Hatzolah medics help save passenger’s life on international flight
Sydney Hatzolah paramedic Rabbi Mendy Litzman was on his way to a Hatzolah convention in South Africa when a passenger suffered a medical emergency.
President of Sydney Hatzolah Rabbi Mendy Litzman dramatically helped save the life of a passenger on a plane travelling from New York to Johannesburg last week.
Litzman was on his way to the Hatzolah convention in South Africa when, according to the South African Jewish Report, a middle-aged South African man suffered a severe medical episode a couple of hours into the flight and required urgent medical attention.
Fortunately for the passenger – who had collapsed and was unconscious in the bathroom – another medic from New York Hatzolah, David Platschek, was on the same flight. Together, Litzman and Platschek rushed to the passenger’s aid.
“When we heard the announcement for medical assistance we sprung into action,” Litzman told The AJN.
“The bathroom door had to be removed to access the unconscious patient, who we thankfully managed to revive shortly afterwards.”
Litzman gave the passenger his seat, which was in an exit row, and the two paramedics spent the remaining 13 hours of the flight treating and monitoring the patient, who experienced several complications throughout.
“We were in touch with the pilot during the flight, as well as MedLink, and kept a meticulous check on his vitals continuously throughout the flight,” Litzman said.
“We managed to stabilise the patient until landing in Johannesburg and being met on the tarmac by a full ambulance crew, facilitated by the local Hatzolah.”
The entire crew gave the paramedics a standing ovation at the end of the flight, with the pilots on board congratulating them on their professionalism and dedication.
“The gratitude of the pilot, crew and all the passengers was enormous,” Litzman said.
“Because we were on board and treating this patient, the plane had avoided turning back to New York or making an emergency landing in a remote destination in Africa to source medical assistance.”
Litzman said it was a great Kiddush Hashem to be able to “step up as religious Jews to help out in such a crisis”.
“The adrenaline gets going and during the flight it literally was a case of doing whatever needed to be done without hesitation to keep the patient alive and keep the flight going to its destination,” he said.
“I think the full magnitude of what happened hit home once we landed. We were dealing with a really sick patient and we are just so grateful and so proud that we managed to keep him stable and safe until landing in Johannesburg.
“Day in and day out this is what I do in Sydney and have done for the past 18 years, serving our community here. It was amazing to be able to put all those skills and training to good use in quite a unique circumstance – 37,000 feet in the air!”
Johannesburg-based Rabbi Ari Shishler, who was on board the same flight, posted a photograph on Instagram of himself with the two medics laying tefillin.
“Hatzolah volunteers from Sydney, Australia, and Long Island, New York, made a tremendous Kiddush Hashem on our flight from Newark to Johannesburg today,” he wrote.
“The pair, headed to the international Hatzolah conference hosted by Hatzolah South Africa in South Africa, responded to a serious medical emergency a few hours into the flight. They attended to the high-risk patient throughout the long-haul flight, keeping him safe and ensuring that we didn’t have to make an emergency landing on the way. Crew and passengers were grateful and highly impressed at their professionalism and care. And we got to daven together in the middle of it all.”
With assistance from the local Hatzolah, arrangements were made for the patient to be transported by regular ambulance to a Johannesburg hospital once the plane landed. According to the South African Jewish Report, he is said to be recovering.
Form left: Rabbi Ari Shishler, David Platschek, Mendy Litzman.
Photos: Instagram
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