Today we had our usual action packed Monday with a slightly different twist.

As many of you know, the majority of our patrons at the storefront are senior citizens made up of pensioners and holocaust survivors. Well, today one of them had a stroke / heart attack, on my watch!

The poor guy started stumbling around like he was drunk, but he hadn’t been drinking. Some of us managed to get him laying down, outside near the back door, but he kept trying to stand.

He had a look of fear and panic in his eyes. When he saw me, this look changed to trust and hope. (I don’t know if you ever looked into a dying man’s eyes, but it’s as if you can see right into his soul.)

Man, I felt like a Shepherd trying to comfort a baby lamb cradled in my arms.

This guy would only listen to me. I was the only one who could keep him still. I did everything I could to comfort him, trying to keep him from going into shock.

I prayed over him. I stroked his shoulders. I held his hand. I placed my other hand gently on his check. I told him, over and over in Hebrew, that everything was going to be okay.

A lady hobbled up using a walker. She managed to kneel down and take his pulse. A few minutes later the paramedics arrived, whisking him off to Beersheva (45 min drive) to the nearing hospital.

Wow! I wonder if he's gonna make it! I wonder what the crowd of spectators were thinking, seeing all this drama unfold?

Edwin Beckford
November 27, 2006