Donating an organ is never an easy decision for a living person to consider. We only have so many of them after all, and we do need pretty much all we have. That said, organ donation after we pass costs us nothing and such transplants can transform, or in some cases, save a life.
There are any number of diseases, conditions, and injuries that can affect us in this world. Some of these are unexpected and must be addressed immediately if a life is to be saved. But what happens if the only saving grace for one small child lies in the most unlikely and unexpected of places.
Unusual Gift
One-year-old Musa was in terrible trouble. Hailing from in the West Bank of Palestine, his heart was failing. Still, all hope was not lost. He was about to receive a rather unusual gift: a brand new heart from an unlikely donor. What’s more, he was going to receive the heart in a hospital his parents had never expected to be able to enter.
Long-Standing Feud
To truly begin relaying this remarkable tale, one must first understand a harrowing situation that has been affecting the Gaza Strip for more than five decades. The story of the long-standing feud begins right after World War Two, in the mid-20th century. The origins of the conflict are directly related to the Jewish immigration to the Middle East.
Age-Old Battle
Just like as happened during the Crusades, the Jews and Muslims both believed Jerusalem to be their holy city. Israel was formed and the Palestinians were slowly forced away from what was essentially their own land. Needless to say, relations between the two peoples soured soon after. Still, the conflict itself is said to go back much farther than 51 years.
Dissenting Opinions
There are, of course, a number of different viewpoints within Israeli and Palestinian society about the hows and whys of the conflict. Many outside countries have offered their own opinions on the matter as well. Yet, either way you turn and twist, the most unsettling piece of the conflict has been the unnecessary level of violence committed by both sides.
Armies a’ Plenty
There is fighting on both sides by soldiers, paramilitary groups, terror cells, and individuals. But the majority of people living in the area are just trying to live their lives without worrying about becoming the next civilian casualty of the persistent conflict. This understandable animosity between the Israelis and the Palestinians is enough to set the tone of the story to come.
New Hospital
Musa was fighting for his life and had been for most of it. Most recently, the doctors had recommended sending him to his local hospital in Ramallah to Sheba’s Safra Children’s Hospital. Musa and his parents had made the trip many times and each time the staff had treated and stabilized him well.
Fighting For Life
Unfortunately, the time for stabilization was very nearly over, and so was little Musa’s time. He needed a heart transplant and he needed it soon. Unfortunately, no matter where you live, tiny, compatible baby hearts aren’t an easy commodity to come by. There were some donor hearts out there in the world, but getting them to Sheba’s Safra in time was an issue all its own.
Rough Statistic
Statistically, more than 120,000 in the United States alone are on a waiting list for an organ that will ultimately save their life. This is according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. Of those 120,000, 21 will die each day waiting for a transplant that will never come. It’s an even higher death rate in other parts of the world.
The Donor
Recently, a one-year-old Jewish child being treated at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Aviv, finally succumbed to the chronic disease that had been plaguing him. Luckily for little Musa, not only was the poor deceased child’s heart both healthy and compatible, but they also happened to be an organ donor.
Momentous First
Dr. David Mishaly, chief surgeon at Sheba’s Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery Unit, was the fellow tasked with performing the life-saving surgery. It was a difficult operation to say the least, but it was successful. The transplant represents the very first time in history that a Palestinian baby has received a heart transplant from a Jewish child.
Tumors
Musa’s previous medical issues lie in the tumors he was born with. Those tumors had previously surrounded his heart, so when they switched it out, they had to remove much of the surrounding tissue. This, of course, complicated the surgery as well and made it hard for the doctors to work. Still, Dr. Mishaly did his best and was able to help the baby pull through.
Miracles
“There were several miracles associated with this complicated surgery,” Dr. Mishaly explained in a recent interview with the Times of Israel. For one thing, there is no such thing in the Palestinian Authority as an organ donor or organ waiting list. So the fact that Musa retrieved the heart so fast was a miracle in and of itself.
A Symbol
Dr. Mishaly has called the hospital itself a “symbol of coexistence, and an island, an oasis of peace where healing is a priority and everyone, regardless of who they are is treated equally, with dignity and respect.” As touching as this statement is though, there are some caveats to it that only the very observant might recognize.
Others Waiting
The other strange coincidence, in this case, involved the fact that there was no Israeli baby on the waiting list when Musa was brought to Sheba hospital in critical condition. If there had been, it was likely that this child might have received the heart first. Of course, there is no guarantee of this either, considering most doctors would go for the person most in need if given the choice.
Touch-And-Go
In the end, Musa may have survived the transplant surgery, but he isn’t out of the woods just yet. His doctors say that the condition he has suffered with is still there. He was very, very sick to begin with and due to the numerous complications before and after surgery, Musa’s condition is still touch-and-go at this point.
Credit Where It’s Due
Even though Musa is still fighting for his life, one must give credit to the Israeli doctors who stepped in to help the child. Despite the animosity present in the region, Dr. Mishaly and others went above and beyond to not only take the child into their facility but give him a second chance at life through their expertise and generosity.
Light In The Darkness
The tale of little Musa and the Jewish family that ended up saving his life is one that indicates quite plainly that not everyone living in this particular part of the world is looking to end the lives of those living on what is essentially “the other side of town.” Nevertheless, the continuing conflict is hardly something to make light of.
Propaganda
Even after this miraculous moment of cooperation and life-saving, propaganda remains on both sides of the persistent conflict. Some Israeli news outlets have reported that the Palestinian Authority has continued to spread propaganda about how Israel and its forces target Palestinian children. Undoubtedly, the Palestinian news is likely reporting negatively about the Israeli side as well.
Desire to Meet
That said, Musa’s grandmother has made it clear that her family “would like to meet the family of the Jewish child in the near future and thank them for their generosity.” This is a step in the right direction for the people of Israel and Palestine and will hopefully be seen as a means of finding peace in that part of the Middle East.
The Same Heart
Whatever side you lean towards, dear reader, do your best to look past the color, religion, or political affiliation of those around you to see through to the person beneath. In the end, we are all of us people, people who share the same hopes and fears, and who deep down in our hearts are exactly the same.
