Assaf Chodrian lost his parents six years ago. Today on a Facebook page, he opened his heart to share his pain with us and how he grew from it.
We could not ignore this Facebook post on the United Hatzalah page. Six years ago Assaf Chodrian lost both his parents in an awful tragedy. Since that fateful day he chose not to sink into depression. Instead he chose to channel his feelings in a positive direction. In this post, Assaf explains how he became a United Hatzalah volunteer.
“Every time I do resuscitation I see my parents in front of my eyes. I’m Assaf Chodrian. I’m 39 years old, live in Nahariyya and I’m a United Hatzalah volunteer as a motorcycle EMT.”
“Many people know me as a first responder. They know I volunteer in United Hatzalah and the aim of my volunteer friends and I, is to come quickly and administer lifesaving first aid even before an ambulance can get there. But I don’t think anyone knows why I do this. What causes me to break up my routine, jump on an ‘ambulette” motorcycle, fly down the street, give first aid and respond each time I get a call from the 1221 United Hatzalah dispatcher?”
Assaf opens his heart and answers: “Six years ago my parents both died at the lagoon next to Achziv. My mother, Ada Adelya stepped into the water and was suddenly swept out to sea. My father, Abraham ran after her to save her and was swept away too. Their death really shook me up. Losing both parents in one day is a tragedy words can’t describe.”
“After the Shiva Mourning period I asked myself; from this point onwards what am I doing with myself? I looked for something with meaning that would give me strength to continue. I heard about United Hatzalah- a group composed of volunteers, EMT’s, paramedics and doctors whose purpose was to give lifesaving first aid to someone sick or injured even before the ambulance would come.”
I took an EMT course and started volunteering. My parents’ death is something that I can’t accept. But volunteering to save lives gives me a lot of strength to continue onwards. These past few years I had many calls and saved many lives. That is an amazing feeling. This entire endeavor is dedicated to my parents’ memory.”
“Every time I resuscitate someone I see my parents before my eyes. When the resuscitation was successful and the person I saved goes home, in my heart I say to my parents: Mom and Dad these people were saved thanks to you!”