On Wednesday, four years to the day after receiving an alert about a woman in labor, United Hatzalah volunteer EMTs Avi Amar, Gavriel Mumko, and Yaakov Mazoz returned to the scene of the medical emergency on Ahi Eilat Street in Ashdod, for a very special birthday reunion. The three EMTs were the medical team that arrived on the United Hatzalah ambulance inside which the woman gave birth to a set of twins.
Now the same volunteers met with both four-year-old twins, Yinon Sagi and Moriah Malka, to celebrate their birthday together with Moran, their mother.
Four years ago, when Avi, Gavriel, and Yaakov were on a regular ambulance shift, they were alerted to a woman in labor—Moran, who was about to give birth on a park bench when they arrived. The volunteers quickly got her on a stretcher and wheeled her into the ambulance, where the drama began in earnest.
Avi Amar recalled: “We saw that the birth was imminent. There was not even enough time to travel to the hospital. We opened our birthing kit and prepared to receive the baby.”
Gavriel added: “The first baby, the son, quickly emerged and I received him, wrapped and cleaned him. These moments are very stressful but very rewarding. We all gave a sigh of relief seeing that the boy was born healthy and without any difficulties. Moran then surprised us by telling us that she was having twins and we should prepare for a second birth. We opened a second birthing kit, and just a few moments later a girl was born. She required ventilation and a paramedic that arrived assisted us. We then drove to rendezvous with a mobile intensive care ambulance and transferred the mother and the babies over to their care, and they took them to the hospital.”
Four years later, Moran saw Avi Amar in an online video interview answering questions about United Hatzalah’s activities in the city. She commented on the website that she was the woman whom Avi helped deliver her twins four years earlier, and the two connected on Facebook.
On Wednesday, Avi and the two other volunteers met up with Moran and her children, and Avi drove over the same ambulance so the children could celebrate their birthday in the very place of their birth, and as was to be expected, the volunteers showered the twins with gifts.
Moran summed up the emotional reunion, saying: “Four years later, we are finally closing the circle. Thanks to the work of these volunteers and their equipment, my children are healthy and happy, all thanks to the help I received that night. Had you not been there, I’m not sure what would have happened. These volunteers arrived in seconds, long before anyone else was able to get here, even before our neighbors had come downstairs to see what all the commotion was about. They provided expert care, with dedication and calm. They took me into this ambulance and I gave birth moments later. They are not midwives or birthing coaches, but the birth was still excellent and it was easy to see that they knew what they were doing. They calmed me down and treated me with professionalism. They are simply angels with golden hearts. I am so happy that I was able to thank you all today, even though it’s four years later.”