By COLlive reporter
A young father of two who recently donated a kidney to a fellow Lubavitcher met with the grateful recipient Sunday at a Chanukah party celebration in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
Rabbi Mendy Mathless was touched when he read about the plight of Yisrael Kasantini, a 54 year old Chossid from Netanya, Israel, who was in desperate need of a kidney transplant.
Mathless, originally from New Haven, recently moved on Shlichus to Albany, New York, with his wife Devora Leah (nee Rubin) and their baby daughter.
“This very special young man called and asked to be tested to see if he could help,” said Rabbi Avraham Leider, Director of the Ahavas Chesed organization, who was actively searching for a donor for Kasantini and warmly thanked COLlive for notifying about it to the community.
Just two weeks later the results came back as positive that they were a match, and the two underwent surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan.
Rabbi Leider was at the hospital when the successful surgery was performed. “The ahavas yisroel was amazing to see,” he said.
The donor and his recipient met this week at the Ahavas Chesed Center on Kingston Avenue, along with 200 well-wishers and community members who gathered to give thanks to G-d for the recovery of both, and to honor Mathless.
At the event, Kasantini, looking well despite his recent surgery, thanked Mathless in an emotional speech.
“I am so thankful to Mendy for giving me this gift of life, my own Chanukah miracle,” he said. “Now I can get back to my children, my family, my life.”
After lighting the Menorah, Mathless said that donating his kidney wasn’t as difficult as he assumed it would be. “It wasn’t a big deal at all,” he said. “G-d gave each of us two kidneys. That gives all of us the opportunity to a Mitzvah.”
Leider added: “We hope that Mendy’s brave act will inspire many others to do the same. A father of nine in the Crown Heights community is still in desperate need of a transplant.”
For more information on donating a kidney (blood type A or O) please call the Rabbi Leider at the Ahavas Chesed Center at 718-221-2424.
To Mendy’s wife: You are an awesome person.Surely all beautiful brochos coming your way will be m’kooyam.
blesses you for the chesed you showed!You were a gutta shaliach in giving a human being new life. Your wonderful mother and lovely wife should reap continued nachas from you. Much health and hatzlocho.
From your Bar Mitzvah Teacher!!!
The way kidney disease works is if it strikes, it strikes both kidneys at the same time. There was never in the history of planet earth a man that had kidney disease in one kidney. If one is struck, the other isn’t spared EVER. (Unless he was born with one kidney or had the other removed).
I realize the point you’re trying to make. However, when a person has two kidneys he has one to fall back on. When you donate one of your kidneys you don’t have that extra kidney to fall back on if ch”v there is a need.
No matter, I’m sure the aibershter will protect Mendy and any other potential donor till 180.
Mendy! Yasher Koiach! May Hashem bentch you!
So proud of you!!! Really, really amazing!
Dovid Leib and Sheina Sara
wowo mendy youre an inspiration to us all!! may hashem reward you ten times fold!! with health and all inyonim!
Much Nachas & good health to you & your families.
wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
Wow, Mendy, hopefully others will follow your lead. It gives new meaning to “sheli sheloch”
to my beautiful friend devorah leah….i have no words…. may your lives be filled with much happiness and many brachos!
Just want people to realize this – and not everyone knows this, that a woman can donate a kidney to a man, and visa versa. So, if anyone women out there considering kidney donation, please come forward to test for this Lubavitch father of 9 who so desperately needs a kidney. And for those women who are in their childbearing years, yes, you can have children after donating a kidney. I had made a kidney match in which the donor had a baby less than 2 years after donating a kidney. And I know someone who donated a kidney in… Read more »
they should both be blessed to live complete healthy lives till 120
mendy hashem should bless you with good health and long llife together with allthe family ihave no words
Mendy – it is so nice to see your picture again after such a long time – and for such a beautiful mitzvah, –
Shauli Minkowitz
Mendy…you are truly amazing! Inspirational! Your grandparents a”h and late father a”h would have been so proud of you. They are surely shepping great nachas in Gan Eden. You must come from such a good family and raised with the right midos and perspective on life. May hashem reward you for this great mitzvah and may your family be blessed with simchos and brochos b’harchovah.
its so nice to hear of good things happening
I agree with 34. The people who suffer and fight for survival have a lot more to be admired for. Some of these people battle for ten years to stay alive, so their struggles aren’t ‘fly by nighter’ struggles but rather a serious spirit of life fueling their will to fight.
May all that need a yeshuah have one and all that need a geulah experience it now mamash. And, Mazel tov to Recepient and Donor. Tzum gezunt un laynge yohr.
very moving mendy
Please come forward to help save Ruvain’s life! He has suffered enough! If you are blood type A or O, and in good health, you can save his life! Please contact Rabbi Lider and come forward to test for Ruvain. When Ruvain’s friend needed a kidney – he was more concerned about his friend then himself! He is such a special person! I got to know him and I can say this about him! Information about kidney donation is on my website KidneyMitzvah.com Also, being a kidney donor myself, (as well as my brother) I can give you all the… Read more »
Rabbi Lider does such great chesed and did an extraordinary job here! He is also a partner in helping save this man’s life!
May you and your family be in good health ’till 120 years!
Best wishes,
Chaya Lipschutz
Let’s hear it for Mendy’s wife for allowing her husband to donate a kidney!
It was great meeting you Mendy & Devora Leah!
May you have lots of more simchas and nachas in your family ’till 120 years!
Best wishes,
Chaya Lipschutz
beautifull
FROM US ALL , IN MONTREAL
WORDS ARE TOO POOR TO DESCRIBE THIS TRUE MESIRAS NEFESH..
MAZELTOV, MANIFOLD!
The one receiving the kidney has so much bitachon and hope in Hashem through all tzaros that they go through from when it fails and going through dyalisis 3 times a week 4-6 hrs per day of treatment, a must to be cleaned and to stay alive equals no life b’gashmiyus, falling down psychologically and still believing in Hashem which can go on for several years R”L like by Woonteiler – Hashem shall heal him if bderech hateva let a donor come forth – I think there is more to respect and give honor to the receiver. The donor like… Read more »
The sacrifice of donating a kidney is overrated. It is almost zero pain as these surgeries in these days are performed laproscopically (besides the kidney removal which is a minimal cut). Also, recovery time is very short.
I don’t mean to minimize Mendy’s great sacrifice and mitzva, as well as other donors. I’m just saying, that if you think that you aren’t the superhero type, you don’t have to be. If you are willing to sacrifice some time and minimal discomfort, you can be the next Mendy Mathless to another desperate kidney disease patient.
YOU ACTUALLY SAVED A JEWISH LIFE!!! YOUR GAN EDEN MOST BE GIGANTIC !!!
I don’t know you but I am so humbled by you.
You have done a true act of chessed, absolute selfless giving of your self. You have earned yourself a olom habah.
I’m so amazed……. WOW!
mendy, im so proud to be your cousin. You did such an amazing thing! Im still in shock!
btw the matthless’ have 2 beautiful children ka”h. A son and a daughter.
true ahavas yisroel
this is one of the most touching things i have ever heard… you always were an incredibly special girl but this really blew my mind. only somebody with a heart like yours could have done this. may the aibeshter watch over both of you and may you be bentched with many many brachos.
Rabbi Leider has been running Ahavas Chesed for many years and he does it completely out of the goodness of his heart he is a real Tzadik.
I know he doesn’t care for it, but it is about time that he is getting some public recognition.
We all know how you’ve been helping yidden b’ruchnious… What an amazing zechus to be able to help another yid in such a manner b’gasmious as well. You are truley an inspiration. Hatzlocha with all your future endevours…from an old roomie.
Mendy was my Shliach in Toronto for 2 years,and his Ahavas Yisrael is truly inspiring.Mendy arranged Mivtzoim, making sure every last jew would be taking care of…..
We love you ,mendy
Mendy,He’s a real tzadik!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Very impressed how you’ve matured into a wonderful young man. Like # 10 I also remember you from New haven Hebrew Day. Only Brochas…….yashar Koach!!
wow that;s awesome mendy!!!
Pure Ahavas Yisroel. No other words.
May you both have only simchas!!!
what a wonderful and great person to give away a kidney. what a beautiful example of ahavas yisroel. May Hashem bentch you with all good things!!
I am very inspired and impressed. It couldn’t have been easy to give up a part of your body, but you did the what the aibershter and the Rebbe would have wanted. May they both watch over you in this zchus for your entire life.
if you scroll down photos, 2 before last, you will see Mr. Hirsch Pekkar giving two people who were recipients, plus the donor, that is three people in all, giving his actual Rebbe’s Dollar’s as Chanukah gelt, what a beautiful gesture on this Simcha of life being restored.
mi kamchoh yisroel
Great story
WOW!!!!!!!!!
beautiful mendy, u changed soo much, i was your counselor when u were three yrs old
Mendy, we feel humbled and honored to know you. You are a very special person along with your special wife. May you always have the koach to do many more mitzvohs in good health. A freilichen Chanukah!
Ahavas Chesed has blood drives every few weeks, perhaps Collive can help publicize that too.
I could not come to the seudas hodoah but I’m very impressed! Yashar koach and the good work!
Pinchas Margolis
mendy we are so amazed the zchus zol bieshtain
Mendy – What you did was amazing. What a Mitzvah! Happy Chanukah and easy recovery.
lovely story.. a beautiful chanukah miracle.. oif simchas…
wow…
Should be well and healthy and bring Moshiach speedily !!!!