This past Chanukah, 50-year-old Baltimorean, Harry Burstyn (or �Happy Harry� as he is well-known), experienced a Chanukah miracle that made him really happy.� He received an unexpected surprise gift from his 29-year-old second cousin, Yossi Burstyn.
�This all started about five years ago.� �I thought I had kidney stones, so I went for a routine x-ray,� said Burstyn, describing his medical condition.� �They next injected me with iodine and did a CT scan�but because I�m a diabetic, this put me into kidney failure.�� Burstyn spent a few days in the ICU, and when he was discharged, they told him that medication would help for the next 3-4 years, but after that he would need dialysis.
�Then last year, before the Yomim Tovim, my kidney function started getting much worse,� Burstyn said.� �I spent 15 months in dialysis, and the doctors told me either I would need a kidney donation or else I�d need dialysis for the rest of my life.�
Burstyn�s wife offered to donate her kidney to her husband, but after 5 months of evaluations, she wasn�t a match for him.
Burstyn added, �We went back to the hospital then, and they told me that they�d put me on a list�well, that list was a 5-8 year wait.�
Not wanting to wait, Harry Burstyn decided to be very proactive.� �I opened up a website on Facebook called, �Kidney for Harry�, and started handing out flyers at local blood drives.��� Burstyn continued, �Rabbi Frand spoke about my plight in his annual Teshuva �Drasha, and my Rav, Rabbi Motzen, offered to set up classes in the community to teach others about organ donations and Halacha.�
Soon after Burstyn went public with his request, several of Harry�s friends went for testing to see if they�d be a match.� They were all ruled out.� On July 4th, a total stranger from Hagerstown responded to Harry�s request.� She was tested, but was not a good match.
�And then my second cousin, Yossi, volunteered to get tested.� We had always been close as he was like a big brother to my children.� Five months later, after extensive testing, we found out that Yossi was a good match for me.�
�My initial reaction was, �Sure, I�d take a blood test�,� said Yossi, �I really didn�t think too much that I�d pass the tests and be a match.�
When Yossi Burstyn found out that he was a good match for his cousin, he was nervous at first, but very happy to be able to help his cousin have a new lease on life.
On the sixth day of Chanukah, Happy Harry�s gift arrived!
Burstyn�s kidney operation took seven hours and was performed by a top physician in the field,�Dr. Stephen T. Bartlett at the University of Maryland.� (Dr. Bartlett made news headlines by performing a full face transplant in May, 2012).� Harry remained in the hospital for 7 days, and his cousin Yossi was let out after two days.
�My wife has been very supportive,� added Yossi, �since after the surgery I can�t drive, take care of the children, etc., and she has taken upon herself to handle much more on her own until I have fully recovered. Besides for my very supportive wife, I could not have done this without the help of my father and mother in-law, as well as brother and sisters in-law; they were there to help when something needed to be done.�
Harry Burstyn expressed the same gratitude towards his wife.� �She stood by me the entire time, and I couldn�t have done it without her support,� he said.
When asked what he plans to do with his new life, Harry Burstyn admitted that he�s not finished being proactive.� �Thank G-d I have my health, now I want to help others.�
Burstyn is using his website to post requests for other people who are in need of kidney transplants. In fact, he is posting a request for a lady in Israel, who is in immediate need of a kidney.
Burstyn concludes, �Donating a kidney is one of the most beautiful blessings a person can give to someone else. Many people have become donors and recipients as well.� Yet, over 500,000 people are still in need of a transplant. I�d like to urge everyone to learn about donating organs, and I�d like to see the Rabbis and Kollels teach more about the subject. �
To find out how to help others and to learn more about being a donor, go to the Facebook page, Kidney for Harry, or email him at�[email protected]�.
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