Just over a week ago, a complex plan was undertaken to bring an Israeli woman home to Israel after a severe asthma attack in Chicago that left her in a vegetative state. The plan was able to occur thanks in part to the free ambulance transport that the patient received after landing in Israel.

During the original asthma attack, the woman had called Chicago Hatzolah for help. Upon the arrival of the EMTs, the woman collapsed, lost consciousness, and was saved by the efforts of the Chicago Hatzolah first responders. However, when she recovered, she was in a vegetative state.

As the woman is an Israeli citizen, her family requested that she be transported to Israel, for further medical care. Having spent what little savings they had on arranging a flight for the woman to come home, the family was left with no financial means to arrange for transport once she landed on the ground in Israel. The family turned to United Hatzalah of Israel for assistance.

Without hesitation, arrangements for ambulance transport from the airport to Shaare Zedek hospital were agreed upon, with no expense being charged to the family. United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Chani Vaknin and Director of Medical Services Avi Marcus, agreed to do the transport and drive to Ben Gurion airport to pick up the woman and bring her to Shaare Zedek.

The woman was accompanied on the plane by David Sofer, a paramedic living in New York City, who received a call from a friend in Chicago explaining the situation. David is a frequent provider of medical service flights and agreed to accompany the woman while she was on the plane. Together with a physician who had been monitoring the woman in Chicago, David flew with the woman to Israel, provided her with constant oxygen and other necessary medical treatments to ensure her state of health while en route to her home country.

Upon landing on the tarmac, the woman, together with David and the accompanying physician, were met by Chani and Avi who brought with them one of United Hatzalah’s fully equipped mobile intensive care ambulances. Once she deboarded the plane, she was immediately put on the ambulance and transferred to Shaare Zedek hospital. When the ambulance pulled up to the hospital the family members of the woman eagerly greeted their relative and thanked the United Hatzalah volunteers for their service.

“The woman in question was in a vegetative state,” said Avi. “There wasn’t much we could do to improve her situation. Despite that, we still offered her the best service we could. It is instances such as these that accurately represent the values and the meaning of United Hatzalah. We provide a service, free of charge, in the hopes that we can help people in need. Pulling together an elaborate plan all for the safe transport of one elderly woman is typical behavior for the organization, whose mission statement includes the idea that every person deserves the highest level of medical care and assistance, and that they should receive it free of charge.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)