Dr. Aviel Hankin, Tel Aviv
Donor No. 1,209
My thoughts on the subject began after I read about the contribution of trooper troops in the 2020 Israel Defense Forces. The idea has been forming for me since then for a year and a half. In the summer of 2021 (2021) I found myself coming across an ad for “Gift of Life” when I was working as a doctor in an internal department in Ichilov, and I decided that the time had come.
I heard about the “Gift of Life” association from the publications in the media about donors, and I entered the website and the Facebook page. I applied to “Metan Haim” and the association’s staff accompanied me every step of the way, were available for any question, and sent me a lot of material.
I started the long process of the medical tests. I did everything in Ichilov at the same time as my work there and it was very convenient.
In the middle of the process, I received an update from the association that found a suitable donor, a little older than me, who has been receiving dialysis for almost five years. I was very excited. The various tests lasted about six months, and in the winter of 2022 I received the final approval from the central committee of the Ministry of Health.
On 3/29/22 I underwent the surgery – in Ichilov, of course. The transplant was successful, and I met the donor two days later. The whole event was very exciting. The director of the rabbinic association Rachel Haber came to visit me personally during the hospitalization, as did my co-workers whose visits strengthened me greatly. A month after the operation, I returned to full-time work, and I am very satisfied with the process, with the care of the Ichilov transplant unit team, and with the support of the “Gift of Life” association, of course.
