Omar Assadi is a 10-year-old boy from Judeida Makr, an Arab village in the North of Israel. When he was diagnosed with a rare blood disease, his parents worked to gather enough units of blood in a wide-ranging campaign.
His parents crossed the 700-unit mark on Monday.
Ahmad and Afnan Assadi, who have been receiving medical treatments for their son at the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, have been fighting an impossible disease.
Omar's rare blood disease lowers the levels of hemoglobin in his body, which leads to fatigue, overall weakness and an unusually accelerated heart rate.
He also has a rare blood type, which is virtually nonexistent in the national blood service reservoirs of MDA.
Fearing the day he would need a transfusion, Ahmad and Afnan set out to organize a blood drive, following the advice of Dr. Amir Kuperman, the pediatric hematologist at the hospital, and Dr. Ety Shaoul, director of the hematology lab.
"The blood drive enriched the stock of more common and rare blood units in Israel that can help many patients," Kuperman said.
The drive was extended to five different villages in the Galilee area, particularly in order to appeal to family members, who are more likely to have the same blood type as Omar.
Just a few days later, they were already set with 20 units, having obtained hundreds of doses.
"The blood drive was so successful due to the family's efforts, their consent to exposure, and the great outpouring of support that they received from willing donors in the community," Kuperman said.
Omar's parents were recognized for their efficiency and success by Haim Mann, head of operations at the Haifa Blood Bank.