Prof. Eytan Mor, left, and Dr. Evyatar Nesher with a kidney transplant recipient at Petach Tikvah’s Beilinson Hospital, which is part of the Rabin Medical Centre. Mor is director of the transplant department and Nesher, the department’s deputy head. (photo from Ashernet)
About nine years ago, a 55-year-old woman with a congenital kidney disease underwent a kidney transplant in the Philippines. Last week, she died following a stroke and her brother, who suffered from the same congenital disease and needed a transplant, received his sister’s kidney, which was still viable, though she had died. This was the first time such a surgical procedure had been performed in Israel, and it is thought that this procedure has been performed only five times in the world. This is also the first time that such a transplant has been carried out between family members. It is hoped that this landmark operation will encourage more live donations of kidneys.