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"I donated a kidney and survived" Transplantes in Israel 2011
Tova donated a kidney to her husband.
David donated a kidney to his wife.
Menahem received a kidney 15 years ago from his father
and after his body rejected it,
received another kidney two years ago from his younger brother.
All three are healthy.
For them, dialysis is just a bad memory.
But unfortunately, they belong to a very restricted club
of living kidney donors and recipients.
Only a few dozen a year.
733 kidney patients are waiting for donations this year.
Only 200 will be fortunate enough to receive one from people who died.
The remaining 500 patients, at best, will move to next year's list,
some of them won't survive.
These are the facts.
Before the transplant law was passed, you could try your luck overseas
and say goodbye to tens of thousands of dollars
which mostly went to greedy middle men.
Today, this option is almost completely blocked.
The first option that always comes up is getting on a transplant list,
getting on the waiting list, waiting and hoping for the best.
Since we were more proactive,
we started checking more immediate options.
Obviously, the idea of having a transplant overseas came up.
I approached all the middle men,
I realized that they were crooks and it was all a big joke.
All they talked about was money, money, money.
I said, excuse me, I refuse to be anybody's patsy.
I won't sit in a foreign country and wait for...
a savior to come and save us.
It seems the solution for many patients is right under their nose.
A living kidney donation from a family member.
Only a few dozen people go through this process every year,
saving the lives of their loved ones.
This is an excellent solution for several reasons:
One, it's in the family.
The chance for a match is much greater because they have the same genes.
Two, the donor takes a very minor risk.
Our experience shows that a very high percentage of donors
get back to their routine and work relatively quickly.
And of course it saves the lives of sick people.
It's definitely a solution that we as an organization
greatly support and wish to instill in the public.
The removal of the kidney is performed in what we call,
minimally invasive surgery.
through small holes, small cuts, there's less touching.
95% of the surgery is performed laparoscopically.
True, it's an unnatural situation.
I don't think we were meant to undergo surgery to remove organs
and give them to someone else.
But we now have a situation where on one hand,
there are people dying while waiting for a transplant or on dialysis
and we don't have enough organs to give them.
The situation is terrible in this country but also in the world.
Only when you hear the donors and recipients
do you understand the enormous good it does,
compared to the amount of trouble and suffering it saves.
The moment I realized that my blood type is identical to hers,
there was no longer a question.
It was "Go!" We decided to go for it head-on.
You didn't hesitate? -Not for a second.
You weren't afraid. -I was afraid.
Fear is a part of the process.
I want to tell you that when people asked me about it,
I said, "I feel like I won the lottery."
Because it was so easy and nice to be among family, in our own country.
Everyone surrounded and embraced us.
We should not underestimate the concerns among family members.
Clearly, donating an organ from our body is not an obvious thing.
But despite the fear, one should weigh all sides.
There is definitely room to suggest a meeting with the family
to explain the consequences of prolonged dialysis treatment
and to suggest, not ask anyone specifically,
but simply to sow the seed and say:
You can change the life of your loved one completely.
We're leaving the option open.
There is no doubt that you can live a full life after donating a kidney,
and the proof is that there are so many people among us
who were born with only one kidney.
Menahem was born with one kidney,
but it was damaged.
As soon as the doctor told my father that I need a kidney transplant,
my father immediately stood up and said, "I'm willing to be a donor",
so in fact, I was never on dialysis.
After 15 years the kidney was rejected,
and again the need for a donation came up.
Again, there was no question or doubt in the family.
The response was amazing.
We're seven siblings, I'm the second one...
Four of them were candidates.
They almost got into a fight about it.
One of my sisters was insulted when they told her at the hospital
that she's less suited.
Abraham, who received a kidney from his wife Tova
was also apprehensive at first.
He felt uncomfortable receiving such a donation.
But in his attitude towards the matter,
Abraham teaches us a lesson in humility.
It was a little hard for me at first to even think of taking a kidney
from a family member,
but I told myself that it's better than receiving one from a stranger
whose condition I don't know.
So I went for it.
If my wife agreed to give it to me, who am I to refuse.
"Brought to you as a public service by The Israel National Kidney Foundation"