About Avi Deblinger

Avi works as a distributor for a computer company and lives with his wife and four children in Modi’in Illit.  Living in one of the fastest growing cities in Israel, Avi’s nine years of experience in medical emergency response is of great benefit to this populous area.

One small example of Avi’s crucial work occurred when he volunteered on a United Hatzalah ambulance shift and received an urgent dispatch regarding a child with serious breathing difficulties.  Avi and his crew raced to the scene, arriving in under two minutes!  They found a four-year-old boy breathing very laboriously, and a brief discussion with the father revealed that his son had been born with numerous medical complications.  Avi immediately administered high-flow oxygen and after a brief assessment with his colleagues, it was decided the child should be transported immediately to the hospital.  As they sped through the streets with sirens blaring and red lights flashing, they radioed ahead to the hospital to have a trauma room ready for the child.  7 minutes later they arrived and found a full team of doctors waiting to receive them.  The child was whisked into the trauma room for emergency treatment while Avi waited outside.  Not long afterward, the head doctor came out and said: “If this child had arrived a few minutes later, he would no longer be with us”.

In Avi’s own words, “Being a volunteer medic is no picnic and comes with many inconveniences.  However, the feeling that comes with actually saving a life makes it all worthwhile.”