Teen MDA Volunteer’s Quick Thinking Saves Her 8-Year-Old Cousin’s Life

What began as an ordinary summer afternoon in the backyard pool turned within minutes into a life-threatening medical emergency.

Eight-year-old Amit was playing in the water when he suddenly began coughing and struggling to breathe. At first, it seemed possible that he had simply swallowed some water. But his 17-year-old cousin, Noya from Modi’in, quickly realized that something far more serious was happening.

Noya has been volunteering with Magen David Adom (MDA) for two years and is trained as a first-aid responder.

“At first, I thought he had swallowed some water,” Noya told mako. “But then I heard that he was really choking. I went over to him and saw that he had taken off his shirt and was scratching his chest frantically. There was redness that looked like a rash or perhaps an insect bite.”

A Severe Allergic Reaction

The combination of breathing difficulties and changes to Amit’s skin immediately raised Noya’s suspicion that he might be experiencing a severe allergic reaction.

“At MDA, they taught us that when two body systems are involved, you need to suspect a severe allergic reaction,” she explained. “In this case, both his skin and his respiratory system were affected. At first, we still thought we might take him to an urgent care clinic, but then he started saying that his throat was burning and hurting. At that point, I understood that we needed to call an ambulance.”

While family members tried to calm Amit, Noya took charge. She asked them to remove his clothing so she could check whether additional symptoms had appeared elsewhere on his body. She made sure he was sitting in a position that allowed him to breathe as comfortably as possible and called MDA’s 101 emergency hotline, informing the dispatcher that she was an MDA volunteer.

Then Noya remembered that her sister, who also volunteers with MDA, kept a medic’s bag inside the house. She quickly retrieved it and found an EpiPen inside.

Before administering it, Noya tried to make sure there was no other explanation for Amit’s symptoms.

“Sometimes a rash can appear after intense coughing or stress,” she explained. “But while I was speaking with the dispatcher, I went back to check on him and saw that his throat had swollen to almost twice its normal size. He had tears in his eyes, he was struggling to breathe, he was restless, and he was beginning to tire. I understood that there was no more time to wait.”

“I Knew I Was Going to Save Him”

Following the dispatcher’s instructions, Noya administered the EpiPen.

“It’s not a pleasant injection at all, and he screamed,” she recalls. “But I knew it was what I had to do.”

Immediately afterward, she connected Amit to a portable oxygen cylinder that was available in the family’s home.

Within just a few minutes, the change was noticeable. “After two or three minutes, we could already see an improvement,” Noya says.

The swelling began to subside. Amit stopped coughing, was able to speak again, and appeared much calmer.

“At that point, I told him that he was no longer in danger, that I was right there with him, and that he should keep breathing,” Noya recalls. “He may be my little cousin, but in those moments, I saw a patient in front of me whose life I was fighting to save. I knew I was going to save him.”

Rushed to the Hospital

A short time later, MDA medical teams arrived at the home, continued treating Amit, and transported him to Shamir Medical Center, formerly known as Assaf Harofeh.

After receiving further treatment and remaining under observation, Amit was discharged home in good condition.

The cause of the severe allergic reaction has not yet been determined, and his family is continuing with medical evaluations in an effort to understand what triggered the episode.

“Noya Knew Exactly What She Was Doing”

Rinat, Amit’s mother and Noya’s aunt, says that even during those frightening moments, she trusted the 17-year-old to know what to do.

“I’ve known Noya since she was a baby, and I’ve often heard her tell stories about things that happened while she was volunteering on the ambulance,” Rinat says. “When she first asked me whether Amit was allergic to anything, I became a little frightened, but I knew she already had experience and knew what she was doing.”

Looking back, Rinat says she was especially struck by Noya’s composure throughout the emergency. “Noya remained completely calm, and now I understand how much that composure characterizes MDA’s teenage volunteers. She was truly professional. Beyond the medical treatment she gave Amit, she also made sure to keep me calm and explained that everything was under control.

“I am so grateful to her, and I love her so much.”