MDA israel

Just two months ago, Maya Shapiro Sterlin (15) from Bat Yam completed the MDA first aid course and became a volunteer in the organization. Three weeks ago when she was at a store on Balfour Street in Bat Yam, she heard calls for help on the street - and wanted to help.

When she arrived at the scene, Maya saw Shmuel Levy, 79, unconscious, with no pulse and not breathing, with a bystander receiving a telephone instructions from Meital Bergman, a medic at MDA’s 101 Emergency Call Center and performing basic CPR using an MDA defibrillator from a nearby lottery booth. Maya identified herself as an MDA volunteer and took control of the incident, began performing chest compressions and gave an electric shock from the defibrillator device.

Meital Bergman, medic at MDA's 101 Emergency Call Center: "I answered an emergency call in which a man was reported unconscious and in cardiac arrest on a street in Bat Yam. I immediately began to instruct the caller to perform CPR while instructing them to also bring the closest AED which was on a lottery station just a few buildings away. During the conversation, I realized that there was an MDA youth volunteer giving instructions to the citizens and performing the resuscitation."

Maya Shapiro Sterlin, MDA volunteer from Bat Yam station: "I came out of a store on the street, I heard someone shouting 'CPR is being done on him' and I immediately ran to the scene. I replaced the citizen who performed the resuscitation and with the help of the defibrillator they brought from the nearby lottery booth I gave electric shocks. I continued the resuscitation and together with the MDA First Responders and the MICU team, we really fought for Shmuel's life. When his heart beat again, I was really excited, I realized that I had saved a life."

Shmuel, who was evacuated by MDA MICU at the hospital, recovered and returned to his home in Bat Yam. Last week Maya first met Shmuel Levy and his family at their home while he was conscious and smiling. "I am very happy that I was able to save a life and that I functioned professionally and quickly in the field, even though I am new to MDA. The assistance of the citizens in the first moments was amazing and exciting, everyone was attentive to help. I hope that now more people will recognize the importance of the defibrillator device in the public area and learn how to perform CPR. "Maya concluded

Shmuel, who was very moved by the meeting, hugged Maya and thanked her: "Thanks to you I am here, thanks to the MDA team, thank G-D, thanks to the citizens who helped me and thanks to the dedicated care I received from the staff at Wolfson Hospital. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I am speechless . Now I'm fine.” Samuel's family were very excited to meet Maya, thanked her for saving the father's life and said excitedly: "Congratulations on bringing us back the most important person in our lives. You are a champion!"