A 12-year-old boy and a sickly Arab woman died - and their organs were transplanted into seven people. For the first time in Israel, a small intestine was transplanted.
Five organs of 12-year-old Omri Gilor, from Moshav Kadima near Netanya, were transplanted into one 16-year-old girl, who has been fed through a tube for the last 12 years. The girl, Nitzan, lost her small intestine and surrounding organs at age 4 when she underwent an operation that went wrong. Since then, her father later told Voice of Israel Radio, she has had to undergo a nightly infusion to give her nutrients.
"In addition," the father said, "she had to take some 30 pills each day. Suddenly, this past Sunday we were informed that a donor had possibly been found... On Sunday night, when it became final, we gave Nitzan the word that a donor had been found, and she was thrilled. This was a life-changer!"
The operation, which involved not only the small intestine but also the stomach, liver, pancreas, and parts of the large intestine, took place at Monday morning at 7 AM: "We spent the time praying, and being happy... Within a week or 10 days - even less, regarding the intestine - we should know if it was successful."
Omri was killed over the weekend while playing under a large sand pile, which collapsed and buried him. He had told his mother just two months ago that if he died, he would want his organs to be used to save lives.
The operation on 16-year-old Nitzan took place in Schneider Children's Hospital in Petach Tikvah. It was carried out by world-famous US intestine transplant expert Dr. Andreas Tzakis. Tzakis lives in Florida, but happened to be on vacation in nearby Greece, from where it was relatively easy to alert him for the emergency operation. It was the first time a small intestine had been transplanted in Israel.
In addition, Omri's heart was transplanted into an 8-year-old girl, his lungs into an 11-year-old boy, and two kidneys into two adults.
At the same time, the kidneys of an Arab woman who had been suffering from Downs Syndrome and who died this week in Haifa were transplanted into two people. "She was helped all her life by others," family members said, "and this is her chance to help others."