About a week ago, an MDA team was dispatched to treat a 13-year-old boy, who collapsed in Nahariya during a sports activity with his friends. When the team arrived, the boy was unconscious and without a pulse. In advanced resuscitation operations that included delivering electric shocks from a defibrillator, MDA paramedics were able to save his life.

The boys’ soccer game in Nahariya almost ended in tragedy. About a week ago, Eilon Gabriel Atel (13) and his friends met at a neighbourhood football game. Suddenly, in the middle of the game, Eilon grabbed his chest, suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed on the ground. His frightened friends called MDA’s 101 Emergency Dispatch Centre and with telephone guidance from the paramedic at the dispatch centre, began to provide him with primary medical assistance and perform basic resuscitation until MDA teams arrived.

Within minutes, an MDA ambulance and intensive care unit arrived at the scene – the teams began performing advanced resuscitation, which included chest compressions, medications and electric shocks from a defibrillator. After long minutes of resuscitation, the young boy’s heart re-started. MDA paramedics continued medical treatment while evacuating the boy to the hospital where doctors continued to fight for his life until he awoke and regained consciousness.

A senior MDA EMT, Feras Rayes, who arrived at the football field first, said: “As soon as I arrived at the field, I saw a young boy unconscious and the people who were there performing basic resuscitation operations under the guidance of the medic from the MDA dispatch centre. We started performing advanced resuscitation operations, and with the help of the team from the intensive care unit, we continued our efforts until his heart began beating on its own.

Amit Orenshten, an MDA paramedic, said: “We arrived at the scene with the MICU and continued the resuscitation operations. This is not a common situation to perform resuscitation operations on a young boy and we really fought for him. In the first few seconds after the electric shocks, I saw on the screen of the defibrillator that Eilon’s heart was beating again and we were all very relieved. His friends really shouted for joy on the pitch.” Amit added, “To see Eilon standing on his feet today is very exciting. As a paramedic at MDA, there is no better feeling than knowing that I have a part in Eilon returning to his family and smiling. ”

Meshi Atal, Eilon’s mother, said: “We have no words to thank the medic at the MDA dispatch centre who instructed those who were in Eilon’s area how to start performing the resuscitation operations and the teams that arrived quickly at the football field and brought  Eilon back to us. We have no doubt that without their dedicated care in the first and critical minutes Eilon would not have been with us today. The warm embrace of Feras and Amit who came to visit Eilon at the hospital even when he was unconscious gave us strength and helped us get through the difficult moments until Eilon woke up and came back to us. Thanks to them, we won him back. “