On October 8, 2023, Fayez al-Qalani arrived at his local clinic in Majdal Shams with chest pains. It was the day after the horrific Hamas attacks on Israel, and the situation in the north was beginning to get worse.
Al-Qalani, then, just 33 years old, had suffered cardiac arrest and collapsed in the clinic. The clinic called Magen David Adom, and a team quickly arrived. Paramedic Fouad Abd Aluli, senior EMT Essam Massoud, and EMT Hussein Sha’er performed advanced resuscitation along with the clinic’s medical team. They administered two electric shocks from a defibrillator and saved his life.
While he Al-Qalani was recovering, he began thinking about training to volunteer with MDA to express his gratitude for having saved his life. As the border between Israel and Lebanon heated up, so did Al-Qalani’s interest in volunteering. In January, Al-Qalani started a course for first aid responders in Majdal Shams, which he successfully completed.
When a Hezbollah missile fell on a field during a children’s soccer game in July, Al-Qalani left his home as soon as the sirens sounded to volunteer with MDA. He cared for children who had been hurt by the explosion, some of whom he knew personally. The missile claimed the lives of 12 children and teenagers.
“I was one of the first to come to the field. I gave medical treatment to children I know personally and their faces won’t leave my head,” Al-Qalani shared. “Every time I pass by the field, it brings back bad memories of that day.”
Now Al-Qalani is a regular volunteer at MDA’s station in Majdal Shams. He provides medical assistance, helps saves lives, and works with the MDA team that saved his life when he himself suffered cardiac arrest.
“The cardiac arrest I suffered changed my life. From that day on, I wanted to help and contribute as much as the MDA team helped me,” said Al-Qalani.
“I thank the MDA team for saving me and more than thank them for helping me make the decision to volunteer at MDA and help save lives,” Al-Qalani continued.
“Volunteering fills me, and now I am in the process of training to become an EMT and ambulance driver.”
