'Noble, extraordinary act': Seven-year-old receives life-saving transplant from fallen IDF soldier

A seven-year-old girl has received a life-saving liver transplant, with the organ donated by a fallen IDF soldier. Sgt. First Class Shahar Gamla was critically wounded by a drone in Lebanon and died in June. His family made the decision to donate his organs, ultimately saving six lives, including that of Bel Finkelstein.

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I have no words to adequately thank Shahar’s precious parents, who, from the absolute depths of their bereavement, chose to grant life to my daughter. It is such a noble and extraordinary act.

Finkelstein, who was born with a rare genetic congenital syndrome, had been on the organ transplant list for six months. The complex procedure took place at Rambam Health Care Campus, where a lobe of Gamla’s liver was transplanted into Finkelstein. The surgery was successful, and Finkelstein was recently discharged home after recovering in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

Gamla's family visited Finkelstein and her parents at the hospital before her discharge. "I have no words to adequately thank Shahar’s precious parents, who, from the absolute depths of their bereavement, chose to grant life to my daughter," said Yana, Bel Finkelstein’s mother. "It is such a noble and extraordinary act."

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This is an extraordinarily complex and difficult emotional situation, even for us in the operating room. It is hard to put into words the thoughts and feelings during an event like this.

Dr. Michael Gurevich, Head of the Liver Transplantation Unit at Clalit-Schneider, acknowledged the emotional difficulty of the situation. "This is an extraordinarily complex and difficult emotional situation, even for us in the operating room," he stated. "I am profoundly grateful to the family for their noble decision to donate his organs. The realization that this soldier saved lives both in his duty and in his passing weighs heavily on our hearts."

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I am profoundly grateful to the family for their noble decision to donate his organs. The realization that this soldier saved lives both in his duty and in his passing weighs heavily on our hearts. We are deeply thankful for the privilege granted to us to save human lives.