Harim's Heart Surgery

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Harim
Age: 
12
From: 
northern Iraq

Ping Pong With a Transformed Harim

Posted on Sat, 10/30/2010 - 00:00 by Jonathan Miles
It was farewell to Harim this afternoon, as he set off to the airport along with Belend and Saad for their flight home to northern Iraq. Before he left we had time for a game of ping pong, which you can watch by clicking the play arrow below:

What a contrast to the video I took just 19 days ago (scroll down below to October 11) as Harim lay in the ICU. Thank you Lord!
 

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Harim Rides Home Shotgun

Posted on Fri, 10/29/2010 - 00:00 by Mary_Dailey
This morning three of our families left with Jonathan for Amman, Jordan from where they will fly home to northern Iraq. They were anxious to return, but because we have grown so close during our time together, like family, there were many goodbyes and tears in the Shevet courtyard this morning. The weather seemed to agree with the mood of the moment, letting a bittersweet drizzle: sad for the separation, glad for the healing it represents.

Harem has really been changed. When he first arrived in Israel he was filled with fear and wanting to go home. You could see it in his face. But now he is confident and happy. We believe it is because he has become acquainted with the love of God. And he was quite happy when he found out that he was going to be riding up-front, shotgun, with Jonathan on the way back to Jordan.

Please keep praying that God will continue to work in Harim's life and the lives of his family. Like the Parable of the Sower in the Bible, the seed has been planted and from here God will take care of the rest.


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Harim, a Healthy Boy, Waves Goodbye to Israel

Posted on Fri, 10/29/2010 - 00:00 by Donna_West
Harim and his mother were expecting to go to Wolfson on Friday morning for his last echo, at the same time the Shevet team would be wishing Belend and Saad farewell, but to everyones surprise Dr.Tamir released him to return home this week. When the news was shared, Harim was so delighted he gave Dr.Tamir a big hug and kissed his hand. It was an unexpected moment of endearment and honor.

The hole in Harim's heart has been successfully repaired and he has worked to increase his strength and stamina. His heart is still not 100% efficient due to its abnormal size and the many years of having a hole, but Dr. Tamir expects that because of the treatment Harim has received his heart will continue to improve.
Please continue praying for Harim, that the Great Healer would continue to work within his heart and also that the Healer will find a permanent residence there too.


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Only One More Echo To Go

Posted on Thu, 10/21/2010 - 00:00 by Mary_Dailey
Today we had quite a crowd at Wolfson Hospital for Harim's and Arish's heart echoes, their first after surgery. David drove our new van, which is very dependable and comfortable to ride in. A Finnish film crew was awaiting our arrival at the hospital to capture footage of the day. Ruth and Amanda were there, a mother-daughter volunteer pair from England. And our Kurdish interpreter Mazal and her husband were also there. Plus the mothers, plus me. It was a crowd.

The mothers were overjoyed at having a Kurdish interpreter because throughout the day, even in the echo room, they were able to understand everything and have their questions answered.

Harim was quiet and calm. He was the first to have his echo. Dr. Alona said she was pleased with the results and asked him to return again on Thursday, October 28th for another echo. If all goes well at that appointment then he and his mother may return to Kurdistan soon. After the appointment there was a nice conversation in the echo room, and his mother seemed more relaxed than Ive seen her. And Harim is daily holding up his fingers to count down the days until he can return to his family in Iraq.


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Released from Hospital, but not from Pain

Posted on Sun, 10/17/2010 - 00:00 by Donna_West
On our visit to Harim on Friday, he was still in a lot of pain and it showed in his expression and every movement he made. To everyone's surprise, Wolfson called this morning to tell us Harim is being released today. With anticipation of seeing a much happier Harim, we arrived at Wolfson in mid afternoon. Unfortunately, Harim didn't appear one bit happier until someone told him "Goodbye". Then he smiled and his eyes brightened and he asked, "Goodbye? Iraq?" I said, "Yes goodbye, no Iraq." Then I gave the hand signal we use for "wait" and said Iraq. The staff at Shevet Achim was surprised to see Harim because he looked like he couldn't even walk. While in the hospital, Harim's mother has been lifting her 12 year old son from the bed to the wheelchair. The hospital staff feels this has not been what is best for his recovery and hopes that being back in Jerusalem with the other children will encourage a "more active" time of recovery. We have noticed he seems to have a lot of fear of moving and his mother has extreme reactions to seeing her son in pain. Please hold this mother and son up in prayer. Harim's chest seems to be quite large and protruded from its normal position. We are asking the Lord to heal him beyond what the surgeons have been able to accomplish. Will you join us in prayer for them? Thank You.


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Grimaces and Anxieties Met by Prayer

Posted on Wed, 10/13/2010 - 00:00 by Jennifer_Chang

After our time visiting Aresh at Wolfson Hospital, we (Dave, Suhail, Andy, Sally, Dick, Joan, and I) walked down the corridor to visit 12-year old Harim. A doctor and an attending nurse were present when we walked into his room. After saying hello to Harim's mother with a warm hug, I went closer to see how our boy was doing while Suhail got an update from the doctor. Since his heart surgery took place only on Tuesday, Harim was still hooked up to tubes and appeared rather uncomfortable...no, he actually grimaced in pain occasionally, especially when the nurse had to use a breathing apparatus to coax him into a cough, which helps his windpipe and airways to widen for fuller and freer breathing.

Harem's mother seemed anxious (as any mother understandably would be, on seeing her own son in this condition) but we kept encouraging her with a reassuring touch so she knows we are standing with her. Then Suhail did a beautiful thing...he bent over and laid his hand upon Harem's forehead to pray for him. Although it was in Arabic, what I sensed is God's blessing upon this precious child, including for divine healing, complete recovery, and peace, while Harem's mother watched with a look of gratitude.

May they both experience God's grace and mercy during this difficult period in their lives. We are grateful for your partnership in prayer and support to bring hope to another precious family.

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A Squeeze of the Hand in the ICU

Posted on Tue, 10/12/2010 - 00:00 by Dave_Jensen

Suhail and I drove to Gaza Tuesday morning and before returning to Jerusalem we went to the the Wolfson Medical Center in Tel Aviv to see how Harim is recovering from his heart surgery Sunday evening. He is in the ICU, as expected, and was awake but still quite groggy.

Harim was struggling with some breathing problems; apparently there wasn't enough oxygen getting into his system so he was inhaling quite vigorously. When he looked my way, I smiled and showed him the camera and he reached out his hand and I grabbed it and squeezed it gently. It seemed to calm him a bit and then he closed his eyes and turned his head. After I took his picture, he appeared to become unaware of his surroundings and the nurse indicated that we should leave.

Let's all pray that God will touch Harim's body and restore his breathing so that his lungs will be filled to capacity and his recovery will be swift and complete. In faith, we look forward to the day when he is fully healed and he and his mom can return home to family and friends.


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Harim To Surgery Today With Our Prayers

Posted on Mon, 10/11/2010 - 06:45 by Michelle_Bradburn

Harim is such an intelligent, artistic, and light-hearted boy! He loves to laugh, yet even when he smiles there is a depth of tenderness and sincerity in his eyes that is so beautiful. Yesterday he, Yousif and I were sitting outside painting, talking, and laughing. During this time I had a CD of Kurdish worship songs playing in the background. As we worked and listened, I noticed Harim got a serious look in his eyes and he mentioned how concerned he was for Aresh, who was in surgery that very moment. I agreed that it was a serious thing, but reminded him of the words to the song we were listening to at this point, a song which he loves and even knows most of the words to by now. It's a song that talks about the awesomeness of God, and as I recited these lyrics to him I saw him begin to smile:

"You are awesome, awesome, awesome, O God;
Awesome in your love,
Awesome in your faithfulness,
Awesome in your deliverance,
And awesome in your healing."

I reminded him that God is awesome in his healing, even for the heart! And that this song was for Aresh. He smiled and said, "Yes!" with a look of happiness and relief on his face. Later that day the hospital called and said to bring Harim in early this morning, most likely for surgery this afternoon. He and his mother were thrilled to hear this news, and with thankful eyes they exclaimed, "Spas bo Xua!" (which means, "thanks for God!") That very minute Harim looked at me and asked if I would pray for him while he was in surgery, and I promised him I would.

This morning he left bright and early for the hospital with some of the other staff, but before he left we gathered in the courtyard and prayed. We thanked God for Harim, for bringing him here for surgery, and for promising to take care of him. We prayed that Harim would not be afraid, but instead he would know how great is God's love for him! And also that during the surgery Jesus would come to him in a dream, and he would know He's right there beside him.

He and his mother walked out the door with thankful faces and a hopeful excitement in their eyes. I pray that Harim would remember the words to that song! That he would find joy in the love of the Messiah, the only one who gives life and healing.

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A Long Day With a Good End

Posted on Mon, 10/11/2010 - 00:00 by Mary_Dailey

Wolfson Hospital called us yesterday and told us to bring Harim before 7:00 a.m. this morning, that he would be having surgery but they weren't sure when it would be. This ended up being a long day of waiting, and especially difficult for Harim who had been fasting since midnight in preparation for surgery.

Finally at around 3:30 p.m. the nurses quickly came and got him and took him down to the surgical waiting room. Usually you have to wait at least 15 to 30 minutes, but this time they took him right out. Harim's mother walked as far as she could with him, and after he disappeared she could hear him calling for her. At first she had a hard time with this but when we got her upstairs she was o.k.

Harim's mother was able to relax in a sleeping area together with the mother of Aresh who had surgery yesterday. This was an answer to prayer for Harim's mother and she really relaxed which was good.

Dr. Alona came down and told us the surgery was going well and they should be through in one hour. All in all it was around 6:00 pm before she reappeared and said, "The surgery's finished, everything's quiet.This is good."

Harim was brought to the ICU at 6:20. His mother had gotten so upset when she had to leave him at the O.R. that I didn't know how she would take seeing him after his surgery. You may click the play arrow below to see her first reaction:

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Our Kurdish Jewish friend Mazal spoke with Harim's mother by phone and answered all her questions about what was happening, and promised that most of the tubes would be removed by tomorrow. Harim's mother was visibly relaxed and grateful by the time we left this evening.

We thank God for another one of His miracles. His word says "If you believe all things are possible," and we do believe that He holds our children in the palm of His hand.

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Fear Gives Way to Trust at Hospital

Posted on Mon, 10/04/2010 - 00:00 by Mary_Dailey

Harim and his mother rested with us in Jerusalem overnight after their long journey from Jordan, and this morning Suhail, Gadi and I left with them as soon as we could for their first hospital visit near Tel Aviv.

Harim seemed very nervous at first and seemed to have much fear, but after we were there awhile and I showed him the pictures we were taking he seemed to relax and was really a pleasure to be around. He didn't seem to mind all the blood work or any of the other processes that they were doing. He walked right in to get his PPD test with no hesitation at all.

Dr. Alona did Harim's first echo exam in Israel, and told Suhail that Harim's heart surgery would be complicated but she believed that they could do it without any problems. The heart surgeon is on vacation now and they still have others they have to do so it probably won't be right away.

This is a good report, please pray that all will go well and that there won't be any problems. In less than two days there has already been a great change in this little 12-year-old's personality. He seems happy and he also seems to trust us.

It is so wonderful when God bonds us together with these children. No wonder Jesus loves the children so much, it doesn't take much for them to accept us if we have sincere love for them. Thank you for your prayers.

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