Modi’in: Teenage MDA Volunteer Saves Classmate In Cardiac Arrest Using Defibrillator

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — In a remarkable lifesaving incident which occurred Wednesday morning in the town of Modi’in, a teenager who volunteers in Magen David Adom(MDA) was able to save his classmate from certain death by using a defibrillator to resuscitate him.

The youth had been performing athletics during a physical education class when he collapsed unconscious on the ground. Panicked friends cried out for help and Guy Alon, who volunteers in MDA’s youth program, raced to help and found his classmate on the floor.

“I saw my friend lying unconscious and performed medical tests as I had learned in the MDA course. I realized that he had no pulse or breathing,” Guy recalled. “We called MDA to bring a Mobile Intensive Care Unit and I started resuscitation with telephone assistance from our command center.

“I knew that every second was critical and that he needed to get an electric shock from a defibrillator. From my recollection of the school I knew that there was a defibrillator tens of meters away, at the entrance to the gym. I connected the defibrillator and administered a shock. I continued chest compressions and after an extremely enervating minute, I felt the pulse return- and my classmate regained consciousness.”

Guy said that the ambulance arrived a few minutes later and his friend was taken to hospital fully conscious. “The simple actions of performing resuscitation and the importance of a defibrillator are things that everyone must know – it’s the difference between life and death and due to my knowledge I was able to save a life today.”