Dee Family, After Tragic Loss in Terror Attack, Meets Organ Transplant Recipients
Lital Valenci, a 51-year-old mother of two who suffered from severe heart failure for five years, met the family of her heart donor, Lucy Dee, at Beilinson Hospital in Israel on Tuesday.
Lucy Dee, a 45-year-old British Israeli woman, was killed along with two of her daughters in a terrorist attack in the Jordan Valley last month.
During the emotional meeting, Lucy’s surviving daughters Keren, 19, and Tali, 17, felt their mother’s heartbeat through Valenci’s chest. Valenci expressed her condolences to the family for their loss and her gratitude for the new lease on life. The Dee family spoke about their mother, and Valenci shared that Lucy’s organs had helped five people, including herself. This was the first time the two families met in person.
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The heart transplant was performed at Beilinson, one of Israel’s largest medical centers, which conducts 70% of organ transplants in the country. Valenci has been recovering at the hospital since her surgery on April 11.
Keren and Tali both found comfort in hearing their mother’s heartbeat in Valenci, with Tali stating, “Nobody can understand what it is like losing a mother and two sisters at once and to hear my mother’s heartbeat was comforting.”
The Dee family also met Mordechi Elkabetz, who received one of Lucy’s kidneys, and Daniel Geresh, who received her liver. Ahmed Suliman, the recipient of Lucy’s other kidney, was unable to attend the meeting but sent a heartfelt tribute.
The Dee family hears Lucy Dee’s heartbeat, at Beilinson Hospital in Petach Tikva, Israel, May 2, 2023. (Beilinson Hospital)
