An anonymous kidney donation by Yonatan Rom unexpectedly reconnected him with the family of the man who saved his life during a 2002 terror attack. Rom met recipient Reuven Tam and learned that Reuven’s brother, Eyal Tam, had been the emergency commander who ended the Atzmona massacre. Clalit-Beilinson officials called the match an “almost unbelievable full circle,” noting the hospital performs more than 200 kidney transplants a year. Both families expressed gratitude and hope for a lasting friendship after the transplant.
Full Circle: Kidney Donor Reconnects Survivor With Rescuer’s Family 24 Years After Atzmona Attack
Reuven (right) and Yonatan (left) recover at Clalit-Beilinson Hospital following the kidney transplant. (photo credit: Clalit-Beilinson Hospital)
An altruistic kidney donation unexpectedly reunited two families whose lives first intersected during the Second Intifada, Clalit Health Services said.
About a year ago, Yonatan Rom signed up as an anonymous donor in Israel’s paired kidney exchange program. When he was later matched, Rom elected to meet his intended recipient in person at Clalit-Beilinson Hospital before the operation.
During their first conversation, Rom and recipient Reuven Tam discovered a startling connection: Rom had been a teacher at a pre-military academy that was attacked in 2002, and Reuven’s brother, Eyal Tam, had been the emergency response squad commander who ended that assault.
“Your brother saved my life 24 years ago, and today I am saving yours with my kidney,” Rom told Tam after they traced the link between them.
Rom recalled arriving at the scene by car and being fired upon before Eyal arrived and neutralized the attacker. “Eyal stopped the terrorist and ended the massacre,” Rom said, adding that the meeting and revelation were entirely unplanned.
The attack took place in 2002, at the height of the Second Intifada, when a gunman entered the academy in the Israeli community of Atzmona in the Gaza Strip’s Gush Katif region, killing five students and wounding 21 others.
Beilinson Hospital (credit: COURTESY BEILINSON HOSPITAL)
Clalit noted that had Eyal Tam not acted quickly that day, the death toll may have been higher. Rom’s choice to donate now echoes that same spirit of selflessness, hospital officials said.
“Altruistic kidney donors truly embody the meaning of altruism. They make an extraordinary decision to save the life of someone they have never met,” said Dr. Eviatar Nesher, Director of the Transplant Department at Clalit-Beilinson. He described the pairing as an “almost unbelievable full circle.”
Clalit-Beilinson performs more than 200 kidney transplants annually, and Rom could have been matched with many other recipients. “What are the chances that, out of all the donors and recipients, these two people would be brought together — the recipient whose brother had once saved the donor’s life during a terrorist attack?” asked Anat Briger, Transplant Coordinator at Clalit-Beilinson.
As Tam prepared for the transplant, he expressed gratitude and a hope for lasting ties: “We feel wonderful. I want to thank Yonatan for giving me a new chance at life. We hope to remain friends for the rest of our lives.”
This story highlights both the unpredictable human connections that can arise from organ donation and the enduring impact of courageous emergency responders.
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