8-Month-Old Arab baby saved by Israeli woman’s liver donation
It was Talia Eden's dream to help save a life, and it was baby Bissan, born with a rare liver defect, that needed her help
Talia Eden, a 39-year-old lecturer and researcher in computer science at Bar-Ilan University, carried with her, for more than two decades, a profound sense of loss. Her father, who suffered from Hepatitis C, needed a liver transplant but passed away before receiving one.
Already in her twenties, Talia approached Israel’s National Transplant Center and asked to donate part of her liver to a stranger. She was told she was too young and would first need to complete her pregnancies. Still, she never gave up on her dream of saving a life. Years passed through an intensive academic career, marriage, raising two children, and a family postdoctoral stay in the US, yet the desire remained.
A few months ago, she decided to try again. Several donation attempts nearly happened but were canceled at the last minute. Then, two weeks ago, she received a call asking whether she was available for surgery.
Two days before the transplant, the transplant coordinator informed her that the recipient was Bissan, an 8-month-old Arab baby from Jerusalem, born with a rare liver defect that had progressed into life threatening liver failure. None of her close family members were suitable donors, and doctors made it clear that without an immediate transplant, she would not survive.
Talia was on her way to Ben Gurion Airport for a business trip when she learned that Bissan’s condition was deteriorating. She stopped everything, returned home, and asked to move the surgery forward.
The transplant, performed on Saturday and credited with saving Bissan’s life, lasted approximately six hours and was led by Dr. Michael Gurevich, Director of the Liver Transplant Units at Clalit-Schneider Children's Medical Center, part of Clalit Health Services.
Last week, Talia met Bissan and her family for the first time.
According to Omima, Bissan’s mother: “After it became clear that neither my husband nor I could donate to her, I was overwhelmed with fear. I was terrified of watching my daughter suffer before my eyes without being able to help her. When I received the news that a suitable donor had been found, I felt enormous relief and great joy. It brought hope after a very difficult period. Suddenly, I felt there was a real chance for my daughter.”
Dr. Talia Eden explained, “To see the little girl recovering after the surgery and to know I had a part in it, there is no greater feeling. Truly, whoever saves one life saves an entire world. This feeling burned inside me all these years, the feeling that I could not save my father, but maybe I could do it for someone else. It is an incredible sense of fulfillment, a complete circle. I think my father would have been proud of me.”
Dr. Michael Gurevich said, “Very few people know that altruistic liver donation is even possible, that someone can donate a portion of their liver and continue living a full and healthy life, because the liver is a unique organ capable of regenerating itself. While recovery and rehabilitation are required, the long-term health risk to the donor is very low. Just now, on the eve of the Shavuot holiday, we performed another altruistic liver transplant for a second child, the second such transplant in only five days. This is an unusual and extraordinary event, since these procedures are rare, especially in such close succession. We are closely monitoring both girls and are hopeful for their continued recovery.”