Stories From the Streets: A Lifesaving Delay

Roi Ido is a United Hatzalah volunteer from the city of Kfar Saba. At 7:50 on a recent Tuesday morning, he headed out of his home on his way to work. Already upset that he was delayed by a few minutes, he ended up stuck in traffic. While waiting for the congestion to disperse, Ido received an emergency alert from his communications device. He glanced quickly at it and recognized the address immediately—it was his own. Knowing his father was ill with terminal heart disease, Ido turned around as fast as he could and called his mother to ask what had happened.

Ido’s 78-year-old father had suffered a stroke and collapsed onto the floor minutes after Ido left. Upon arriving back at his house, Ido was met by his older brother outside. The brother urged Ido to hurry and told him two other EMS personnel had just arrived as well.

“I remember the moments driving back to the house,” says Ido. “It was an EMT’s worst nightmare. I remember preparing myself for the CPR I was about to do—CPR on my own father. I decided to keep the emotions aside, since my father’s health was the most important thing and top priority for me. I knew I had to clear my head and provide my father with the best care I could.”

Ido ran into the house and found his unconscious father, a United Hatzalah paramedic, and an additional EMT. The two EMTs began chest compressions and assisted breathing as the paramedic began attaching a defibrillator. After two minutes of chest compressions, the defibrillator did not advise a shock. After two more rounds, each an additional two minutes, an ambulance crew arrived and joined the CPR efforts. 

When the room became too crowded to work, rescuers moved Ido’s father carefully to the living room while continuing compressions. As soon as they put him down, the defibrillator finally advised a shock. After they gave it a mobile intensive care ambulance arrived at the scene and prepared Ido’s father for transport.

Ido told the MICU crew he was not leaving his father’s side, and so he drove with the ambulance and his father to the nearest hospital. On the way the CPR efforts continued, and after a few minutes the 78-year-old patient’s pulse returned. Soon Ido’s father began to regain consciousness. 

“I still have a hard time processing what happened,” adds Ido. “On top of everything, I was due to leave for work earlier to beat the traffic that starts because of a nearby school. Only because I was delayed on my way out was I stuck in traffic, and only because of that was I close enough to return home and help save my father’s life.”

Raphael Poch is the international media spokesperson for United Hatzalah.