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This story just doesn’t sound right on several levels. I don’t mean to cast doubt on it if it is indeed true, but it doesn’t seem to add up. I have a hard time believing that a hospital in the U.S. just happened to have a “slot” a week out, for one thing. Where is the donor liver coming from? Are the doctors psychic, and somehow know that a liver will magically become available just in time for next week’s “slot”, or do they already have a liver and they’re just waiting around for someone who can use it, in a week or so? I wasn’t aware that there was excess inventory in the transplant business, just sitting on the shelf waiting for a customer. And how would it be kept viable?…I didn’t think that was possible for more than a few hours, which your personal experience confirms. And are we also expected to believe that this magical liver just happens to be compatible with this little girl’s body? This whole story makes organ transplantation sound like a quick-serve, drive-through, spur of the moment thing, which it most certainly is not.

And as you and others have pointed out, there is no explanation at all for why she couldn’t get the transplant in Israel. Just a quick mention of Israeli doctors inexplicably telling her parents to go to Pittsburgh. And finally, there’s the predictable urgency for people to “donate now”, or the child will die.

Again, if this story is true then I hope they receive everything they need and more to take care of this little girl. But it just has all the earmarks of a donation scam. I truly hope I’m wrong.

Organized by
Vaad Harabanim Leinyanei Tzedaka
221 Regent Drive
Lakewood,New Jersey
Tax ID: 37-1456890
Donations can also be made to Vaad Harabanim Fund #5710 by phone at 1877-722-2646 or by mailing a check to Vaad Harabanim 221 Regent Drive Lakewood, NJ 08701

I have no personal knowledge but it would be easy to check.
https://www.vaadharabbanim.com/

An exclusive look at the inner workings of the largest tzedakah organization in the world
It all started 22 years ago

Not every day goes down in Jewish history. But Wednesday, the 13th of Av 5752, was one such day.

A young kollel man suddenly passed away in a tragic manner, leaving behind a number of small children. His widow and children were shocked and in very dire circumstances. How could they be helped? Is there a system for handling such emergencies?

Today there’s an answer to these questions: Vaad Harabbanim!

But then, the situation was quite different and brought great distress to two Gedolim, Harav Hagaon Shlomo Zalmen Auerbach zt”l, and Harav Hagaon Yosef Shalom Elyashiv zt”l. As a result, on Wednesday, the 13th of Av 5752, an urgent meeting was held in Rav Elyashiv’s home. They decided to start a general tzedakah collection, to be carried out by direct mail.