Emotional moment daughters of mum killed in Israel terror attack hear her heart beat in donor’s chest
THE family of a mum shot dead by terrorists met the woman her heart was donated to — and were able to hear it beat.
Brit Lucy Dee, 48, and daughters Maia, 20 and Rina, 15, were murdered in Israel.
They were heading to the Sea of Galilee for a holiday when their car was sprayed with bullets by suspected Palestinian terrorists.
The sisters, who held joint British-Israeli citizenship, perished in the attack and Lucy later died in hospital.
Surviving daughters Keren, 19, and Tali, 17, went to meet Lital Valenci — who last month received Lucy’s heart in a transplant op.
Video footage captured the moment Lital held a stethoscope to her chest to let the girls listen to their mother’s heart beating inside her.
The emotional sisters were moved to tears at the Beilinson hospital in Petah Tikva, Israel.
Mother-of-two Lital, 51, had suffered from severe heart failure for five years.
The transplant was carried out in the early hours of April 11 — shortly after Lucy died at Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem from her wounds.
Lital told Jewish News: “I was so moved when I learned who I was receiving a heart from, as I had read about Lucy Dee and what an incredible woman she was, with an exemplary family.”
Lucy’s husband, Rabbi Leo Dee — who also attended the meeting with his 14-year-old son Yehuda — said the family made the decision to donate her organs because “every- thing that is lifesaving should be given”.
A total of five people received organs from Lucy.
Israel’s National Transplant Center said a woman of 58 received one of her lungs, a man, 25, got her liver and men aged 58 and 39 each had one of her kidneys in successful ops.
Hundreds of mourners attended Lucy’s funeral at the Kfar Etzion settlement south of Jerusalem.
The rabbi said his wife was “someone who gave”.
He added: “That was her defining feature and be- cause she gave, she encouraged other people to give.”
He has said he does not hold any hatred towards the killers — adding:
“The Israeli security forces will do what they usually do which is track them down and bring them to justice.”