On Tuesday he was alive, a young man just beginning adulthood. On Wednesday, Sergeant Daniel Chemu, a paratrooper in the IDF, gave his life to protect his country.

Sergeant Chemu is no longer alive but, because of his giving spirit, another person is. She had been ill and a stem cell transplant was needed to save her life. Its success depended on finding a genetically matching donor.

Daniel Chemu was the only known match in the world. He was thrilled to be the one to save her life. The transplant was scheduled for shortly after the holiday of Sukos. And then October 7th happened and Daniel found himself fighting in Sderot, Be'eri, and at the Supernova festival site in Re'im. The horror. The terror. But amidst it all, he did not forget about the desperate woman who, without him, would die.

The transplant was postponed. However, since he had not yet been deployed to Gaza, Dr. Bracha Zisser, Director of Ezer Mizion Bone Marrow Registry, worked with the IDF commanders to get their authorization for his temporary release. The logistics were not easy but finally Daniel was graciously given permission to leave his army base to donate his stem cells and immediately return to duty.

Share his joy as a little bag of life, the stem cells extracted from his blood, makes its way to save a life. Sergeant Chemu is no longer with us but his noble deed will ensure many, many more years of life for another.