Six-Year-Old Girl's Heart Gives Life to Boy Who Waited Nine Months for Transplant
A Kafr Qasim family's decision to donate their passed-away daughter's organs saved a Jerusalem boy's life after nine months in intensive care
Rafael was born with a complex congenital heart defect and underwent his first surgery at three and a half months old. His condition deteriorated despite medical intervention, and doctors placed him on a Berlin Heart ventricular assist device to keep him alive while he waited for a donor.
"Suddenly, we saw a different child," said Dr. Amichay Rotstein, Rafael's senior pediatric cardiologist. "A child who had barely been functioning began eating again, gaining weight, and smiling." Rafael's mother said her son understood his device was a lifeline. "Whenever the machine beeped, he would immediately check that the tubes weren't bent," she recalled.
On Friday morning, six-and-a-half-year-old Saba from Kafr Qasim collapsed at her family's home in Eilat after suffering a ruptured vein in her brain. She was airlifted to Soroka Medical Center but died two days later.
Her father, Mahren Badir, faced the organ donation decision. "Yes, they asked us about organ donation. We immediately said yes, without hesitation," he said. "My daughter is gone. What am I going to do with her heart? What am I going to do with her kidneys? The body is buried, but the organs can give life."
That same night, as surgeons recovered Saba's organs at Soroka, Rafael's planned flight to New York was canceled. Dr. Gabriel Amir led the transplant operation at Schneider.
For Dr. Rotstein, the surgery carried profound weight. Last year, he lost his son, Tom Rotstein, an Israeli soldier who was killed in combat in Khan Younis, Gaza. The loss shaped his perspective on the work he does, infusing each patient case with a deeper understanding of life's fragility and the value of saving it.
"There are mornings when all you want to do is stay under the blanket. Then you receive the news that there is a heart for a child waiting for a transplant, and you throw off the blanket and get up."
Rafael has recovered and is growing stronger. His first wish after the transplant was to visit the zoo and feed a giraffe, which he has already fulfilled.