By Noah B, 6th Grade Student, Krieger Schechter Day School of Chizuk Amuno Congregation
At Krieger Schechter Day School of Chizuk Amuno Congregation (KSDS), pikuach nefesh or saving a soul, takes precedence over all Jewish values. Sally Grobani, Judaic/ Hebrew teacher at KSDS since 2002, serves as an inspirational role model to the entire KSDS community after she selflessly donated her kidney to a former faculty member’s husband in 2016.
According to Grobani, Brina Pinztuk, former KSDS art teacher for 33 years, shared that her husband, Jay Pintzuk, suffered from kidney disease. Grobani asked Pintzuk to let her know when he was put on a kidney transplant list, a national register for people in need of a kidney donation. In the back of her mind, Grobani knew that she was open to the idea of donating her own kidney. “I don’t take my health for granted, and this was a way to share my blessing with someone else,” she said.
While in the early stages of the disease in 2015, Jay Pintzuk required dialysis. Later, he learned he needed a transplant. Brina Pintuk admits she was devastated at first. “You accept the news, but you know you have to take small steps,” she said.
Brina Pintzuk reached out to fellow faculty members at KSDS as part of the search for a new kidney. “I decided to send an email to the faculty explaining what kidney disease is. At the end of the email, I attached a link to the John Hopkins transplant site,” she explained.
Grobani then emailed Brina Pintzuk back, expressing her interest in undergoing testing to determine the possibility of being a match. The process lasted a year.
The Pintzuks were overjoyed and relieved to learn Grobani was a match. The process included lots of waiting, testing and then retesting due to inaccuracies in numbers, and plenty of patience and drive to fulfill this mitzvah of pikuach nefesh.
The surgery, performed at Johns Hopkins Hospital on Dec. 5, 2016, lasted about three hours. “It’s the nicest, kindest, most generous thing anyone has ever done for me,” Jay Pintzuk said about Grobani’s selfless decision to save his life.
Thanks to Grobani’s willingness and real life pikuach nefesh, Jay Pintzuk could return to his normal, healthy life with his loving wife and an incredibly giving and supporting community by his side.
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