The Taha Family Miracle
The father of the family suffered a heart attack at home - his children, MDA volunteers saved his life
That morning about two weeks ago, members of the Taha family from Kabul will never forget. The day started with the shouts of the mother of the family, who woke up her children in a panic because the father, Adel (51), lost consciousness and did not respond to her cries. Basel and Manar, his children immediately jumped out of bed and went into the bedroom to save his life.
Basel, a volunteer EMT at the MDA station in Kiryat Ata and his sister Manar, also a volunteer EMT at the MDA station in Tamra, immediately realized that their father's heart stopped beating, and took control of the situation. Alongside the concerns for their father's condition they provided compressions and intensive resuscitation operations, and were joined by MDA teams that arrived at the scene in an ambulance and an intensive care unit. In the end, after nerve-racking 40 minutes and seven electric shocks, his pulse returned and Adel was evacuated to the hospital, in stable condition. A few days after the severe incident, Adel returned home.
Basel Taha, an MDA EMT and Adel's son, said: "That morning we started to hear loud shouts from the bedroom, where we found our father unconscious and blue. My sister called an ambulance, my brother ran to a nearby mosque where a defibrillator was placed for the general public and we immediately started treatment. After seven electric shocks and 40-minute resuscitation, the pulse returned and we breathed a sigh of relief. A great miracle happened to us, a feeling that could not be described in words. We knew we were not going to give up and that there was no way anything bad could happen to Dad. At first we were confused but we took control of the situation very quickly and I am glad we were able to save it. Dad came home, smiling and unharmed. "I call on every person to enroll in an MDA first aid course to acquire the basic and important tools that can save another person's life. That is the difference between life and death."
Manar Taha, an MDA EMT and Adel's daughter, added: "It was not easy to function in such a case, but my brother and I and the MDA team who quickly arrived at the scene managed to save Dad and that is the most important thing. I had a hard time disconnecting my emotions and working, but there was no choice. Dad was a healthy person and this caught us by surprise and worried us greatly. Even though we managed to get the pulse back I was worried, because I did not know what the symptoms and consequences would be the day after - but thankfully Dad returned to routine and smiled at home. And we really feel relief and also pride - that thanks to our professional knowledge we saved Dad's life."
About the moments between life and death, the father of the family - Adal said: "I do not remember anything from that day, only when I woke up in the hospital I was told what happened and I did not believe it, a great miracle happened here. Thanks to my children I am alive."
