Selfless warrior fights for his life

NICOLA MILTZ

As medical personnel try limit the impact of the trauma, the selfless activities of his communal warrior friends mirror Karpelowsky’s life-long actions and spirit.

On 17 July Karpelowsky, 45, a plumber specialising in water leaks, was stung by what is understood to have been three bees while attempting to detect a leak in Glenhazel, Johannesburg.

Karpelowsky has been allergic to bees since childhood. So, when two of the bees attacked his face, it created a surge of life-threatening venom that caused anaphylaxis.

He dashed to get his EpiPen (an epinephrine autoinjector for the treatment of anaphylaxis), while dialling the Community Security Organisation (CSO) to call in the incident. Karpelowsky has been a CSO volunteer for more than 20 years.

“I’ve been stung,” he said into the receiver, still able to get the words out. So severe was the allergic reaction, he collapsed in anaphylactic shock a few seconds later.

News of Karpelowsky’s life-threatening situation sent shock waves through communal emergency personnel, who reacted with lightning speed.

Within minutes, the men and women he worked with at the CSO, Ezra (the medical response team of the CSO), and paramedics from Hatzollah descended on the Corbel Crescent home. They set about reviving their hero and friend – someone they call a brother.

“The reality is that most people don’t survive this or even make it to hospital,” said Dr Brad Gelbart, a CSO volunteer. “Shaun knew he was in trouble, and his call ensured that advanced life support got to the scene in no time.”

In a Herculean display of effort, his colleagues worked tirelessly to resuscitate him. Had he been a few kilometres further away, experts agree, he wouldn’t have made it.

Gelbart said doctors and paramedics worked for about an hour at the house to regain Karpelowsky’s airwaves, describing it as a “race against time”. It took another two hours to stabilise him at hospital.

“While every life is important, the difference here was the emotions involved. This was deeply personal. It took a huge amount of effort to stay focused on the task at hand and put our emotions aside.”

A rolling WhatsApp tehillim (prayer) group was set up, and members of the CSO kept watch over him throughout the night, never leaving the Netcare Linksfield Hospital where he lay in the intensive care unit.

In the hours, days, and weeks following the incident, family and friends have described Karpelowsky as a quiet mensch who selflessly gives to others without needing recognition or praise.

He isn’t a man of many words, but his actions speak volumes, they say.

Close friend Mark Riesnik, who works with him at the CSO, described Karpelowsky as loyal and reliable.

“Shaun is more concerned with the needs and wishes of others than with his own. He is a warrior who quietly gets the job done. This has been a very emotional time. He is one of our own,” he said.

Karpelowsky’s wife, Liora, 42, a Grade R teacher at King David Linksfield Pre-Primary, believes there is something deeply spiritual about this tragic incident, which has galvanised the community and brought people together.

The week before the incident, he turned down a job because he heard there were bees. “I believe Shaun’s soul knew what was coming,” said Liora this week, saying that her husband very seldom tuned down work.

There have been many strange incidents, she said, and on reviewing them, she is convinced they both knew something was about to happen.

On the morning of the incident, Shaun gently woke his wife up and kissed her goodbye before taking the couple’s two children to school. “He normally doesn’t wake me, leaving me to sleep,” she said.

“In the days leading up to the incident, Shaun and I were able to spend a lot of time just being together,” she said. This was unusual as they both lead busy lives.

“We had good conversations, expressing how much we loved each other. It was almost as if on some unconscious level, we knew what was coming.”

Prayer sessions, including an Amen party (where people gather to recite tehillim for a speedy recovery), challah bakes, and prayer sessions overseas, are some of the ways people have shown support and reacted to the shocking news.

Another of Karpelowsky’s closest friends, Darryl Oberstein, said, “Shaun always puts others first and puts his life on the line to protect the community. In his quiet way, he has touched so many people’s lives.”

This Sunday, a 5km and 10km run or walk in Shaun’s honour is taking place at Huddle Park in Senderwood at 09:00. The proceeds of this event will go to the CSO and Hatzollah, causes close to his heart.

A similar run/walk will also take place in Toronto, Canada, and Melbourne, Australia, as many of his friends who have emigrated feel this is a way of doing something for their special friend.

Karpelowsky is an avid nature lover and hiker. A group of his friends this week are hiking through the Kruger National Park over six days in his honour. They are doing it in the hope that “every step we take in the Kruger will be a gigantic stride for his full and speedy recovery”, said Oberstein.

Various charity initiatives involving the wider community have also taken place.

Expressing her gratitude for the support, Liora said it was a “truly humbling experience to watch [members of] our community hold so tightly to each other”.

She said that while her husband was “going through a difficult time”, she liked to think he could hear her. “His body is fine. The neurological component is tricky. Each day, he continues to take steps. Sometimes it’s forward, sometimes it’s back, but he keeps on stepping, and that’s what keeps us going.”

She believes his neshomah (soul) has chosen this journey to continue to serve. “I believe the purpose of his journey is to affect as many people as possible, and be a catalyst for change in our own journeys through life.

“While I’m completely devastated and heartbroken, I don’t feel angry. When we fill ourselves with anger, there is no space left to appreciate all the good that surrounds us – and there has been so much good.”