Seventy-four-year-old Asher Kassus began to feel unwell during Friday evening Shabbat prayers at his local Kiryat Yam synagogue. He walked home, lay down, and hoped the discomfort would pass. When he didn’t feel better, Kassus went upstairs to ask his neighbor for help.
A moment later, Kassus went into cardiac arrest and collapsed onto his neighbor’s floor. Thankfully, his neighbor knew to contact Magen David Adom for help. The call was answered by senior EMT Shlomi Filo who guided the neighbor in giving Kassus CPR while dispatching an ambulance to the apartment building. “In cases of cardiac arrest, we must act quickly to increase the patient’s chances of survival. CPR can make the difference between life and death,” said Filo.
Soon, an MDA intensive care team, led by paramedic Fatima Hazaboun, and comprised of senior EMT and paramedic student Mustafa Shehadeh and senior paramedic Amer Faratawi, arrived to perform advanced resuscitation.
While the MDA team was working diligently to save Kassus’ life, sirens alerting them of incoming missiles from Lebanon sounded throughout the evening. Operation Roaring Lion was still in full force. Hazaboun sent the neighbors to a protected area but kept her team on site. They administered six electric shocks from a defibrillator to Kassus.
“In those moments, the sirens and the interceptions that shook the house did not interest us. All we hoped to hear was Asher’s pulse coming back, and in the end, after a lot of effort, it happened,” she reflected. “When his condition stabilized and the sirens stopped, we brought him to the hospital’s intensive care unit for further treatment.”
After a long hospitalization and recovery, Kassus was discharged and reunited with the MDA team that saved his life. When he finally met the MDA medics, his gratitude was immediate and overwhelming.
“I don’t have enough words to describe how thankful I am to you. Thanks to you, I am here,” Kassus said to the medics. “Continue your blessed work and save lives as you saved mine. It’s reassuring to know we can all rely on MDA,” he told them.
The reunion took place a few days before there was a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
When sirens sounded in Kiryat Yam during the gathering, Kassus walked to the protected area alongside the MDA team.
“In a way, it’s a kind of closure to stand with you here in the safe room,” the MDA medics said to Kassus. “We’re happy we had the privilege of saving you, and more than that, we’re happy to see you smile and know that you’ve returned to your family.”
