"It hurts, but it's a good hurt," said Eric Swim, after the operations in which a kidney was removed from his body and transplanted into that of 10-year-old Moshe (Moshiko) Sharon. Eric, who didn't know Moshiko or his family before hearing of Moshiko's dire need for a kidney, made the trip all the way from Kansas to donate his kidney to the boy. The operation is a life-saving one for little Moshiko, though doctors are cautious in predicting his prospects. Moshiko, of Moshav Hodayah, near Ashkelon, has already had one transplant, which failed - and it is known that second transplants are less likely to succeed than the first one.
Eric awoke from his operation yesterday afternoon, and soon found himself surrounded by his wife, Moshiko's mother, doctors and journalists - all of whom could barely contain their admiration for his munificent act. Though Moshiko is hospitalized in Shneider Children's Hospital in Petach Tikvah, Eric is resting in nearby Beilinson Hospital.
Accompanied on his first-ever visit to Israel by his wife and two children - Lucy, 10, and Josiah, 6 - Eric spoke today with Arutz-7. "I read about 10-year-old Moshiko's condition, and I thought about my own 10-year-old daughter," he said. "I realized that just as I would want someone to help me if I needed it, I want to help as well. We can't just take in this world, we also have to give. I really did this not only for Moshiko, but also for all of Am Yisrael [the Nation of Israel], to inspire others." Eric noted, for instance, "a man named Stuart Zimmer of New York, a 35-year-old man with a wife and two children, who also needs a kidney. He can be contacted through the HOD Society [see below]."
Eric said that he and his family view themselves as Gerim Toshavim - which, in Biblical law, are "resident sojourners" who have taken upon themselves some Biblical obligations.
Eric will remain in the hospital for another week, after which he will spend the Sukkot holiday in Israel, and leave in mid-October. Health Minister Danny Naveh was among those who have visited him, awarding him a Certificate of Admiration on behalf of the state of Israel.
The link between Eric and Moshiko was facilitated by the HOD Society, a Jewish-American group that encourages transplants by Jews from the U.S. and Israel in accordance with Halakhah [Jewish Law]. HOD is an acronym for Halakhic Organ Donor.
Eric awoke from his operation yesterday afternoon, and soon found himself surrounded by his wife, Moshiko's mother, doctors and journalists - all of whom could barely contain their admiration for his munificent act. Though Moshiko is hospitalized in Shneider Children's Hospital in Petach Tikvah, Eric is resting in nearby Beilinson Hospital.
Accompanied on his first-ever visit to Israel by his wife and two children - Lucy, 10, and Josiah, 6 - Eric spoke today with Arutz-7. "I read about 10-year-old Moshiko's condition, and I thought about my own 10-year-old daughter," he said. "I realized that just as I would want someone to help me if I needed it, I want to help as well. We can't just take in this world, we also have to give. I really did this not only for Moshiko, but also for all of Am Yisrael [the Nation of Israel], to inspire others." Eric noted, for instance, "a man named Stuart Zimmer of New York, a 35-year-old man with a wife and two children, who also needs a kidney. He can be contacted through the HOD Society [see below]."
Eric said that he and his family view themselves as Gerim Toshavim - which, in Biblical law, are "resident sojourners" who have taken upon themselves some Biblical obligations.
Eric will remain in the hospital for another week, after which he will spend the Sukkot holiday in Israel, and leave in mid-October. Health Minister Danny Naveh was among those who have visited him, awarding him a Certificate of Admiration on behalf of the state of Israel.
The link between Eric and Moshiko was facilitated by the HOD Society, a Jewish-American group that encourages transplants by Jews from the U.S. and Israel in accordance with Halakhah [Jewish Law]. HOD is an acronym for Halakhic Organ Donor.