One month ago the Rambam Medical Center began performing pediatric kidney transplantations. News of availability of this surgery travelled quickly and within a few days Rambam received a request from the Jordanian parents of “Y”: “Please help us by doing  a kidney transplantation on our son.” A few days ago it happened.

The little boy suffered from acute kidney failure and needed a new kidney to survive. However, the procedure is not available in Jordan. After checking all possible options, his parents felt that Rambam was the best place to go. They turned to Dalia Bessa, the Israeli Civil Administration Health Services Coordinator, to help bring their son to Rambam.

For Rambam this came as quite a surprise - the procedure had only been available for a few weeks there. Prior to that, Rambam only offered kidney transplantations for adults. In fact, Rambam was the pioneer for adult kidney transplantation in Israel, having performed the first such procedure in the country. Once Rambam received approval for performing this surgery in children, the hospital became the second in Israel able to provide this service, and the only one in morthern Israel.

Due to the immediate danger to “Y”’s life, approvals were processed quickly. He came to Rambam shortly before surgery to undergo pre-surgical examinations and tests. Since he needed to undergo daily dialysis, and tissue matches had determined that his mother was a suitable donor, he stayed at Rambam. Even though his parents had seven other children, both parents stayed with “Y” to see him through this life-saving surgery.

When the day came, it was literally a day of surgery. First the little boy’s mother underwent a 3 hour procedure performed by a multidisciplinary team to remove one of her kidneys. Then a different multidisciplinary team brought “Y” into a separate surgical suite where the 3 hour transplantation was performed.

The surgeries were successful and two days later “Y” and his mother were able to see each other. “Y” is now in a regular pediatric room becoming acclimated to his new life, no longer dependent on machines to stay alive. Soon he and his parents will return to Jordan.

Currently Rambam is caring for 21 children in critical kidney failure and requiring dialysis. Most of these children will eventually need kidney transplantation. Since Rambam began offering this procedure new requests for it are coming in daily from surrounding nations.

The last year has seen 600 children and adults from the PA brought to Rambam for a variety of simple to complex medical problems.