While most of us are celebrating Tu B’shvat today with fruits and festivities, Roiza Ruchy B., a young mother who lives in Lakewood, will be celebrating by giving the gift of life. Her mission? To donate a kidney to a fellow Jew who she has never even met.

Roiza Ruchy grew up in Brooklyn and moved to Lakewood with her husband. She works as an interior decorator and is actively involved in many chesed organizations. The idea of donating a kidney did not suddenly occur to Roiza Ruchie and it was not a spur of the moment decision. It’s something she had wanted to do for a very long time.

“In a way,“ says Roiza Ruchy, “I feel like this is my tafkid.“ So much so that she spent the day before the procedure in a state of quiet anticipation. “This is the ultimate chesed that I can do for another person,” she says. “And I feel honored to have the zechus of doing such a tremendous mitzvah.”

It took a while for this young wife and mother to convince her husband and children that she was doing the right thing. After all, they were naturally concerned about her well being. “No one wants to see their loved one undergoing surgery,” she explains. “But I explained to my family that there is someone else out there who also has a family. And that their family desperately wants their loved one to live. If Hakodosh Boruch Hu gave me the gift of health, shouldn’t I share that gift with others?” In the end, they understood her motives and gave her their blessings. So much so that they are seriously considering donating a kidney themselves one day.

According to Roiza Ruchy, none of this could have happened without the help of Renewal. Renewal is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping those who suffer from kidney disease by facilitating kidney donation. Their goal is to save lives. Renewal is there for every patient and their family at every stage of the challenging journey towards health, providing many services to both donor and recipient.

Renewal helped Roiza Ruchy by holding her hand through the entire process. Renewal walked her through the various testing procedures and provided her with information to make an educated decision about kidney donation. A Renewal staff member drove her to the hospital at 4:00 AM this morning for surgery and a volunteer will be spending the night in the hospital with her to ensure that she is comfortable. They are also offering to send her to a convalescent home and to provide cleaning help to ease her post-surgery recovery.

Roiza Ruchy doesn’t know much about the person who will be receiving her kidney except that he is male, and that he is from New York. “I hope,” she says, “that he is a good person.” Asked whether she will decide to meet him in person, she says “we’ll play it by ear.”

She told some of her friends and family about her decision, but not everyone. “Basically,” she says, “I get two distinct reactions. It’s either, ‘Wow, you’re so special!’ or it’s ‘You’re crazy!’ I don’t want to be discouraged. This is something I’ve been determined to do for a very long time.”

Roiza Ruchy is especially excited about the procedure because it is taking place on Tu B’svat. “This is a day set aside for renewal,” she points out. “A day when Hashem gives life and sustenance to the trees. How appropriate it is for me to be doing this tremendous mitzvah on this special day!”

Please have the Donor Roiza Rochel bas Chana and the Recipient Dov ben Yachad Frieda in mind in your tefillos for a successful surgery and a refuah shleima. For more information about kidney donation visit www.renewal.org or call 718-431-9831.

(By: M. Lowinger – YWN Desk)