The question has often been asked: How is it that for one of the most important tasks in life, raising kids, there are no formal courses, no graduation requirements? A classic answer is that education is based on presenting a model for our children to emulate. Young Neria is a case in point. His growing up years were spent watching his parents give of themselves when others were in need. Helping others was not an intellectual understanding. It was a concept imbued deep inside his very being, absorbed together with the milk of infancy. It was perfectly natural for Neria’s father to hear about those who suffer kidney failure, living with the anguish of daily suffering and an unknown future – to hear and want to do something about it. And so he registered with an organization that facilitates kidney transplants, was typed and it was not long before he was called to donate a kidney. He had never met the patient but what does that matter? The recipient was a person in need and Neria’s father wanted to help.
And then it was Neria’s turn. Neria had joined Ezer Mizion’s Bone Marrow Registry and was recently called, saying that he was a genetic match for a cancer patient, the only known match who could save the patient’s life. Certainly it meant inconvenience, rearranging his schedule to accommodate the stem cell transplant. It meant undergoing a procedure during which he may not feel well for a few days. But Neria did not consider any of these factors. He thought only of the wonderful opportunity to help. Like his father, his only question was ‘When do you want me to come?’
Neria’s transplant took place at Ezer Mizion’s new Harvesting Center, an entity which enables the procedure to be handled under ideal conditions. Unlike a hospital, the exclusive role of the staff is to care for the stem cell donors and everything takes place under one roof. This makes the whole process very efficient and improves the results of the harvesting. A full medical staff operates at the Center, including a doctor, nurses, medical technicians, and a Clinic Director. The Center functions according to the strict guidelines and regulations of World Marrow Donors Association (WMDA), which guarantee the quality of the stem cells and ensure the highest standards of performance with optimal results and more lives saved.
Ezer Mizion’s Donald Berman Rehabilitation Center for Cancer Patients and their Families has provided much needed support for those undergoing the horrific nightmare of cancer. Mr. David Muller, Trustee of The Donald Berman Foundation, was on one of his periodic site visits. On his visit, together with Rav Chananya Chollak, Ezer Mizion’s International Chairman, they met Neria who described the stem cell donation procedure from the point of view of the donor. His mother looked on with pride and the satisfaction of having raised her child to have absorbed the family values. Her son had ‘gotten the message’.
