One afternoon, 63-year-old Simcha Guetta collapsed while waiting in line to pay at her local Givatayim supermarket. Guetta’s heart had stopped beating and she lost consciousness.
Another shopper saw what happened and called Magen David Adom for help. MDA instructed him on how to perform chest massages on Guetta while dispatching a Mobile Intensive Care Unit (MICU) to the store.
The employees knew Guetta, a regular shopper at the supermarket, and hadn’t noticed anything unusual about her that day.
MDA EMTs arrived first on Medicycles and continued advanced resuscitation efforts, including administering two electric shocks from a defibrillator, until Guetta’s heart began to beat again.
A MICU came moments later, staffed by Dr. Kobi Shaham, director of the cardiac intensive care unit at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center – Ichilov, paramedic Nir Grossbard, and EMT Raz Yosef, and brought Guetta to the hospital in critical condition.
Fortunately, Guetta made a full recovery at the hospital and is back home with her family. She invited the MDA team who saved her life to her home to thank them.
“I never thought that something like this could happen to me,” Guetta exclaimed at the reunion.
“When someone goes into cardiac arrest, every second is critical,” said Grossbard. “We are happy to see you smiling and to know that you have returned to your life and family. We wish you a long and happy life.”
“I thank the Creator for keeping me in His world and I thank you for coming quickly and saving my life,” Guetta said to the MDA team at the joyous reunion. “You are simply amazing.”
