
After a long waiting period, seven people received a new lease on life as the medical teams at Rabin Medical Center performed seven organ transplants in 48 hours. The transplants included three lungs, a heart, two livers and two kidneys. The lucky recipients included a young man, Yariv, whose wife is pregnant with their first child and who received two lungs, while the third lung saved a 59 year-old man. Boris, age 54, who suffered from severe cardiac problems, received the heart. Boris told hospital staff after his transplant, "Only those in such a difficult situation can understand that this heart will give me the chance to live again as the last several years I have had one heart attack after another and I am truly grateful to the family of the donor."
Several outstanding teams from the relevant departments at Rabin Medical Center worked around the clock in order to successfully perform so many organ transplants in such a short amount of time. The team included Dr. Saute, head of the Thoracic Surgery Division, Dr. Snir, Deputy Director of the Division for the Surgical Treatment of Congestive Heart Failure, Dr. Brauner, head of Cardiothoracic Unit at Kaplan Hospital, a satellite department of Rabin Medical Center, Prof. Mor, Director of the Department of Organ Transplantation, Dr. Solomonov, Head of the Pancreas and Hepatobiliary Surgery Unit and many other senior physicians, nurses and anesthesiologists. Though there is always sadness that these organs are donated from lives that have been lost there is comfort in knowing that others can now begin living.
For the first time in Israel and in a rare occurrence worldwide, a father has donated two of his own organs to his critically ill child.
Rabin Medical Center continues to strengthen its ties with the Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) in Washington, DC, one of America's leading medical institutions.
Thanks to a special foundation established by the Friends of Rabin Medical Center, nurses from Rabin Medical Center participate in training fellowships at renowned medical facilities abroad each year.