Rocket victim Michael Samara saves six lives with marathon organ donation

Michael Samara's family's decision to donate his organs saved 6 Israeli lives, including a seven-month-old baby, over Friday and Saturday.  

Michael was critically injured on Tuesday, August 6, from an Iron Dome interception malfunction that exploded over Highway 4. Samara had been studying in the Czech Republic and had arrived in Israel to visit his parents just days prior. 

Samara was committed to the intensive care unit in crucial condition. The medical team examined him and discovered that he suffered from brain damage, and his family requested that his organs be donated to save lives. 

Dozens of doctors, nurses, technicians, and medics joined forces to perform a marathon organ transplant. 

At Beilinson Hospital, a heart transplant was performed on a 52-year-old patient who suffered from heart failure and was in critical condition. Michael's lungs were given to a 60-year-old patient who suffered from a chronic respiratory illness, and a kidney transplant saved a 48-year-old patient who had suffered from kidney failure and had been sent to the top of the donor list. 

At Ichilov Hospital, a liver transplant helped a 65-year-old woman. At Schneider Children's Hospital, a liver lobe was transplanted to a 7-month-old baby. 

Michael's parents stated following the transplants, “We wish the receiving patients a quick recovery and a happy and healthy life.”