
On Wednesday evening around 8:00 P.M., a man was stabbed in his chest near the grave of Rabbi Yehuda ben Baba. Worried passersby called emergency services for help, and United Hatzalah’s Dispatch and Command Center alerted nearby volunteers and other first responders.
Majed Zaid was working in his restaurant when he received the alert about the emergency. He immediately rushed out to his car and drove to the scene. He was the first responder to arrive at the scene and found the injured man sitting on a chair, bleeding. The man was having great difficulty breathing and looked very weak.
Majed grabbed a handful of packing bandages and used them to stop the bleeding. He then attached an oxygen mask to the man’s face and provided the injured man with high-flow oxygen to relieve his belabored breathing.
A few minutes later, a mobile intensive care ambulance arrived with two paramedics. Majed assisted the ambulance team in lifting the man up and onto a stretcher and into the ambulance. The injured man, who was now in serious but stable condition, was transferred to a nearby hospital for further care.
Majed recounted after the incident: “Being an EMT gives me a lot of pride and self-respect. I’ve found that other members of my community also appreciate what I do to help the community and save the lives of those around me.”
Majed continued, “In addition to helping those in the community, I often leave Shfar’am to respond to emergencies in the wider area. Wherever the emergency may be, having a first responder show up and provide medical care to the injured or ill person while waiting for the ambulance to arrive is always beneficial. As a business owner, it's not easy to leave my business in the middle of working hours, but it is something that I'm willing to do in order to be there for the patient. I believe in standing for values and ideals, and there is no greater value or ideal than that of saving another person’s life in their time of needing lifesaving.’’