Golani hero leaves warzone to save a 5-year-old child

A 21-year-old, a fighter in the Golani Brigade, donated bone marrow to a sick girl after he submitted a saliva sample to the bone marrow registry at Hadassah and was found to be a match to donate and save her life.

A., who lives with his family in Kfar Tavor, received the exciting news that he would be able to save a life during an operational activity in the Gaza Strip. "On the day of enlistment to the IDF, during the selection process at the recruitment center (IDF's reception and selection base), soldiers are given the option to provide a saliva sample, the result of which will be entered into the bone marrow donor registry named after Eli Alkobi z"l at Hadassah," says Eden Dahan, a bone marrow donation coordinator at Hadassah Ein Kerem.

The sample is preserved for many years in the registry and allows soldiers to save lives even years after enlistment. "When a compatibility is found between a patient suffering from an illness in the immune system and a donor in the registry, we contact the donor and explain everything in detail about the donation process at Hadassah Ein Karem. A few months ago, a medical center approached the donor registry requesting a bone marrow donation for a 5-year-old girl suffering from blood cancer, and A., who is in our donor registry, is the appropriate donor for her, with a complete and rare genetic match."

The surprising phone call from Hadassah came to the soldier while he was already packed with his personal equipment, leaving the combat area. "We were about to leave Gaza and I was already on the truck that was taking us out."

"When I left Gaza," he continued, "the first phone call was to my father, and I told him about the call from Hadassah. At that moment, I didn't fully understand the great privilege, and he joined the call with his brother who works in the healthcare system. They were both very enthusiastic and explained to me in depth what it was about. They said it was something crazy and life-saving, that it was a huge mitzvah. So, when I understood the story, I said it was a privilege to do it."

A. was summoned to Hadassah and underwent a briefing and several tests to assess his compatibility, and at the end it was determined that they would notify him when to come to the hospital to donate. "Time passed, and a few more weeks went by, and due to medical circumstances related to the young patient, it was still not possible to proceed with the donation. In the meantime, we re-entered Gaza, were activated from a 'regular' leave, and went into operation in the field for a month and a half," he recounts. "I told my commander that I was suitable for a bone marrow donation, and he was really happy and excited. Then came the call from Hadassah, this time the coordinators - who know how to reach anyone anywhere - tracked me down through my commander because we were really active in the field and informed me that it was time to carry out the procedure at the hospital. Hadassah also contacted my battalion commander who approved my departure for such an important action, and I arrived at Hadassah.