A sweet surprise awaited us today in the ICU ward: Yaqoob was not there. The nurse said that his condition is significantly improving and he is now in secondary ICU.
Their one concern at the moment is that Yaqoob is not gaining weight quickly enough. A special brand of milk called Ensure has been prescribed to give him extra vitamins. His grandmother said that she is trying to feed him all that his diet requires but it is difficult since his appetite is still quite small.
Aside from nutrition, we were informed that “Yaqoob is doing very well.” He was sitting up today in a chair without help, and even managed to give us his charming smile, which made his grandmother giggle.
We are waiting to see the changes that Yaqoob’s body goes through, and hope he will gain the strength soon to walk. Please join in our prayers for these things and ask God to restore him fully.
Just over one week ago, Yaqoob's physical state had deteriorated to the point that the finest medical care in Israel was not enough to sustain him. I had written then that, despite this, he was in the perfect place...the place of miracles. We cried out to God as a community and invited our friends around the world to intercede for Yaqoob's life. And God heard and answered in a powerful way. It began with Yaqoob being weaned off the ventilator, followed by further steps of healing as described in the blogs below over the past five days. I couldn't wait to see him for myself today, and nothing could have prepared my heart for the good news waiting for our Shevet team at the hospital.
Stephanie, Madelyn, Goran (Shevet’s Kurdistan Coordinator), and I beheld a miracle in Sheba's ICU. Yaqoob's primary nurse Mahmood excitedly reported that Yaqoob is breathing independently with only a small amount of oxygen supplement. Moreover, his kidneys are fully functioning and dialysis has been stopped. All six or more inotropic medications have been discontinued. This means his major organs and muscles are no longer dependent on these potent substances to function. He is receiving no more IV nutrition and eating only by mouth. On this point, Mahmood, explained how important it was for him to eat in order to get stronger. Yaqoob obliged us at that moment by taking a few more mouthfuls of pudding.
This morning was also Yaqoob’s first time out of bed since surgery to sit in a chair for physical therapy. Dr. Amir, head of the pediatric cardiac ICU, said that "Yaqoob has made a nice improvement," but it's still too soon to tell how long he will be in ICU. His body is significantly atrophied and weak. A long and challenging road to recovery lies before him, this we know. Nevertheless, it felt like a drought of discouragement had ended, and the rains of hope had come.
Joy outlined the face of Yaqoob's grandmother. She said "When he is well, I am well. When he is happy, I am happy." Goran and I shared that people from many countries loved them and were praying for them. We praised Messiah together for rescuing Yaqoob and giving him life. For those who have been faithful to pray, I want to thank you personally. Truly, "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much" (James 5:16).
Yaqoob with Goran
The sweet conclusion of the day was hearing Yaqoob speak. His face lit up when I asked him about his family and home in Kurdistan. My last question was, "How are you today? Are you happy or sad Yaqoob?" I leaned in close to hear his answer. With a faint, yet sincere whisper, he replied, "Dilxosh!" ("Happy!") May your faith be strengthened as "the substance of things hoped for" and "the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1) continues to unfold in Yaqoob's life.
Brian and I went to Sheba hospital on Friday morning, and spoke with the nurses who were really happy about Yaqoob’s condition. One of the nurses and Yaqoob’s grandmother came with us into his room.
He is still very, very weak, and because of his powerlessness his mouth is shaking all the time. But his willpower to overcome these conditions is really great! Yesterday he ate for the first time since his heart surgery - yogurt! He also started smiling again :)
The nurses began to give him high calorie food, and this weekend they want to see if he is able to sit in a chair. What an improvement! So our prayers were heard by the Lord, and the nurse just added: "It (prayer) was the only thing that could help him in the last days."
His kidney function is much improved, but still not 100%. The hospital team is glad about the situation and they are already looking forward to his rehabilitation after his staying in the ICU.
All in all it was so great to see what miracle of healing is happening in Yaqoob’s life! When we went out of the room, waving to Yaqoob, he used all of his power to wave back with his right hand under his blanket. This really touched me, because he has seen Brian just a few times and me never before, but he seems to know we care for him.
Today, the ICU room at Sheba Medical Center was full of action as we witnessed several nurses enter into Yaqoob’s room. They surrounded him, firmly pressing down on numerous areas of his stomach and tapping his chest. We watched as tubes were taken in and out of his mouth and throat while he laid there gently gasping for breath. At first sight I stood there thinking that something was wron
g and I was praying for his health, which is fully in the hands of God. Not knowing what the medical staff was doing and seeing his body respond in the way that it did, I was mentally and emotionally fighting myself with inner doubts and questions that I believe were provoked by fear. It took a few minutes until I remembered that God is sovereign and His will for our lives is the better than anything. I trust that the plans for Yaqoob’s life are within His hands.
Seconds after pulling my thoughts together, Dr. Amir offered information on his update and stated “Today Yaqoob is breathing on his own which is significant development for him. And he has given much urine today which indicates improvement in his kidneys. As of now we are surprised by his improvement and hope that he continues to make good progress."
Upon hearing this I was relieved. From the looks of the urgent attention that was given to him- it didn’t look like a good thing. And even though we weren’t able to make it into his room with him today, this photo from the glass door shows that he is tube-free and breathing.
Please give God thanks for this amazing sight and news from the doctors. It is the Lord who is worthy of all praise.
Yaqoob's body lay motionless amidst an assortment of wires and beeping monitors. His chest rose and fell in synchronized motion with the ventilator. As I approached his bedside, my eyes surveyed the situation. He didn't look much changed from Friday, the last time I saw him. As I thought about what to say, Yaqoob's eyelids fluttered open then closed, and his shoulders shifted. The nurse mentioned he was struggling against the sedatives.
Though Yaqoob is not fully conscious, he is still able to hear, and I saw this as a critical moment to speak into his life. "We want you to come home Yaqoob. We love you, you have a grandmother here who loves you, and Jesus loves you so much. He knew you before you were born. He is with you every minute, every hour, every day. He made your heart, and He knows what you need to be stronger every day. One day, you will run Yaqoob and you will see your family again." His future may look bleak to some, but to me, he is in the perfect place...the place of miracles.
Yaqoob's nurse reported that while his condition is still quite serious, he is stable. There is room for hope. His kidneys have recently begun producing a small amount of urine. It is small but significant progress. Also, the pleural effusion (post-surgical congestion around his lungs) has cleared and the chest tube was removed. Eight potent drugs continue to be infused into his body, regulating muscular contractions and organ function. Plans to extubate (remove the breathing tube) have been delayed due to bleeding within his trachea. The reason is unknown, even after a diagnostic procedure today, and doctors are waiting for the tissue to heal.
Not to be forgotten is Yaqoob's faithful grandmother, who let us know that today marks their twenty-fifth day at Sheba Hospital. Her shoulders hung lower and her voice carried a tone of despondence. Stephanie and I listened as she shared the burden she is carrying. "I tell Yaqoob's parents that he is good. That's all I say to them." She raised her hands heavenward as I shared she is not alone in this.
As you pray for Yaqoob and his grandmother, ask that they may understand the extent of God's love for them – a love that goes beyond human understanding, a love that overcomes the impossible, a love that resurrects hope and life.
We made our way up to the cardiac ICU tonight, where we found Yaqoob’s grandmother waiting for us, clearly rather upset. Heading into the ICU, we found Yaqoub in his bed, unconscious. My father Jonathan spoke to a doctor there, who told us that yesterday Yaqoub had seriously deteriorated.
After the great progress he had made earlier in the week, Yaqoob is now on a ventilator and medications to maintain his blood pressure. His kidneys are still not functioning. We prayed with him, both silently and spoken, and my father spoke to Yaqoob as he lay unconscious on his bed, telling him that we were waiting for him to come back to us.
We went outside, and as the grandmother quietly cried at the state of her grandchild, we bid her farewell.
We made our way down to the car, and drove away from the building with heavy hearts.
We had a brief encounter with Dr. Amir, Yaqoob's supervising doctor, today while visiting Sheba. Usually looking war torn and tired from the action of the ICU, Dr. Amir's expression lit up when he saw us and he exclaimed, "Did you hear about Yaqoob? I'm not sure if it's something that you did or we did, but he is doing much better!"
A nurse in the ICU offered to give us a full report on Yaqoob's condition, but I didn't need her to say much: Yaqoob told me simply by the fluttering of his long eyelashes and the nod of his head that he was improving. Since his heart surgery of January 27th, he has not regained consciousness. Many people around the globe have been praying for him. So to see his eyes open, even partially, and his responsive gesturing, is itself a victory.
Here is the latest: Yaqoob has emerged from a week-long unconsciousness and is off all anesthetics. His eyes were wide open as my fellow volunteer Stephanie and I stood by his bedside and talked to him. He was able to look at us and slightly nod his head in response to some of Stephanie's questions in Kurdish. The nurse also told us that his kidneys are starting to improve, which is very important. His oxygen saturation is at 98%, as good as mine or yours.
A sub-plot of the day was Yaqoob’s struggle to breathe on his own. When we arrived this morning, he was still intubated. Later in the afternoon, he was breathing much more on his own with a little help from a breathing tube. And when we left the hospital this evening, our little warrior was completely breathing on his own, with just an oxygen mask. This is a very important milestone, according to the nurse.
As we bid Yaqoob farewell tonight in the ICU, I caught a glimpse of the boy with that charming smile that I saw over two weeks ago. Yaqoob may be frail, but his heart is not. We may be weak, but He is so very strong, and is continuing to heal this sweet boy each day.
We walked into the ICU room where Yaqoob lay Friday, connected to the whirring machines, breathing tubes, and medicine lines around him. I took hold of his hand and began to talk to him with all the Kurdish I have learned in the past month, letting him know that we are thinking of him, praying for him, and that we love him. I began to call out to him to come back to us; he is a smart kid and we miss him! Because he got admitted so quickly, we only got a foretaste of his delightful personality.
As I prayed for Yaqoob with his cold hand in mine, I felt the slight movement of his hand. The nurse related to us that they have taken him off sedation a few days before, so, just like us, they are waiting for him to wake up. Hence, he has been slightly moving his head, slightly moving his hands and feet, and ever so slightly moving his eyelids--which was the first thing I had noticed, actually. Before, his eyelids were so eerily still, I would subconsciously blink, almost in an effort to help him do the same. Now, however, the droopy eyelids rose and fell occasionally. The doctors have been able to reduce the amount of medicine for maintaining his blood pressure, and as far as I could tell according to the monitor situated above his head, the readings looked good. He is being kept warm under an air blanket and they planned to extubate him this weekend.
We left the hospital with the hope that next time we visit Yaqoob, he will respond not just to touch and movement, but to our words and our voices, looking at us and talking to us, even telling us that it hurts.
Let's also remember Yaqoob's grandmother in our prayers, as we encourage her to keep hoping and believe the best for Yaqoob during these long days of waiting.
ICU head Dr. Amir Vardi describes Yaqoob as stable and even progressing this afternoon, thank God, and the medical staff plan to start feeding him intravenously for the first time since the surgery. Yaqoob is still not conscious, even though he is not receiving any anesthesia. This is apparently due to his non-functioning kidneys. Dr. Vardi says that kidneys can slowly recover even after several weeks without functioning. We continue in prayer for Yaqoob daily.
We found Yaqoob much in the same state today as he has been in these past few days: critical, but stable. “What does 'critical but stable' even mean?” my fellow volunteers and I asked each other. Is it just a standard line the hospital staff gives?
Unfortunately we were not able to speak with Dr. Amir, but the head nurse of the ICU took some time to talk with us about Yaqoob and explained that critical, but stable is really what 'critical, but stable' means.
Here’s what we know: Yaqoob is still in a very delicate place and has 24/7 care from the nursing staff. The nurse explained that usually after this kind of heart surgery, there is either one medicine/treatment or another that a child needs after the procedure; Yaqoob however, needs them all. He remains, and will remain, very much in need of our prayers.
His grandmother has made contact with a family member that lives in the Tel Aviv area, and that personal connection will hopefully provide a place for her to spend a little time outside of the ICU, as well as receive support from someone who knows the family and can communicate in Kurdish. She is weary, however and would greatly benefit from our prayers as well.
Thankfully, we were able to pray by Yaqoob's bedside today, asking the Lord's hand of mercy to touch his frail body. The picture at the lead of the blog was taken as we paused to pray today in the ICU.
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