They thought they might be kidnapped. They thought they might not make it home. But turning back was never an option.
On October 7, Magen David Adom paramedic Anastasia Stelmachov and MDA EMT Nashet Nasser headed south in a bullet-resistant ambulance as rockets fell and gunfire continued around them.
Their ambulance was struck by the blast and fragments of a rocket. They entered Sderot again and again, searching for survivors, treating the wounded and evacuating critically injured patients. At one point, with terrorists reported nearby, Anastasia and Nashet talked about what they would do if they were kidnapped.
In their minds, they said goodbye to their families. But they kept going. Anastasia and Nashet were among the MDA teams who risked their own lives that day to reach others.
We remember their courage. We remember those they fought to save. We remember October 7.
