Vol. LXXX!
No. 44
Omaha, NE
by CAROL KATZMAN, Editor — — — Ann Goldstein and Cheryl Cooper have shared many things—their birthday on Oct. 8 was just the beginning. Their relationship grew when they married and started their families. Their two oldest children, Josh Cooper and Becca Goldstein, are the same age; younger siblings, Alex Cooper and Deb Goldstein, are only a year apart. Together, Goldstein and Cooper have visited Israel with their families, celebrated Jewish holidays, volunteered for many causes, and shared "lots of laughter." And now they share something else - a kidney. Two months ago, Cheryl donated one of her kidneys to her dear friend. Goldstein knew that one day she'd be faced with the prospect of battling polycystic kidney disease. After 10 years on dialysis, her mother died of the genetic disease in 1984; her brother died from the same disease in 1997, while only in his 40s. Polycystic kidneys describes exactly what the disease is~a genetic disease which forms multiple cysts on the kidneys. At a critical point, there are too many cysts for the kidney to perform its job of ridding the body of toxic
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Cheryl Cooper, right, donated one of her kidneys to her friend, Ann Goldstein in a lifesaving operation in May. wastes. exhibit any symptoms until she Goldstein has never let the prospect reached her 60s. With her positive of this disease spoil her life. She wrote attitude, she always indicated that off "feeling tired" two years ago to get- she felt "just fine. " ting older, menopause, and just "not But one look at her in May 2001 and realizing" that her kidneys were fail- her family doctor sent her to the hosing. Her friends saw changes in her pital "immediately." Her kidneys were physical condition and questioned her, huge, "the size of footballs," Goldstein but her lack of energy and loss of admitted, and her kidney function appetite didn't really register with her was failing, because she didn't think she would When Goldstein began her twice-a-
Israeli Procedure Helps Make 9 Two Arab 'Bubble Babies Healthy by JESSICA STEINBERG —
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JERUSALEM (JTA) - Dr. Shimon Slavin, a slim man with stick-straight white hair, holds two of his patients in his arms. Tassn'em Abu Said, 6, daintily kisses his left cheek, while her sister, Salsabil, 22 months, offers a slightly moister version on his right side. "Shukran," Slavin says in Arabic, thanking the two curly, dark-haired Israeli Arab sisters who scamper back to their father, Taliir, and mother, Hayam, sitting nearby. As Salsabil toddles out of sight, her small red shoes take her over to the shiny metal elevator doors. Her father, Taher Abu Said, quickly darts over to scoop her up before her chubby fingers get caught in the elevator doors. It isn't unusual for toddlers to embark on search and explore missions. But a year and a half ago, Salsabil was living in a Hadassah hospital isolation unit, under the care of Slavin, who heads the bone marrow transplantation department at the Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center. She and Tassnem were both "bubble babies," born without immune systems, a genetic disease known as severe combined immunodeficiency. SCID is caused by the lack of an essential enzyme, adenosine draminase, or ADA, that creates a functioning immune system. Bubble babies are so named because the first patients diagnosed with SCID were isolated for prolonged periods in germ-free plastic tents. Now both sisters have been cured of their disease -Tassnem with a bone marrow stem cell transplant and Salsabil by gene therapy, the "first in the world," says her doctor, who worked with a team of Israeli and Italian researchers from the San Raffaele Institute in Milan, Italy, to develop a gene therapy procedure that can be used for every genetic disease caused by defective stem cells. Stem cells are "blank cells" that can develop into virtually any kind of cell in the human body. The '-elegance" of this particular scientific
week kidney dialysis, her friend, Cooper, asked about becoming a kidney donor. After family members were ruled out, Ann agreed to Cheryl's request. In June 2001, Cooper underwent multiple tests at Nebraska Health System to ensure that not only were Cheryl and Ann a "match," but also that Cooper's health status was strong and this donation would not endanger her quality of life. She passed all the tests with flying colors. Goldstein said, "She not only donated a gift of life to me, she helped the whole system for prospective organ donors by suggesting ways it can be improved and be easier for living donors to step forward." In December last year, Goldstein's doctors removed both kidneys, put her on dialysis three days a week and scheduled transplant surgery for the day before Passover.Fran Milder, Cheryl's mother, joked that the two scheduled surgery for that day to get out of cooking for the seder! In reality, both Fran and Jerry Milder were very supportive of the important decision, as was Cheryl's husband, Ron, (Continued on page 11)
New Immigrants See AHyah as 'best way' to Fight Terrorism by RACHEL POMERANCE-—
NEW YORK (JTA) - Howard and Dora Green were inside Jerusalem's packed Sbarro pizzeria last August when a suicide bomber blew himself and more than a dozen others to bits. The Greens suffered personally from the terrorist attack-their niece still rests in a coma in Tel Avivbut it prompted the couple to emerge stronger and more dedicated to preserving the Jewish people. The "best way to fight back" said Howard Green, is to make aliyah. Nearly one year later, the Orthodox couple from New York has moved to Israel. They were among nearly 400 North American Jews—150 under the age of 12-who made aliyah in what is believed to be the largest group of North Americans to immigrate at one time to Israel. Israel was "always a dream we could never fulfill" for financial or other reasons, Dora Green, 51, said as she prepared for her departure from JFK International Airport on Monday. But now, with her husband's retirement benefits Palestinian girl Salsabil Abu Said, the first and a financial boost from a new organization ded'bubble baby' in the world completely cured of^ icated to easing the financial burden of aliyah, the severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), Greens are officially new immigrants. sits with her father Taher as Israeli Dr. In fact, the group that helped the Greens, Nefesh Shimon Slavin, fop, looks on during a media B*Nefesh, which means "from soul to soul" in Hebrew, conference in Jerusalem. was founded by someone dedicated to replacing lives Photo by Brian Hendler/JTA. lost to terror with new Jewish immigrants. advancement is how it unfolded within one family, After his cousin was killed in a 2000 terrorist Slavin says. It is also a story of Jews and Muslims, attack in Israel, Rabbi Joshua Fass of Boca Raton, Israelis and Arabs, looking beyond the immediate FL, wanted to "come stand in his stead." conflict and trusting one another. (Continued on page 2) The Abu Saids were childless for 10 years, and desperately waited children. When they finally conceived Ahmed, their first-born, he died within . INSIDE: weeks because he had SCID-ADA and lacked a 1 functioning immune system. Healthy Living starts page 7 When Hayam Abu Said became pregnant again, the Abu Saids knew the disease was prevalent. As ;"Run, Doc, Run"....T..-..................» page 14 first cousins, Hayam and Tahir's fathers are brothers they had a "double dose" of this genetic disease, "Genetic testing page IS • Slavin says. But as devout Muslims, they wouldn't ! undergo prenatal diagnosis to detect whether the "Medicine Cabinet in th<? Kitchen" ... page 20 baby in utero carried the disease. t -Crossword puzzle page 23 (Continued on page 11)