During a routine ambulance shift in Tel Aviv, MDA youth volunteer Ido Edelheit (15) noticed a bus loaded with dozens of children and teenagers that was stopped in the middle of the intersection on Derech Hahagana Street and realized that the driver was in medical distress. Thanks to Ido’s alertness and the team stopping their journey to provide immediate medical treatment - the life of the bus driver was saved.

Edelheit saw the bus driver clutching at his chest in distress, so the ambulance team stopped immediately alongside the bus and called MDA's 101 Dispatch Center to request a Mobile Intensive Care Unit (MICU). As they attached the monitor and immediately began medical tests and initial treatment, they realized that the driver was in the throes of an acute cardiac event. During their treatment, the bus driver collapsed and lost consciousness. Edelheit and the team began to provide CPR and gave two shocks using their defibrillator. Moments later, the MICU team arrived on scene, with Paramedic Simcha Simandoev and Senior EMT Moshe Sassi who continued with advanced medical treatment, which included 11 more electric shocks - thanks to which the bus driver regained consciousness and was referred for further treatment to hospital where he underwent angioplasty to treat the blocked artery in his heart.

A few days ago, the bus driver and his daughter surprised the team who saved his life at the MDA station in Tel Aviv. He presented them with an emotional thank you letter in which he wrote: "A huge thank you from my heart, yes from the very same heart that beats in my body thanks to you. You are the angels sent from heaven on a mission to save my life and you succeeded. You fought for my life for 20 minutes while giving 13 electric shocks and did not give up. You continued with critical life-saving actions until you got my life back. I am alive thanks to your help, and for that I thank you from the bottom of my heart."

MDA youth volunteer, Ido Edelheit: "In the middle of a routine journey, I suddenly saw the bus driver out of the corner of my eye and noticed he was in distress. We stopped the ambulance and immediately called for more resources, and during the treatment he collapsed and we started to perform CPR. It was the first time I did it and we worked together as a team just as I had learned. After the MICU arrived and continued the treatment - we heard over the radio that the patient regained full consciousness and we immediately jumped for joy. It was a very happy and special moment. The efforts paid off and together we managed to save a life."

MDA Paramedic Simcha Simandoev, from the MICU team: "We fought for the life of the bus driver with all the means at our disposal, we carried out prolonged resuscitation efforts that included 13 electric shocks, at the end of which he regained full consciousness. A few days ago, I suddenly saw him standing in front of me at the station. This is a special and very exciting closure to the story. "His daughter's smile and the look on her face as she stood by his side gives us the strength to keep going."

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