My Kidney Transplant - My New Kidney

By David E. Y. Sarna From the time our children are able to speak, we teach them to recite Modeh Ani upon arising. The prayer is short and deceptively simple: I offer thanks to You, living and eternal King, for You have mercifully restored my soul within me; Your faithfulness is great. I must confess that more often than not, I used to mumble it by rote, not giving much thought to the words. Yet as I grew sicker from kidney disease, not knowing whether I would wake up in the morning, the words took on new and profoundly personal meaning. I was alive. I had merited a chance for another day. I am one of the lucky ones. My devoted and determined nephrologist Dr. Neal Lyman did everything in his power to get me through the disease without dialysis. The side effects of the common but debilitating treatment are numerous and terrible; it can cause brittle bones and wreak havoc on the pancreas, a deadly combination for a diabetic like me. The average wait time for a kidney transplant through the National Kidney Registry is three to six years, and the system discriminates against “older” patients like me, aged 65. With all the bureaucracy involved, if one is lucky enough to get a kidney, it would be a cadaver kidney, which typically results in a much shorter life expectancy post-transplant compared to a kidney from a living donor. Despite all the odds stacked against me, I was saved by Renewal. I registered with them in September, and by April 7th, a healthy kidney was at work in my body. Kidney disease Weill Cornell, I received a new kidney from an anonymous but extremely altruistic donor in a transplant facilitated by Renewal. By Shabbos morning, they were ready to send me home. Since I received a new kidney, I feel like I truly have been born again. My mind is clear once again. One month post-transplant, the pain is nearly gone and I am regaining more of my strength every day. After six years of a very strict vegetarian diet so as not to stress what remained of my kidney function, I am once again able to enjoy my eishes chayil’s amazing chicken. I can now realistically expect to walk each of my three children down the aisle to their chuppos, and live to see grandchildren studying Torah and doing mitzvos. These hopes and dreams were practically out of reach just a short while ago, as I spent most of my days bedridden, sleeping or staring at the ceiling. On Shavuos, we all relive the experience of receiving the Torah at Har Sinai and we accept it again. For me, this Shavuos will take on very special meaning. I can reaccept the Torah with a full heart and a clear head. I am at a loss for words to properly express my gratitude for the caring and support I received from the entire Renewal team, our kehillah, our rabbi and rebbetzin, Rabbi Steven and Rebbetzin Karen Pruzansky, the amazing medical team at Cornell, my extraordinary anonymous benefactor, and acharon acharon choviv, my wife and children who lovingly nursed me back to health. May Hashem reward them all for their many good deeds. My New Kidney is a dificult, pernicious disease. In my case, the reason assigned for my illness was “idiopathic,” a fancy medical way of saying unknown. I never smoked or drank beyond kiddush on Shabbos, and no one in my family suffered renal failure. The most well-known function of the kidneys is the iltering and removal of toxins. Kidney failure manifests itself in debilitating ways that affect one’s entire quality of life: lack of energy, inability to concentrate, loss of appetite, chronic fatigue and weakness. The Gemara teaches (Brochos 61): The kidneys counsel, the heart discerns, the tongue shapes [the words], the mouth articulates, the gullet takes in and lets out all kinds of food, the wind-pipe and the lungs absorb all kinds of liquids, the liver is the seat of anger, the gall lets a drop fall into it and allays it, the milt produces laughter, the large intestine grinds [the food], the maw brings sleep and the nose awakens. Rashi elaborates that the kidneys advise the heart what to do. Until I got sick, I assumed this was meant to be understood metaphorically. I now know better. With failing kidneys, one is literally unable to think straight. On chol hamoeid Pesach, in New York-Presbyterian/ Eye To I A Summer Dream Come True The Eretz Yisroel Summer Experience Your seatbelt is fastened as the plane lifts off the runway. You are now journeying to Machane Bein Hazmanim, the Eretz Yisroel summer experience for beis medrash and mesivta bochurim. There is no need to dream; you don’t need to stretch your imagination. Just ask any of the happy campers and counselors who have attended Machane Bein Hazmanim in previous years, and you will get a tangible feel for what it is like. Eretz Yisroel is a place where you can be inspired and experience the geshmak of never ending action. There is something to be seen in every alley, street corner and mountain top. The land is illed with gedolim, roshei yeshiva and Torah. In Eretz Yisroel, even the ordinary people are extraordinary! From davening neitz in Meron to a late night moonlit hike, every day and night of camp is bursting with excitement. Machane Bein Hazmanim is enables you to live and experience Eretz Yisroel 182 YatedNe’eman up close. For three weeks, you will enjoy various activities such as water hiking, caving, climbing, swinging, and swimming, all the while having the time of your life. You will have the prized opportunity to meet gedolim and daven at kivrei Avos and mekomos hakedoshim. If you are looking for the opportunity to experience the unique ruach of Eretz Yisroel, this summer is your answer. Machane Bein Hazmanim, The Eretz Yisroel Summer Experience is a summer you will never forget. For further information or an application, please call the camp director, Rabbi Moshe Herskowitz at 1-929-322 8145, or the head counselor, Rabbi Yisroel Roberg, at 1-917722-5611. You can also email campmbh@ gmail.com. Eye to I, a video presentation for women and girls, debuted in multiple cities across the world. Spanning ive continents, encompassing tens of thousands of women, the presentation created ripple effects that will linger. In Monsey, over 2,000 women attended two consecutive showings, and in Brooklyn over 3,000 women attended the showing. The reactions across the globe were very much the same. “The message was presented in such a positive, uplifting way. I went away feeling na’aseh v’nishama.” “I came home on a high! The next day, all my friends were talking about it.” “I want to learn more. What else do you offer?” Mi keamchah Yisroel. We all want to grow, improve, and be inspired. The organization dedicated to increasing an awareness of modesty has produced their ninth and most sophisticated‫אייר‬high‫כ”ד‬ tech video presentation yet: Eye to I. The program began with divrei chizuk by Rav Chaim Kanievsky and Rav Yaakov Hillel, followed by Rabbi David Ashear, author of Living Emunah and of the Daily Chizuk, a daily email with a message on emunah, also played on Chazak. Mrs. Ayala Berney, principal of Bais Yaakov of Ramapo in Monsey, presented a message about the constant struggle between who we appear to be and our true inner essence, crystalizing the universal theme, “Eye to I.” Rabbanit Yemima Mizrachi clariied the double whammy of why women share so much: we want to avoid the burden of A BN O S M EL O CH I M WO R L D W I D E EV EN T Antwerp, Belgium Arad, EY Ashdod, EY Baltimore, MD Beit Shemesh, EY BneiBrak, EY Boro Park, NY Basel, Switzerland loneliness and we desire to do chesed with one another. Women should utilize the urge to share by sharing this power with Klal Yisroel, she said. Rav Avrohom Chaim Feuer, formerly of Monsey who now resides in Yerushalayim, was the next speaker. Mrs. Tzirel Rus Berger shared her lifealtering journey from spiritual rags to her delight in a personal relationship with the Ribono Shel Olam. At the Riverside, a soul-stirring song accompanied by powerful imagery set the tone for the evening. A special guest from Baltimore, Mrs. Rivka Malka Pearlman, related her personal miracle, and how it infused her with a renewed appreciation for the treasures in her own life. Mrs. Shuli Gerstman from Passaic described her journey and commitment to a new way of life. Last but not least, Everything But, a hilarious and true to life comedy, brought the message home. Who am I? Do I matter? Am I and my deeds as insigniicant as I feel? Does Hashem see me the way I see myself? Am I truly living eye to eye, congruent with the real values of Yiddishkeit? Does my appearance enhance my essence? Which one is the real I? The presentation, enhanced by 3-D technology with real-life animation and video backdrops, enlightened the audience and will be’ezras Hashem create ripple effects for generations. For more information or to arrange group showings, please call Bnos Melochim at 845-425-9222. Join tens of thousands of women across the globe for an unforgettable event! ‫בס"ד‬ eye I 24 / 7 845.425.2123 718.232.1300   4 Sivan 5775 | May 22, 2015