A young Cypriot woman who died in a road accident gave a new lease of life to a 45-year-old woman in Israel who had been waiting approximately two years for a heart transplant. The operation was successfully completed on Friday afternoon at Beilinson Hospital, following a demanding operation organised and carried out within just 26 hours of the initial notification about the organ donation.
According to Beilinson Hospital, on Thursday morning, colleagues in Cyprus informed Israel’s National Transplant Center that a heart was available from a young Cypriot woman who had lost her life in a road accident. Tests confirmed that the organ was suitable, and the process of identifying the most appropriate recipient began immediately.
The removal of the heart was scheduled for 3:00 a.m. on Friday in Nicosia. Beilinson’s medical team had to mobilise without delay, while finding an available aircraft proved difficult due to the summer holiday period. Eventually, a larger aircraft was secured, along with emergency funding for the flight.
Four medical teams worked simultaneously. The Israeli team retrieved the heart, while teams from Cyprus and Greece were responsible for the lungs, liver and kidneys. Once the procedure was completed, the Israeli medical team was transported by helicopter to Larnaca Airport.
The aircraft landed in Israel at 7:40 a.m., and in less than an hour, the donated heart had reached the operating theatre.
Following the successful transplant, doctors sent a message to their Cypriot colleagues: “The transplant was completed successfully. The heart is excellent. Thank you.”
Dr Tamar Ashkenazi, Director of Israel’s National Transplant Center, stressed that behind such an operation lies an extensive chain of people and critical decisions.
She said every hour was crucial and that flawless coordination was required between hospitals, airports, customs authorities and medical teams in both countries.
The successful operation, she added, highlighted the importance of organ donation and the longstanding cooperation between Cyprus and Israel in the field of transplantation.
It is also worth noting that dozens of Cypriots have benefited from this cooperation in recent years.
Source: CNA
