By Erez Ben-Ari , JTNews Correspondent
Learning that a parent is terminally ill is one of those things that may seem unavoidable. When Lea Hanan and her brother Michael learned of their father’s inevitable kidney failure, however, they had no intention of letting his illness become terminal. On June 28, one of Lea’s kidneys was transplanted into her father, giving him the ultimate Father’s Day gift: His life.
“My father has always wanted everyone to know how important preventative medicine is,” Michael Behar told JTNews. “He had himself checked routinely, and so his kidney problems were discovered in a very early stage, about five years ago.”
Initially, Albert Behar altered his diet, hoping to extend the functionality of his kidneys for as long as possible, but two years ago it became apparent that he would have no choice but to start dialysis or get a kidney transplant.
The waiting list for a kidney donation is very long. According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, more than 91,000 people are on the kidney transplant waiting list. Every day, 10 of those candidates die while waiting, and 95 new patients are added to that list. Statistics show the chances of a successful transplant are significantly higher for patients who have the surgery before starting dialysis, so Hanan and Michael Behar decided to test whether either of them would be a match to donate a kidney to their father.
“My father strongly resisted the idea of one of us donating our kidney to him,” Michael said, “but eventually we convinced him to go along with it.”
From a medical perspective, receiving a kidney from a family member is the most optimal solution, with higher chances of compatibility. The recipient can also be sure the organ comes from a healthy person. Waiting-list organs may be significantly degraded, depending on the donor’s lifestyle choices or the time it takes to retrieve the organ in the case of a post-mortem donation. When screening was performed, Hanan came out to be a better match, but she still needed to dramatically alter her lifestyle.
“Lea had to get into much better shape, which included losing 36 pounds,” Michael said. “She had to switch to a healthier diet, exercise and take excellent care of herself, and after about a year, she was finally ready.”
A transplant procedure is by nature complicated and dangerous, not only to a 77-year-old man, but also to his donor.
“The surgeon warned us that after the surgery, I would feel as if I was hit by a truck,” Hanan said following the transplant, “but even so, it was harder than I expected.”
She said she is glad she didn’t know in advance how difficult it would be, but despite the challenges, her doctors and nurses were astonished at her insistence to walk out of bed on the first night after the surgery.
“My sister and my father were in adjacent rooms, but could not see each other, and so both of them bombarded me with questions,” Michael said. “So it makes sense that she wanted to walk over to him as soon as possible.”
Following the surgery, Hanan departed the hospital shortly after and Albert Behar a few days later, though both will require a few more weeks to recover. Even though Hanan’s donated kidney has high compatibility with his system, Albert will be required to take immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of his life, and will have to stay away from public places for a while to avoid risk of infection.
Hanan’s motivation for her sacrifice and risking her life is clear.
“Our father gave her life,” said Michael, “and the opportunity to repay that gift is a thrill for her.”
However, this donation not unusual for Hanan, who has donated blood dozens of times over her life. “Some people are fortunate enough to be able to donate money to those who need it, but even those who are not can always give blood,” she said. “It costs you nothing, your body recovers quickly, and this donation can actually save a life.”
To her brother, the notion of organ donations is rather new, as Jewish law lists some restrictions. In recent years, a lot of work has been done in this field, and it is now easier for observant Jews like Behar to become organ donors.
“Lea explained to me that when you give a kidney, it does a lot more good than save a life,” Michael said. “The donation sets in motion a process that can often end up getting multiple people an organ donation, saving multiple lives.”
“It’s pretty empowering and humbling to know that each of us has the capability of taking one kidney and giving someone a second chance on life,” Hanan said. “It’s amazing that I’ve been given an opportunity to save my father and give him life, like he gave to me…and I’ve also learned of so many people who give their organs to strangers. To me, that makes them something that is beyond angels.”
Thanks to Lea’s gift, her father should have many more active years ahead of him, but thousands of others are still in need of help. The national waiting list has more than 100,000 people waiting for kidney, liver, pancreas, heart, lung and other organ donations. Some of the people on that list are part of the state’s Jewish community.
A national registry, found at www.donatelifetoday.com, can allow anyone to become an organ donor and ensure their organs will be used to save others in case something happens to the donor. Also, by participating in local blood drives, donors can help others without sacrificing any more than a few minutes of discomfort.