Daughter’s desperate appeal: ‘Help find kidney donor for my mum’

A daughter is in a race against time to find her desperately ill mother a new kidney.

Yaara Gooner, an architect living in London, is launching a bid to save Lea, who lives in Israel. The 66-year-old, who has end-stage kidney disease, is set to start dialysis within weeks.

Without a transplant, Yaara says she fears her mother might not live to see her walk down the aisle, or to have grandchildren. However, family say she faces an extremely long waiting list, so are urgently appealing for a willing donor among the UK Jewish community.

“We are a small family,” Yaara told Jewish News. “Lea is a single mum and I’m her only child. She raised me in the most perfect way – with so much love and care.

“Both of us [have] never had to ask for help so it’s not a regular position for us to be in, but we know this time it’s the only way.

“She’s a positive human being and a strong woman and wants to still add more stories to her book of life.

The chances of a match taking would be higher if the process began before dialysis, Yaara explained.

“It’s better if she can find a donor before dialysis. You’re putting something extra in your body and your body needs to be strong for it to succeed.”

Lea grew up on a kibbutz before moving to study computer engineering in Haifa, where she began working in the tech sector. 

She has worked as a product manager in the industry for years – and family say she would like to continue working for many more.

Now the search is on to give Lea “the biggest present – life.” The family say they would pay for all flights and accommodation to Israel for any donor operation.

The donor would need to pass a series of tests and scans, and would be assigned a donor coordinator in Israel or the UK to guide through the process, said Yaara.

“I would like to try to keep her as much as possible close to me – to see me getting married and succeed to give her the title of “Safta”, she added.

To contact Yaara, email yaara@labs.com.