MDA israel

In the midst of the Maccabiah Games last month, during a match in Netanya against Colombia, an Australian player collapsed. An MDA team – EMTs Shoval Katzin and Izhak Perez who were on standby for the match noticed the disturbance on the pitch and rushed to the soccer player’s aid. Following a rapid assessment, they realized that the patient was in cardiac arrest and required immediate treatment, while calling for a mobile intensive care unit MICU to the scene.

Shoval and Izhak immediately began CPR and used a defibrillator. They gave the Australian sportsman two electrical shocks with the defibrillator, which restarted his heart. By the time the MICU team arrived with Paramedics Israel Dahari, Orianne Lucatz and Tomer Kahlberg, the patient had already regained consciousness.

The MICU Paramedics rushed him to Laniado Hospital, while informing the cardiac catheterization lab that they were on their way. The Australian athlete was conscious in the MICU, communicated with the team – and discovers that he had been given his life back. On the way to the cardiac ward the Paramedics promised that they would meet their patient again.

This week it happened – the MDA team and the Australian soccer player, along with his wife – met again, bringing a sense of closure to the incident. The MDA team were also presented with official Maccabiah shirts.

“I don’t remember what happened,” said the Australian soccer player during the meeting. “But I was given a minute by minute summary of the events, and how I was lucky to get my life back in the middle of the soccer pitch. You brought me back to life and we will forever be connected. The biggest thanks is to all of you, you are amazing, and thank you very much.”

MDA EMT Shoval Katzin: “After he collapsed we ran over to him with all our equipment. We saw that there was a great deal of unrest around him, and as we tried to understand what was happening, we realized that he was in cardiac arrest and began CPR. We attached him to the defibrillator within seconds. He received one shock, then another, and then he suddenly regained consciousness and woke up, which was amazing. Without the defibrillator this would have been a very different story, this is what gave him his life back. To meet him and his wife today – after we promised him that we’d meet again – there’s nothing more exciting than that.”

MDA Paramedic Orianne Lucatz: “I am so excited to see you standing on your own two feet here today. I remember your worry in the MICU that you and your family almost lost you, and today, as you stand here with your wife and children who know that you’ll soon be heading home, that gives us – the Paramedic team – the strength to keep going and save more lives. We all hope to meet you on the field at the next Maccabiah Games in 4 years’ time.”

The Maccabiah management couldn’t remain unmoved by the MDA team’s actions at the event, and invited them to a short ceremony where they were presented with medals by Maccabiah CEO Roy Hessing.

Roy Hessing, Maccabiah CEO: “On behalf of the Australian team, and the whole Maccabiah, we want to say thank you for saving a life. What we saw on the soccer pitch moved all of us, and that just shows the great work that you do. We are all here to applaud and say a big thank you.”