Lois Pope donates 10th ambulance to mobile intensive care unit in Israel
November 5, 2015
Lois Pope has donated a mobile intensive care unit for Israel.
The philanthropist, American Friends of Magen David Adom’s 2014 Humanitarian Award recipient, dedicated her 10th ambulance on Oct 26.
The Mobile Intensive Care Unit ambulance is headed to Israel, where it will join MDA’s lifesaving fleet, responding to terror attacks in this time of critical need, a prepared statement said.
Since Oct. 1, MDA, Israel’s only ambulance, blood-services, and disaster-relief organization for the state’s more than 8 million people, has responded to 145 casualties because of terror attacks that range from stabbings to bombings, the statement said. For these severe injuries MDA dispatches MICUs staffed by paramedics with advanced training.
Their expertise and skill often means the difference between life and death for many terror attack victims, the statement said, including a 13-year-old boy who was stabbed while riding his bicycle. He was declared clinically dead at the scene, but MDA paramedics in a MICU rushed him to the hospital, while manually maintaining his vitals. After spending days in an induced coma, the boy was released from the hospital, alive and well.
In addition to the 10 ambulances for Israel, Mrs. Pope has been a longtime supporter of Magen David Adom.
“I donate these ambulances and support Magen David Adom because it connects me with the two things I so passionately believe in: The state of Israel and its people and ensuring that those in need of medical assistance can get it quickly,” said Mrs. Pope. “After all, my foundation is called LIFE and what better way to show my commitment to it than to bond with a people whose toast is L’Chaim, to life.”
AFMDA’s Southeast Regional Director Tammy Karu spoke at the ceremony, thanking Mrs. Pope and others like her for supporting Israel during such a difficult time. “Mrs. Pope is a shining example of what it means to be a humanitarian. It’s in times like these, when Israel faces daily acts of terror, that MDA needs us the most,” said Ms. Karu. “And Mrs. Pope never hesitates to stand up for what is right, helping save countless lives.”
Magen David Adom is Israel’s national emergency medical response organization, providing skilled disaster-relief, ambulance, and blood services, to Israel’s 8 million people. MDA is the only organization mandated by the Israeli government to serve in this role, but its operations are not funded by the government. Instead, MDA relies on funding from donors around the world. American Friends of Magen David Adom (AFMDA) is the largest supporter of MDA worldwide.
For more information visit afmda.org.
