KIDNEY DONORS HAVE GIVING HEARTS

Courtesy of Mishpacha Magazine

Patients who have experienced kidney ailments requiring dialysis would dearly love to find an alternative to debilitating four-hour dialysis sessions three times a week.

For most, a kidney transplant is an impossible dream.  Global demand exceeds supply by an almost 10-1 margin and some people have reportedly paid $150,000 for a kidney from a willing “donor”.  Such trade in organs is illegal.

Matnat Chinam (Gift of Life), headed by Rabbi Yeshayahu Haber, has been making a dent in that kidney shortage, particularly thanks to articles that Mishpacha has carried on the topic.

Three months ago, Rechovot resident Judith Abrahams contacted Mishpacha’s Hebrew-language edition, explaining that she had just donated a kidney with chesed as her only motive, and would be happy to share her story to promote kidney donations.  Mrs. Abrahams was originally motivated when reading nearly three years ago about the “competition” among the children of Knesset member Rabbi Avraham Ravitz z”l to donate a kidney to their ailing father, and how Rabbi Ravitz had then promoted legislation encouraging “altruistic” kidney donation (even to a nonfamily member).

Mrs. Abrahams embarked on a diet and exercise regiment o become fit for the surgery.  She scanned newspapers to find advertisements from people seeking kidney donors, and about a year ago, saw an ad for a young man with her blood type.

Mrs. Abraham’s mother passed away before she managed to make contact, so she put the matter on hold.  A few months later, she called the number in the ad and Rabbi Avraham Yeshayahu Haber, who had himself been a kidney recipient three years ago, answered the call.  Rabbi Haber started Matnat Chinam after his surgery to help the estimated 1,200 Israelis in line for kidney transplants.

Rabbi Haber informed Mrs. Abrahams that a donor had already been found for this young man, but eventually, she became the 48^th transplant shiduch Rabbi Haber has made since starting his organization.  This was a particularly fortuitous match.  Although Mrs. Abrahams was 62, she was matched to a woman of 42 with nine young children.  Following publication of Mrs. Abraham’s experience in the Hebrew Mishpacha, Rabbi Haber says he received several more inquiries, including one from the United States.

Rabbi Haber offers pre-decision counseling to both the donor and recipient families to encourage donations and to assuage doubts over transplant related health and halachic issues.  Recently, Rabbi Haber invited all children of donor age of one dialysis patient to a meeting.  “I told them my personal story, and those of other recipients,” said Rabbi Haber.  “I answered their questions and gave them the Mishpacha article.  To date, nine family members have expressed a desire to donate a kidney and have even begun the screening process.  Most of them have advanced to the compatibility stage.”

When not making kidney shidduchim, Rabbi Haber is a maggid shiur in a Yerushalayim yeshiva, insisting that chinuch is his main call of duty.  But when the One Above pointed him in an additional direction, Rabbi Haber accepted the challenge, and his exceptional form of gemilus chesed is saving lives.

Several weeks ago, his organization celebrated its 54^th transplant, and is still counting.

For more information:

MATNAT CHAIM (Israel)