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Heart Surgery for Firdaus
Monday,
February 16, 2009
Baby
Firdaus died this morning. Please surround her father with your
prayers, and pray for the Shevet Achim staff as they minister to the
father, and as they make arrangements.
 Thursday
February 12, 2009
A Renewing Weekend For
Father
Filed
by
Firdaus' father has
been in very poor spirits because of the condition of his daughter who
has not been struggling greatly the past week or so. Because of this
his demeanor had, understandably, become very panicked and frustrated,
which is a far cry from the kind and gentle spirit everyone had known
him by. In the hopes of alleviating some of the stress, much of which
he was putting on himself by being in the hospital, we took him out of
the hospital environment he had been living in the last month
and brought him to the Shevet Achim house over the weekend. The outcome
could not have been better!
After spending just a few hours in our home Thursday evening he seemed
to be doing better. Being around other families in similar situations
who spoke his language gave him much encouragement. Even simply being
in a warm, comfortable home seemed to make a difference.
Friday, the traditional day of prayer in Islam, I took Firdaus' dad to
the Old City so that he could spend some much needed time in prayer.
The prayers begin at 11am and we left at approximately 10:45 so I knew
we were in a rush. However, on the way to the Old City, Abu Firdaus
kept pointing me toward the Arab market and trying to get me to go
there with him. I thought this was curious because I knew we were late
for prayer, but he seemed to be very hurriedly tasting some of the
greens in the various shops to find the right one, eventually he found
what he was looking for: celery. I didn’t know why he was so
interested in the greens, and celery of all things. I thought perhaps
it had something to do with the prayers... Would he be praying so
fervently he would need something to sustain him, celery of all things?
Would he be making an offering? After he found it I thought,
“Certainly we’d better rush to pray,” but
he started walking in the opposite direction hurriedly checking out the
food stalls once again! When he grabbed a dented can of tomato sauce
and started rushing back in the direction of the Shevet Achim house I
was completely baffled.
Well, as it turns out, Abu Firdaus had had lunch cooking on the stove
before we ran out and these were the ingredients he needed to finish
the meal. When we visited Abu Firdaus and his daughter in the hospital
we talked on a few occasions about his restaurant business back home in
Iraq and we often joked that we would love to have him cook for us, and
that we would hire him on as our staff cook. He decided to surprise us
with that very thing! After some much needed translation through
Dorothy, he said, "Of course I would love to go with you to pray, but
after lunch!”
After eating a delicious lunch, Abu Firdaus and I finally ventured into
the Old City to pray at around noon. I left him at the entrance to the
Temple Mount as only Muslims are allowed in most times, and we agreed
to meet back at the entrance at 4pm. In the midst of the most dire
situation a man can face, his child’s life hanging by a
thread, Abu Firdaus emerged with joy visible on his face and embraced
me. He later told me after praying, “I am at peace
now,” and I believe it. He could hardly keep from smiling on
the walk home. On the walk back we enjoyed a sweet from a shop, and I
had the pleasure of watching Abu Firdaus do some genuine Arab haggling
over some green beans (we got them down to 7 sheqels a kilo). We walked
the entire way back through the winding streets of the Old City, up and
down the Arab market, and then to the Shevet house arm in arm (which is
a feat in itself given the foot traffic).
He had been so uplifted by his day and our loving care to him and
Firdaus that he prepared the staff three full dishes for dinner as well!
Abu Firdaus spent the rest of the weekend taking in Jerusalem and
getting a much needed break in mind and spirit from the circumstances
he is facing. We brought him back to Schneider Children’s
Medical Center today a renewed man.
As we learned in a prior visit to him at the hospital, Abu Firdaus has
been diligently reading the New Testament each day. He also took interest
in one of the Kurdish Bibles we have on our shelves here at Shevet and
cracked it open and began to read without hesitation. He showed no
signs of hesitance or offense to walk with me arm in arm, even in front
of all the Muslims, despite me lugging my enormous and conspicuous
Bible to and from the Old City on our outing. Team members have also
spoken with him about what it means to pray in the name of Jesus as an
intercessor and Abu Firdaus has been moved to take part in this as well
for his daughter. Abu Firdaus is a man of great spiritual fervor and
sincerity. Please pray that the Lord would continue to draw him near
and that through these most difficult and painful times where there
seems to be no hope and no chance for life, that he would receive the
gift of a new life, and hope in the one who freely gives it. Please
also continue to pray that God would act in miraculous ways in the life
of baby Firdaus, and that the work God is already doing in her now
would be only a foretaste of what is to come.
Click
to
send an e-mail
message to Firdaus and her father.
Notify
me when Firdaus' page is updated
at this
email:
Thursday,
February 12, 2009
Doctors Running Out Of
Options
Filed
by
When I had the opportunity to visit Firdaus in ICU I found a little
sleeping baby girl who while under anaesthetic support responded by
flickering her lashes when I spoke her name. She has severe blockage of
her lower legs and is being treated with heparin to prevent further
clots. The skin on her lower legs and feet are very discoloured but
still her vital signs remain stable. Doctors are unsure what is the
mechanism that is affecting her vessels. Please pray that wisdom and
the power of God will unclog these arteries and veins and even
return her skin to the pink colour of her upper body.
Surround this heartbroken father with your prayers. In the ICU I was
able to place a tissue we had anointed and prayed over as a team, close
to the baby's head and are believing for that miracle that we know He
is able to perform.
The doctors and nurses suggested that Firdaus' father would benefit
from a visit to Jerusalem, away from the atmosphere of the ICU
precincts. He returned with us this evening. Pray that he will benefit
from the new scenery and people and while away he will be able to trust
his lovely baby in the loving Great Physician's hands.
Click
to
send an e-mail
message to Firdaus and her father.
Notify
me when Firdaus' page is updated
at this
email:
Tuesday,
February 10, 2009
Back In ICU In Critical
Condition
Filed
by
This
morning when Firdaus' father called us he was in tears and very
distressed. His little baby was in the OR after a very critical night
in ICU attempting to insert intravenous lines into her small, fragile
veins. Because they were unsuccessful, she was taken downstairs to the
OR and under controlled circumstances an IV line was inserted into one
of her femoral veins. She returned to the ICU under very strict
quarantine conditions.
When Simantov and I arrived at Schnieder she had just returned to the
ICU and after some time I was permmited to see her. The ICU doctor told
me there is only one other vein they can use to treat her, if this
current one fails. Please lift this little girl and her father up
before the Throne of Grace, that the Lord will touch them with His love
and heal.
Firdaus' dad has been gaining much comfort from the Holy Scriptures and
was blessed to realise that the Lord watched over the sparrows and knew
them by name, and that He also knows Firdaus and her father by name and
they are precious to Him.
Click
to
send an e-mail
message to Firdaus and her father.
Notify
me when Firdaus' page is updated
at this
email:
Sunday,
February 8, 2009
Return To O.R. For
Catheterization
Filed
by
On Thursday, Linda and I visited Firdaus and her father. When we
arrived Firdaus was fighting going to sleep as she kept a steady eye on
her father. Please pray for her as these last couple of days she has
been vomiting and slow in her healing. The nurse said Firdaus will most
likely need to remain under observation for the next three to five days.
Dorothy
says:
Firdaus' father was greatly distressed today when we visited them, as
little Firdaus had been to the OR for a cardiac catheterisation to
assess her heart status. Blood tests suggest infection and she was
commenced on IV antibiotics and her feeding regime was stopped
temporarily. She has had pleurisy and had a new chest drain
inserted today.
Late this afternoon she was transferred to ICU for closer observation
and detailed monitoring. When I called the ICU this evening, the staff
told me she was settled and her father was planning on a good night's
sleep. This tiny baby is at risk since her surgery was complicated and
late for correction. Please pray that God will bring Firdaus to
complete healing and comfort her father's heart.
Click
to
send an e-mail
message to Firdaus and her father.
Notify
me when Firdaus' page is updated
at this
email:
Monday,
February 2, 2009
A Short Break For Firdaus'
Father
Filed
by
Dorothy, Simantov and I were able to carry on a conversation with
Firdaus' father thanks to Dorothy's Arabic. We all enjoyed one
another's company and discussed how they were doing, his work and
family back at home, and told jokes and laughed about things like an
Iraqi man changing a baby's diapers. During our conversation it became
apparent that, because Firdaus' father could not leave his daughter
alone, he had hardly left her bedside the entire time he has
been
in the hospital. At this Dorothy volunteered to stay with Firdaus while
Simantov and I took Firdaus' dad for a coffee and a walk outside.
We enjoyed a nice stroll outside around the hospital grounds amongst
the artwork on display. While it was impossible to communicate
verbally, I know that taking a walk, especially at sunset with a nice
cup of coffee, was a refreshing change from the hospital room.
It is apparent to all the Shevet staff that Firdaus' father is a very
kind and loving man, in the way he takes care of Firdaus. Even during
our walk, he held every door for Simantov and me, and refused
to
get off the elevator before us. When we returned to the hospital room
we found Dorothy in a full nurse's smock tending to a happy little
Firdaus.
Click
to
send an e-mail
message to Firdaus and her father.
Notify
me when Firdaus' page is updated
at this
email:
 Thursday,
January 29, 2009
Water Around Heart Delays
Release
Filed
by
We
visited
Firdaus and father today at the Schneider Children's Medical Center in
Tel Aviv. When we entered the room her father was cradling her lovingly
in his arms. Firdaus didn't make a peep the entire visit, and was
resting peacefully.
Earlier this week, water was discovered around little Firdaus' heart
and lungs, which required her to spend three days in the ICU. Today
Firdaus was doing better and was released into a private intermediate
ICU room where she and her father can rest comfortably.
Firdaus' father was happy to have visitors and spoke warmly with us
during our visit. When asked if we could bring him anything the next
time we visited, he asked for Iraqi food and French fries. Firdaus'
father enjoys cooking and is excited to make some good Iraqi food when
he and Firdaus are released to Jerusalem.
Click
to
send an e-mail
message to Firdaus and her father.
Notify
me when Firdaus' page is updated
at this
email:
 Thursday,
January 22, 2009
A Room Is Ready In Jerusalem
Filed
by
After
Rasan's tests
were completed this afternoon, we made our way up to the
intermediate ICU to visit Firdaus and her father. When we
walked
in the room Firdaus's father was right by his daughter's side, slowly
rocking her crib. He was happy to have visitors, especially a
visitor who speaks his own language.
He told us that there was a possibility that Firdaus would be released
in the next couple of days. He asked Rasan's mother, "What is
the
house in Jerusalem like? Is it nice? Will we be
comfortable
there?" Jokingly, Rasan's mom told him that he will be a
crazy
man after he comes to Jerusalem. She explained, "You will be
the
only man with many crazy women. It will be difficult!"
Firdaus'
father laughed and said that he would be willing to help with the
cooking. Maybe he will manage okay in Jerusalem.
We have a room ready in Jerusalem for Firdaus and her father all to
themselves as soon as she is healthy enough to leave the hospital.
Currently, she has a bit of a fever but otherwise seems to be
recovering quickly.
Click
to
send an e-mail
message to Firdaus and her father.
Notify
me when Firdaus' page is updated
at this
email:
Wednesday,
January 21, 2009
"Everything Is Perfect"
Filed
by
I
found the
father of Firdaus beaming today as he tended to his beautiful
two-month-old daughter at the Schneider Children’s Medical
Center
in Israel. “Everything is perfect,” he
replied when
asked how Firdaus is recovering after her major, emergency surgery.
Medical staff confirmed that later by saying they hope Firdaus can be
released from the hospital on Friday or Sunday, though she will still
need two weeks of follow-up before she’ll be cleared to
return to
Iraq.
Later Rasan’s mother
came by for a visit,
and Firdaus’ father was overjoyed to have his first
Kurdish-speaking visitor since arriving in Israel.
Click
to
send an e-mail
message to Firdaus and her father.
Notify
me when Firdaus' page is updated
at this
email:
Sunday,
January 18, 2009
Getting to Know Her Father
Filed
by
This evening when we
arrived to see little Firdaus, her father was
gently feeding his newborn daughter her evening milk. She now has her
chest wound sealed and
is breathing spontaneously and is alert to all around her. During our
visit her mother called from Iraq and the baby had such an open-eyed
look as her father
held the phone to her ear.
We
praise God for Firdaus's rapid healing and for her very caring and
gentle father. Please continue to uphold this precious little girl who
has now received a new heart, as well as her father.
Click
to
send an e-mail
message to Firdaus and her father.
Notify
me when Firdaus' page is updated
at this
email:
 Thursday,
January 15, 2009
Paradise In ICU
Filed
by
Today Justina and I went to Schneider Children's hospital to make our
acquaintance with little Firdaus, whose name means Paradise, and her
father who came from Iraq several days ago. She underwent
serious
heart surgery yesterday where the major blood vessels needed to be
reversed so the blood could flow correctly. Firdaus is a dear little
baby of two months, who is in PICU and currently has her chest open.
They plan to close it tomorrow and extubate her maybe tomorrow also if
all is well.
Firdaus' father, a real gentleman, is watching over his daughter very
tenderly and so grateful to God for the help Shevet has been to help
save her life. The PICU nurse who admitted her, says she is stable and
doing reallly well.
Please pray for this father and daughter who are precious to our
Father, for His touch upon their lives and the family back in Iraq.
Click
to
send an e-mail
message to Firdaus and her father.
Notify
me when Firdaus' page is updated
at this
email:
 Monday,
January 12, 2009
Baby Firdaus Reaches Israel
for Urgent Surgery
Filed
by
This morning Linda and I drove from Jerusalem to the Jordanian border
to pick up a two-month-old baby girl Firdaus, and her father. She
appeared calm, but with a very definitely blue shade to her skin. So
off we went to Schneider Children's Hospital where staff were
anticipating her arrival. Firdaus' father is pictured below at the
entrance to the hospital.
As soon as the admittance procedure was complete, off Firdaus went to
have an ECG. Then down the hall into another room where an
echocardiogram was done with several doctors observing and commenting
as they watched the procedure. It was obvious the father was kind of
concerned as to all of the discussions that were taking place in
Hebrew, not understanding. He was probably thinking, "What are they
saying about my baby?"
It was so nice to watch him as he so gently comforted Firdaus every
time she showed signs of distress. In the end the doctors said that
they would evaluate all of the information and then talk it over with
the surgeons tomorrow. Firdaus' oxygen saturation was quite low at an
average of 55 and her heart was racing at over 175 per minute. One
doctor commented that this repair would have been so much easier and
safer at the age of one week, but then he said, "We are confident we
can do something, even though it will be much more difficult now."
Please
pray for this little precious girl and her father, that the Lord would
give dad peace and bring supernatural healing to Firdaus'
heart.
Click
to
send an e-mail
message to Firdaus and her father.
Notify
me when Firdaus' page is updated
at this
email:
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