Weekend Hospitality

Its been one year since my son's transplant.  With thanks to God and all of his creations, he is healthy and well.  The donor seems to have suffered no ill effects.  It is hard to explain how pleased we are to have our son with us and healthy.  Those of you who have read some of my other posts know how hard it is to find a kidney, either from a live donor or a cadaver.   We are truly blessed that our friends cared about our son so much that we have not one but 7 potential donors.  The people we talked to in the medical profession cannot believe it.  For us, it is part of living in this wonderful community.  We take the concern and giving of our neighbors for granted sometimes.  It is events like this that expose the strength and depth of this community. May we be honored to continue helping and caring for many good years to come. This weekend, we will be having three events to celebrate this wonderful event.  Tonight, we are hosting ...

Yesterday, we participated in a Settlers of Catan tournament and fundraiser in support of AV Israel. AV Israel is non-profit organization dedicated to helping hearing impaired and deaf children learn to listen and speak.  The Hashmonaem team brought 6 people to the event, a full fifth of the contestants (31 people played).   We placed first and third, winning the first rounds and then crushing our opponents in the final round.  What can I say, strategy gaming is fun.  In addition, the entrance money went to a good cause. This shabbat is cold and rainy in Israel.  Wonderful heavy rains cover the country and the streams are full of water.  To make it even better, we were invited out for both meals!  Tonight, we will attend the third annual family dinner with our relatives from the community.  There are between 40 and 60 of us now living in Hashmonaem; first, second and third cousins.  The dinner is pot-luck, and of course, we are bringin...

I saw an interesting article this week about a 47 year old father in Israel who donated a kidney and part of his liver to his 19 year old son.  The transplants occurred over a period of six months, first the liver and then the kidney, six months later.  The articles claim that this type of double transplant is extremely rare, probably because they are from a live donor. What I found most interesting that the articles got a significant amount of press in the ultra-orthodox community.  In fact, I first found the article at Etrog News .  It was picked up by Yeshiva World news and then by the Jerusalem Post and other mainstream papers.  I suspect that the father in this story is ultra-orthodox, but there is no mention of his background in any of the articles. First, the ultra-orthodox condone and encourage live organ donors, so this is indeed a positive act.  Those same organizations are opposed to organ donations from cadavers because of a concern that doc...

Here is a terrible and wonderful story of an 8 year old girl named Eva who was hit by a car on the way to the park.  She was pronounced brain dead and her family donated her organs.  Three people were given a new lease on life, one from her liver, and the other two from her kidneys. The full story can be found here . I salute the Eva's mother, who lost her husband to cancer 18 months ago and still had the compassion to agree to donate her daughters organs to save the lives of others. May Eva's soul be remembered along with the martyrs and heros of Israel.

Everything is on track. This week has been a bit of a roller coaster. Sunday night, we went to a wedding and I was feeling pretty good. Sort of like the worst was over and we could start to relax. For the first time in months, I had a good positive attitude and outlook. It was nice to meet people and say hello without feeling like there was a cloud waiting to rain on my parade. Monday Asaf took another bagrut, this time in Mathematics. The proctor came to the house and the test went pretty smoothly. All was well. Tuesday Asaf had a checkup at the hospital. They gave us a major scare. His creatinine had gone up (no number were disclosed) and we would have to go back the next day for more tests and an ultrasound. Not knowing any better, I assumed the worst. Asaf had a bad day, because he needed an infusion and the doctor had trouble putting a port in his hand. It bled all over and Asaf became understandably overwrought. Wednesday, Asaf went back and the prognosis was not so ...

Asaf continues to improve. Yesterday, they removed the last of this ports and drains. He's a free man. Mentally, he has been is very good spirits for the past few days. Seeing improvements in his physical state, probably accounts for most of the positive outlook. Yesterday, they moved him from his private room to a shared room. We take this as a sign that he is close to being released and that the major physical challenges are past. There is a chance that they will release him today! Asaf walked around the hospital yesterday and have a double burger with fried for dinner. He has been missing beef and potatoes for some time since they are contradicted for patients with kidney failure. Attached are three pictures from the hospital. The first is when he ate chocolate on day 4. The second is after he had all his ports removed. The third is when he ate his hamburger! The smiles say it all. We look forward to having Asaf back home, Elliot and Leiah

It is hard to recognize how draining it is to be the main caregiver for a critically sick person. My wife and I have been taking turns at the hospital 24/7 for the past week. As my mother says, "you do what you need to do", but it still takes energy (and sleep). I'm not looking for sympathy. There are patients in much worse shape and caregivers who go on like this for months or even years. I do now have a better understanding of their dedication and commitments. Toward that end, I can offer a few points of advice. 1) Go and visit the caregivers. The patients are the focus of attention, we want them to recover. All the resources of the caregivers and the hospital are dedicated to making that person better. The caregivers need your support. They are grudgingly tolerated by the hospital. Talk to the caregivers, spending just 30 minutes having coffee and chatting about the community or the latest sports game provides much needed relief. 2) Help the patients family ou...

It is just before shabbat and I only just got back home from the hospital. Asaf's recovery continues to be spectacular. His creatinine is now down to 1.38. The removed is drainage tube today and will probably remove the other connections tomorrow or Sunday. Asaf was in very good spirits today. For the past 9 months, Asaf has been on a diet that cut out chocolate and coca-cola. Today, he was told that he can have anything he wants, but that he should hold off on carbonated drinks for a little while. My wife (who is of course wonderful) left a package of reeses peanut butter cups. Wow did Asaf's eyes light up when he found out that he could eat them. The pleasure in his face as he tasted chocolate again brought tears to my eyes! With thanks to Hashem and the donor, Elliot and Leiah

Asaf continues to improve. Creatinine is 1.58!!! he started steroids today. We will just have to wait and see what kind of side effects he will have to endure. Asaf walked up and down the ward today. Would you believe that its possible to take a matriculation exam (Bagrut) three days after major surgery? Asaf took the second computer bagrut today! He knew the material, sat is a chair and finished the test. A proctor from the education ministry sat in his room while he took the test to make sure that there was no cheating. Will miracles never cease Elliot

The transplant was on Monday afternoon. As I write this, its Wednesday afternoon. Call it 48 hours since my son received his new kidney. My wife and I are taking shifts at the hospital. She had the first night, I had the second. Tonight is her turn again. I just got back from the hospital and that's why there have been no posts. There is no Internet in the transplant ward. Medically, my Asaf is doing VERY well (as is the donor). When we went in, Asaf's creatinine level was about 6.4 mg/dL (GFR: 12). It means that his kidney was pretty much not doing anything. Today, we got the latest results. His new creatinine is 2.03 mg/dL (GFR: 46). That's better than my own and almost in the normal range (0.9 - 1.2 mg/dL). Each day its getting better and better. What this means is that his new kidney is working! He is able to eat a normal meal and is no longer on a restricted diet for kidney disease. This is great news! Our next hurdle is to make sure that his body does not reject the n...

Asaf received a kidney today, May 11th, 2009 from one of our neighbors. We thought this day would never come. The system currently in place is well meaning, but certainly makes it hard and stressful to find a donor and complete the transplant process. It has been about six months since the donor began the process. She was subjected to numerous tests, both physical and psychological which of course, she passed with flying colors. I doubt that I will ever understand her dedication to her altruistic donation, but I will always appreciate it and treat it with the respect and awe that it deserves. Our day began at 5:30am. The donor was hooked up to a drip line last night to make sure that she was hydrated. Asaf was shaved around 5:45 and then had to take yet another shower with antibacterial soap. Around 7am, the donor was wheeled down to pre-op. At 7:15, she was taken from pre-op to surgery. We had a crowd with us at the hospital. The donor's husband, myself and my wife, my s...

The most wonderful special person who is donating their kidney to my son has finally passed all the tests. We have a date during the second week of May. The amount of logistics is impressive. In Israel, the law requires the recipient's HMO to pay for all the transplant costs. In practice, it means we need to get their signature on a number of forms. no big deal except that the forms need to be for a specific date and have to be approved by a reviewing doctor at the HMO. It's all fine, but it takes a few more visits to the HMO's offices. We also need to start planning our work and personal lives around the transplant. Our community has pitched in and will be covering carpools, meals and just about anything else we or the donor's family will need. I love our community! My son's name is Asaf Dror ben Leiah Shulamit. The donor would prefer if we not give our their name in a public forum. Here's hoping the process is smooth, Elliot and Leiah

Its been a long week on the kidney transplant front. As I previously reported, the donor had some additional tests to complete. There is good news and bad news. The good news is that everything looks fine, but we still need a specialist to sign off on it. That is going to take another few days. The bad news is that we are now struggling with a timing issue. The donor travels each year and cannot change their plans. After the transplant, the doctors recommend that the donor stick around for at least 4 weeks to make sure that everything is stable. Now most people here travel for the summer and as we can tell from the heat and sun outside, it is fast approaching. We have been "negotiating" with the hospital to do the surgery as soon as possible. They originally has us scheduled for the 25th of May, which was "too late". In a surprising turn of events, we have been told that they have an earlier date for us, but that we should not tell anyone for fear of an evi...

The news on the Kidney transplant front is mixed. The most wonderful donor hit a speed bump with one of the medical tests. We found out just before pesach that there was a minor concern. That turned into a last minute effort to find a specialist who could see the donor before Pesach. The doctor said that everything was OK, but that it was dependent on a clear test. Scheduling the test was harder. We could not find a technician and equipment until next week. So for now, we wait. The donor's test in next week. Assuming it comes out clean, we can reschedule the transplant for sometime in the following three weeks. My son is feeling well, but we are noticing a lack of appetite. He is also loosing weight. His clothes look a bit baggy. If the transplant gets canceled, we will have to restart our donor search (there are a number of candidates in the wings), but more importantly, we will also very likely be starting dialysis. We hope to have better news next week!

Flash: My son's transplant is currently on hold. The hospital is extremely careful with respect to potential donors. For my son, he needs a transplant. There is nothing we can do to change that. The donor, on the other hand, does not need to donate their kidney and should not donate unless they are healthy. Its that last "healthy" that we are trying to confirm. All medical tests needs to be in the normal range in order to accept the donor. Now most people are naturally different. In our donor's case, there are a few minor issues that need to be retested and confirmed before the hospital will do the transplant. We heard about these issues last Thursday. Today we spend the morning at the hospital waiting and doing a few new tests. The donor still has some more tests to complete. It is not important what tests still need to be redone, since that is a personal issue. I can tell you that we redid the tissue matching today. Even though my son and the donor passed ...

This week we received excellent news. The most wonderful person who is donating their kidney to my son has passed all the tests. We scheduled the actual transplant for the week after Pesach. There are still a few re-tests that need to be completed, but it looks like the countdown has begun. Everyone is now excited and nervous. It is one thing to talk about the transplant and another thing completely to actually doing the surgery. It is probably a good thing that we are totally buried with work and the upcoming holiday. We don't have a minute to rest and think about what is actually going on. There is no way that I can express our gratitude to Asaf's donor. I'm reaching out to you, my readers, for suggestions. We expect to be able to tell you the donor's identity at some point, but for now its "The donor!" May we all have a healthy holiday and a good year. Elliot and Leiah

Good news, the National Transplant Committee approved our donor!  My wife was convinced that the committee would find a way to say no, but they came through!  We got the call from the hospital this afternoon. There are still a number of important steps to complete before the transplant.  The next hurdle is a full medical workup at the hospital for my son and the donor.  We have been told that the workup will take two days assuming they don't find anything wrong with either of them.  (Other than the obvious).  Once the tests have been done, the transplant can take place anytime within 6 months.  Together with the donor and the doctors, we will try and pick a time that works for everyone. We are trying to schedule the testing appointments within the next few weeks.  Stay tuned for more updates and thank you for your prayers and positive thoughts, Elliot and Leiah

This is a short post.  There is no update.  We went before the National Transplant committee almost three weeks ago.  They promised an answer in two weeks and we still have not heard anything. I'm a bit surprised.  There is no question that my son will need a transplant.  The only question is who is going to be the donor.  If the committee was going to say no, then they should have said it already.  One way or the other, we would need to start looking for another donor.  If they were going to ok that donor, then why delay? I don't have any answer and I don't expect to ever receive one.  My hope is that there is no health impact from the delay.  So far, things are stable and seems to be no problem with a short delay.  Time will tell.

This was a big week on the Kidney Transplant front for my son Asaf.  The final administrative hurdle for a potential live donor is a meeting with the National Transplant Committee.  This group of professionals interviews the candidate donor, the recipient and the recipients family to see if they should approve or deny the transplant.  The committee consists of health care professionals.  There was a male doctor, and five women; a social worker, a psychiatrist, a nurse, and two others. (I expect that one of them was a lawyer).  The setting was imposing, with the committee on one side a table and a stenographer on the side.  The interviewee sat facing them. The main purpose behind the committee is to reject donors who are coerced into donating, either through payments of money, or other pressures.  I fully support their efforts in this arena.  I have received numerous emails from people offering to sell us a kidney in exchange for helping them out of some financial crisis. Fortunately, o...

A friend of ours has decided to try and make more people aware of organ transplants.  In particular, we are trying to get people to sign up for organ donor cards.  There are very few situations where it is possible to "harvest" an organ.  The "donor" has to be dead, but still intact enough to keep their organs temporarily alive.  Current medical technology has found that brain stem death meets these requirements.  No one has ever recovered from brain stem death.  The brain stem usually becomes swollen, cuts off its own circulation, ceases to function, and then proceeds to liquify.   The body can still pump blood and breath for up to two days in this state, but eventually, all of the organs shutdown.  People who sign donor cards are telling their families that if they suffer from brain stem death, then their organs should be donated to those in need. Sorry for the graphic description.  This is not an easy topic.   My friend and I have been trying to our local Rabbi t...