Three Kidneys, One Giving Family

When Gabi Rivivo chose to donate a kidney to a complete stranger six years ago, he had no idea that this one brave decision would ripple out and touch so many lives—including his own family's.

Shortly after his surgery, his brother Dovi stepped up and did the same. A few years later, Gabi’s wife Rotem joined the mission, donating her kidney to a woman she'd never met. What began as a quiet act of compassion became a way of life for the Rivivos.

But they didn’t stop at three kidneys. Gabi founded a nonprofit called Dorim Chaim—Hebrew for “Giving Life.” Its sole mission is to connect willing kidney donors with people desperately waiting for a second chance. All of it is done voluntarily, from the heart.

Rotem recently donated her kidney to a woman named Almanesh Tsehai, a 48-year-old mother who had spent six exhausting years on dialysis. The toll had been immense—not just on Almanesh, but on her whole family. She missed precious moments with her children, who were quietly suffering alongside her. One of her daughters, Shlomit, shared during their first meeting:
“You’re not just saving my mother. You’re saving all of us—my five-year-old brother, my brother with Down syndrome, my father, and me. Our whole family.”

Almanesh’s words at the hospital were filled with emotion:
“My own mother died when I was very young, and I never got to know her. All my life I wondered why I didn’t have what others had. When I became sick, I was terrified that my children would grow up feeling that same emptiness.”

She looked at Rotem and said through tears, “You brought joy back into my life. You saved not just me, but my family.”

Rotem, also emotional, replied softly: “I’m just so grateful I could give something to another mother. I heard how special your children are. I wish you a full recovery and many peaceful, happy years raising them.”

The Rivivo family shows that giving doesn’t require knowing someone personally—it just takes an open heart. And through their acts of kindness, they’ve brought hope, healing, and deep human connection to those who needed it most.

Their story reminds us that we all have something to give, and sometimes, one act of love can change the world for someone else.