Or Akiva resident Michel Vaknin was driving near the Holot interchange one afternoon when he suddenly slumped over the wheel, his foot still pressed against the accelerator. His car careened off the road into a guardrail. The 70-year-old had gone into cardiac arrest behind the wheel.
What seemed like a simple single-car accident was actually something far more serious. When a bystander called Magen David Adom’s emergency hotline, the dispatcher quickly recognized the signs of a cardiac event and began providing CPR instructions over the phone while simultaneously deploying a Mobile Intensive Care Unit (MICU).
The first responder to reach Vaknin was Zvika Lerer, an EMT. When the alert came through, Lerer was in the middle of grocery shopping, but he didn’t hesitate. He abandoned his cart and raced to help on his yellow MDA Medicycle.
“I knew right away this wasn’t a typical traffic accident,” Lerer recalled. Working alongside an MDA paramedic, he administered advanced CPR and delivered two electric shocks with a defibrillator. After their efforts restored Vaknin’s heartbeat, he was rushed to the hospital in a MICU.
Weeks later, the two men had an emotional reunion at Vaknin’s home after his recovery in the hospital. “I’ve performed CPR countless times in my career,” Lerer said, “but moments like this are rare. Seeing you here, smiling, and surrounded by your family fills me with joy.”
Vaknin, overwhelmed with gratitude, could barely contain his emotions. “You’re excited? I can’t even begin to express what I’m feeling,” he said. “I recited Birkat HaGomel (the blessing commonly said after recovering from serious illness) after the incident, but ever since that day, I’ve been including blessings for you in my daily prayers. Thank you. Truly, thank you.”
