Last week, Racheli Klakner (39), a lawyer and arbitrator from Ganei Tikvah, received an unexpected envelope in the mail: An honorary medallion and letter of thanks from Ezer Mizion’s International Bone Marrow Donor Registry for her responding to the call to save a life with her bone marrow donation.
A few years ago, Racheli had gotten a phone call from Ezer Mizion’s registry informing her that she was found to be a good match for a bone marrow donation for a patient who needed her stem cells in order to survive and get better.
Klakner was thrilled by the phone call and felt that a huge privilege had fallen in her lap. Accompanied by her husband and son, she went to a meeting to hear about the options and the procedures. After reading articles and research studies, they decided to make the donation in the operating room under full anesthesia. Last week, she received an honorary medallion from Ezer Mizion for her efforts.
It is very important to Klakner to raise awareness about the importance of donating stem cells and saving lives. She wants to convey this message and tell her story, for the benefit of all the people who are afraid or are put off by the idea.
“If it will encourage others to donate, if they will come to understand the significance and the power of giving, if they will grasp what it is to save the life of another person, or if anyone who is uncertain about donating stem cells will be persuaded by my words to go ahead with it, then I will have succeeded in saving another life, and it is well worth it.”
