A Tale of Two Kidneys

This is a beautiful e-mail sent by a mother to family members expressing great pride in her daughter for giving a selfless gift to a stranger. Please read it and comment. Let us know if you are familiar with similar situations. There is much goodness in our world. We need to build on it so it is audible to all...so it is loud! Well done!

Yesterday, on Thursday, December the 13th, 2007, two days after Chanukah, two weeks before Christmas, our daughter Lori gave one of her healthy kidneys to a woman she has never met.

Lori had been thoroughly tested and found to be a perfect match and in perfect health, and everything was a "go". She and Yocheved (the recipient) spoke on the phone for hours.

They are both teachers. Yocheved teaches deprived children in an inner city New York public school. Lori teaches classes on how to apply the wisdom of Torah to your everyday life.)

It took 4 hours to remove her kidney lapiscopically because the kidney is covered with many veins that have to be carefully moved. Then, in a little icebox, they carried it next door where it took another 4 hours to attach it in Yocheved's body.

We got updates all day, from her husband Yaakov, her devoted friend Rebecca, and her daughter Shoshana. Shosh's voice sounded both scared and stoic. Our last message last night: "When Lori opened her eyes she asked how Yocheved was. When Yocheved opened her eyes, she asked how Lori was. Then they both went to sleep."

So who is Yocheved and how did this come about? Wed. night Lori phoned to tell Joel and I what was going to take place. She reminded us of the blood clinics she organized 10 years ago to help a young man named Jay to find a bone marrow match to save him from leukemia. (It took years. Almost-matches kept him alive until a nearly perfect match was found. He is doing just fine now). Lori was deeply touched by the fact that someone, a stranger, could save Jay's life by giving him some of his bone marrow.

"Since then I discovered that a person can live a very healthy and long life with just one kidney. When I saw an appeal for a 5 year old boy, I offered to help him, but I wasn't a good match. I was told, however, that I was a good match for Yocheved. When I found out she had 7 children and her own sister was, last August, was rejected as a donor because, in the process of being tested for the transplant, her sister's kidneys were discovered to be at the beginning of the same problem, I decided to do it.

"Please don't be upset. I am very happy and excited to be able to save someones life."

Apparently, before the operation, Lori said: "I'm glad Yocheved doesn't live in the same city as I do. She would feel indebted. I might be tempted to take advantage: "What? I gave you my kidney and now you won't carpool for me?" Well, all I can say to Lori is: My darling daughter, when you were a little girl and I was teaching you to "share", I meant candy and toys. We have been told that the transplanted kidney is working. However, there is still a slight chance that Yocheved's body might reject it. Time will tell.