I kept thinking to myself that I will do everything I can to make sure that this man can see another day.”
After 58 minutes of intensive CPR with all teams working together, the patient regained a pulse. He was then transported to the hospital in stable condition.
“To get up in the middle of the night thinking that I was about to simply help an older citizen get up and back into his bed and then finding out that I was responsible for bringing him back to life is something that I will never forget,” said Mizrachi.
Moshe has been a volunteer EMT with United Hatzalah for the past five years and has performed more than 30 successful CPRs in that time. “You never really forget any of them,” he said. “Every time you succeed at saving someone’s life, it is a remarkable and memorable thing.”
“I think to myself, that had I not gotten myself out of bed this person would be dead right now and that because of the little effort it took me, they have another chance at life. That is a great feeling and a great responsibility. You never know what you will find at an emergency call, so you have to go to all of them no matter what else you might be doing. Our credo is that no one should have to wait needlessly for medical assistance.”
Mizrachi concluded his reflection on the incident and said: “On Monday morning I went back to sleep with the satisfied feeling of knowing that tonight I have made a difference for this man, his family, his friends and his world.”
