Wife of Israel’s president, Nechama Rivlin, undergoes lung transplant

Spouse of Israel's head of state, 73,who has pulmonary fibrosis, underwent successful operation this week

Reuven and Nechama Rivlin

Nechama Rivlin, the wife of President Reuven Rivlin who is never seen in public without being attached to a portable oxygen tank, underwent a successful lung transplant.

On Tuesday, a day after the surgery, Nechama Rivlin was awake and speaking to her medical team and family, the President’s Office said in a statement.

Doctors at Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva in Central Israel stressed that the first days after a transplant operation are critical and that there is a long recovery period after such surgery.

Rivlin, 73, has pulmonary fibrosis, which causes scar tissue to fill the lungs.

She reportedly has been on the transplant list for over a year, and her situation was getting more critical.

She received her lung from Yair Yehezkel Halabli, 19, of Ramat Gan, who drowned on Friday in Eilat.

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