Israeli saved by Kazakh immigrant's liver
Kiryat Ata resident suffering from prolonged liver dysfunction undergoes transplant Monday night. 'We thought that if it is possible to save a life, then why not,' says donor's daughter. 'We are very happy that someone can at least live now, and that part of our father is still alive'
The 55-year-old patient, who is married with three children and two grandchildren, was infected with the hepatitis B virus which caused liver cirrhosis.
He had undergone long treatments for nine years before being included on a waiting list for a liver transplant four weeks ago. Last week, following an organ donation, he was informed that a suitable liver had been found for him.
"We underwent prolonged hospitalizations at the Rambam Medical Center," said the patient's son, Amos. "But they couldn't find a solution for my father. After fighting for a year, we moved to Hadassah and my father got his life back.
"For every hospitalization and every checkup we would travel from Kiryat Ata to Jerusalem for two and a half hours each direction, but it was worth it. Now, after the transplant, he got his life for a third time."
The transplant was carried out on Monday night and took a few hours. The patient was then transferred for recuperation to the Intensive Care Unit, where he was given artificial respiration and was anaesthetized. The hospital said his condition was now stable.
"No one should reach such a situation," said Amos, "but I hope that when a person passes by an Adi (organ donation) subscription stand, his family will pass before his eyes and he'll think about what he would expect if one of them were in need of a transplant."
"In (the other family's) difficult hour of grief we focus on our joy, but we must understand that someone has died. We are grateful to the family for its donation."
'Family didn't deliberate much'
On the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, a lung transplant from the same donor was carried out at the Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva. The lungs were transplanted in the body of a 65-year-old patient suffering from pulmonary fibrosis.The patient, the father of four daughters and the grandfather of 12, was later transferred to the Intensive Care Unit in stable condition. A day after the transplant, he was informed of the birth of a new granddaughter.
The organ donation was made by the family of Solomon Krivolin, a 69-year-old Haifa resident who immigrated to Israel from Kazakhstan three years ago. His family found him lying unconscious in his house. He was rushed to the Bnei Zion Medical Center in Haifa, where the doctors determined that he had suffered an extensive brain hemorrhage which had likely caused his death. His liver and lungs were transplanted in other patients' bodies.
"We didn't deliberate much," said Solomon's daughter, Yelena. "We thought that if it is possible to save someone's life, then why not. We are very happy that someone can at least live now, and that part of our father is still alive."
