Every day of the year, Magen David Adom (MDA) teams save lives, provide medical care, ease pain, and add light. We have gathered a handful of stories from the work of MDA teams, because a little light dispels much darkness.
Blood Donation Saves Lives
Four units of blood saved the life of Yair, critically wounded in Gaza.
The story of heroism of MDA emergency medical responder Lt. Yair Lifshitz, 23, from Jerusalem, began in November 2023, when he was critically wounded during an encounter with terrorists in Gaza while serving as a platoon commander in the Paratroopers Brigade. Yair sustained life-threatening injuries and received four units of whole blood before reaching the hospital, two administered in Gaza shortly after he was wounded, and two more during his helicopter evacuation to the hospital.
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For approximately two and a half weeks following his injury, Yair was sedated and on a ventilator, as hospital teams fought to save his life. Since regaining consciousness, he has been undergoing a long rehabilitation process that continues to this day. From the earliest stages of his recovery, even while still hospitalized and moving from one surgery to another, Yair dreamed of returning to what he calls his second home: the MDA Jerusalem station, where he has volunteered since the age of 15 and of continuing the ambulance drivers’ course he had begun before the war.
As his lengthy rehabilitation progressed, Yair refused to give up. He returned to riding in ambulances and saving lives. “I wanted to return to volunteering with MDA as quickly as possible, to feel that I was doing something meaningful. For me, it was part of the rehabilitation,” Yair said. “I couldn’t sit quietly while a war was going on outside.” He added, “There’s no doubt that being on the other side, as the injured person, has made me a better volunteer. The injury taught me a great deal about the patient’s perspective.”
Last week, accompanied by his family, Yair visited MDA’s National Blood Services Center at the MDA campus in Ramla. There, he met Prof. Eilat Shinar, Deputy Director General of MDA Blood Services, toured the blood service laboratories, shared the story of his injury, the life-saving treatment he received in the field, including whole blood transfusions and his recovery process with dozens of blood bank employees, and thanked them for their dedicated work.
Like Yair, thousands of Israelis rely on blood donations to save their lives. This is made possible thanks to the spirit of volunteerism and solidarity of caring men and women across Israel who are willing to give of their time and their blood for others, in one of the most tangible and genuine acts of giving. Each unit of donated blood can save the lives of at least three people. This time, it was Yair’s life that was saved, thanks to those who donated blood.
Information about blood donation centers operating across the country can be found on Magen David Adom’s website at https://www.mdais.org/blood-donation or by calling 03-5300400. It is recommended to check in advance before arriving, as donation locations and schedules may change. Donors are encouraged to schedule an appointment through the MDA website and complete the donor questionnaire sent to their mobile phone prior to arrival.
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Written in collaboration with MDA