“I Gave Something of Myself to Save Someone Else”
Nina and Joseph, a couple in their 30s living in Tel Aviv, came to Israel after October 7 out of solidarity and a desire to help. They were only beginning to build their life together in Israel when their first daughter was born. A complication after the delivery sent Nina into emergency surgery and required her to receive donated blood. After she recovered, her husband Joseph decided to donate blood himself, having understood firsthand that blood donation means becoming part of saving a life. A story of love, Zionism and lifesaving.
Perhaps some things are simply meant to be. Nina, originally from Brazil, and Joseph, from Toronto, first met in Miami after Joseph's mother encountered Nina at the Israeli consulate and decided the two should meet. "It was like a classic Jewish sitcom," Nina laughed. They went on two dates, but eventually lost touch. After October 7, they each independently decided to come to Israel out of solidarity and a desire to volunteer.
They met again in Israel. That reunion became a relationship, then a marriage, and eventually an exciting first pregnancy. The pregnancy progressed without complications, and Nina gave birth to their daughter at Tel Aviv's Ichilov Medical Center. They had become a family.
But shortly after the birth, a complication arose. Nina suddenly began bleeding heavily. Her condition deteriorated rapidly, and she lost consciousness. The medical team rushed her into emergency surgery, while Joseph remained with their newborn daughter, frightened and waiting to learn whether his wife would be okay.
To save Nina's life, the bleeding had to be stopped and the blood her body had lost had to be replaced. The medical team at Ichilov performed the emergency procedure needed to control the bleeding and administered donated blood.
"You don't really think about the possibility that one day you'll need a blood transfusion," Nina said. "The story could have ended completely differently."
Nina and her daughter were discharged from the hospital. Nina recovered and is now raising their daughter with Joseph as the new rhythms of their life as parents begin to settle into place.
But Joseph did not forget those frightening hours when he held their daughter while his wife was in surgery. After seeing firsthand what donated blood can mean, he decided to give back to Israel's national blood supply and donate blood himself.
"I gave something of myself to save someone else's life, as a way of thanking the people who donated blood and saved my wife's life. The blood I donate can save people," Joseph said.
In fact, donated blood is separated into components, meaning a single blood donation can help save multiple lives. Blood donated through Magen David Adom is supplied to Israel's healthcare system and the IDF and is used to treat and save patients undergoing surgery, people living with serious illnesses, victims of road accidents, mothers and babies, and soldiers wounded in the field.
Magen David Adom's National Blood Services are responsible for approximately 98% of the blood supplied to Israel's healthcare system. Blood donated by the public is tested and processed before being distributed to hospitals throughout the country and to the IDF.
Despite advances in modern medicine, human blood cannot be manufactured in a laboratory. Its only source is donations from other human beings. Nor can it be stored indefinitely: blood components have a limited shelf life. Donating blood means becoming part of saving a life and is an act of mutual responsibility.
Magen David Adom invites everyone who is eligible to donate blood at MDA blood donation centers and mobile donation sites throughout Israel. Information on donation locations and hours is available on Magen David Adom's website.
