HADASSAH NURSES SAVE LIVES – ANY TIME, ANY PLACE

HADASSAH HEROES BLOG BY:

HAYA SUBHI, SURGICAL NURSE, HADASSAH HOSPITAL, EIN KEREM

“It started out as a normal, ordinary day, and ended up as a day that was so incredibly special that I will not forget it for the rest of my life…

I was leaving after a workout at the Sports Centre, when suddenly I saw a lot of people standing around a man who had collapsed on the ground. I asked if everything was okay and if they needed help, and explained that I was a nurse at Hadassah.

Immediately, the people made room for me to get in. I saw a man lying on the ground, lying on his side. Right away, I started to do what I was taught, and what I already do almost automatically.

I provided assistance. I treated. I saved.
I turned the man over on his back and checked. He had no pulse. Boom! CPR.

I wasn’t in the hospital, and was in a completely different situation than I’m usually in, but my mind and body knew what to do. I started cardiac massage, while the off-duty lifeguard ran to get a defibrillator. We quickly connected the device and after two rounds of electric shocks – between which I continued cardiac compressions – we managed to get the man’s pulse back! After a few minutes, an ambulance arrived and took the man to the hospital.

When I got home, I tried to unwind, and recuperate from the crazy experience that I had. It was very different from most of my experiences at the hospital. I told my family and friends that I had saved someone’s life, but all the while, I wondered: What had happened to the man?

A few days later, his family contacted me through a Facebook post. They had been trying to find out who I was and friends of mine, who had heard the story from me, saw their post and made the connection.

We talked on the telephone and that’s when I first heard his name: Dr. Eliezer Be’eri – he is the Deputy Director of Alyn Hospital Paediatric & Adolescent Rehabilitation Centre and the Head of the Respiratory Rehabilitation Department, where he works with children on ventilators. He is also a Husband and Father.

Three months later, I had the most unbelievable moment. It was one in a million. I was working at a surgical clinic at Hadassah Hospital, where I am doing research. I was walking in the hallway, when I passed someone who looked familiar, very familiar!

Something made me approach him. I asked him what his name is, and he answered that he is Dr. Eliezer Be’eri. I was amazed! I introduced myself and said “I’m the nurse who resuscitated you.”

We were both very excited. It was really a once-in-a-lifetime event. We talked, we hugged, and together we took this picture that captured the exciting moment.

‘’I realised how extraordinary it was – I was simply at the right place at the right time. It’s not something that can be taken for granted… But I’m a nurse, who in essence chooses to care for people and save lives every day, so for me, it doesn’t matter where I do it. ‘’