Hardeen's Heart Surgery

Friday, January 29, 2010
Hardeen's Joyful Trip Home
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After celebrating Hardeen's release last night with a party at the Shevet Center in Jerusalem (above), we set out this morning for Jordan and the flight home to his family in Iraq. Last stop in Jerusalem was the Garden Tomb, just down the hill from us, for a vivid illustration of the truth that Messiah lives!

It was fun trying to keep up with Hardeen at the border crossing, as he ran, skipped, and danced his way ahead of us. When we first met him he couldn't walk more than a few feet without crouching down to rest!

It was nightfall by the time I passed him off to our coworker Dirk by the shore of the Dead Sea in Jordan; the next day Hardeen and mother flew back to Iraq, where we trust his family is as amazed as we are at the transformation God's grace has worked in the life of this promising young man.

Monday
January 25, 2010
"You Are Going Home!"
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Three weeks since Hardeen's heart surgery and his echo today was excellent!

Hardeen's biggest problem was that it was time to remove two little stitches before he could be released to return home to Iraq. The stitches were removed so quickly he was still in dreadful anticipation when we told him it was already over. And he was overjoyed when Dr. Alona finally gave the long-awaited word that he can go home to his family. As the day wore on we could see the happiness on his face every time we saw him:

Even later this evening he was still asking if he was really going back home. I thoroughly enjoyed telling him over and over "You are going HOME!", because every time he heard those words he broke out into his own little dance maneuvers. Already the Shevet house is beginning to feel empty with two discharges last week and three this week...and the three haven't even left yet. As bittersweet as it is to say goodbye to the friends we've made and the children we have grown to love, we are so thankful they are returning with healthy hearts and such a bright outlook on the possibilities the future can hold for them by God's grace. They now have choices they did not even know existed when they first came here and we ask the Lord to continue to abide with them and make Himself more known to them day by day.

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Sunday
January 10, 2010
Hardeen Already Discharged After Surgery
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After a restful weekend Hardeen was delighted to find he would be returning to Jerusalem today. He was also delighted to find that a medicine port coming OUT was not as painful as when it goes IN! He has had a quick recovery and we are thankful to see his bright smiling eyes once again. Please continue to pray his recovery steadily progresses and he can return to a loving family.

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Thursday, January 7, 2010
Hardeen Awake at Last
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Hardeen is now wide awake in the ICU and is doing well. We hope to see him moving about and returning to his joyful self very soon when he is no longer connected to so many monitors. Even the blood pressure cuff is a nuisance to him at this point, His oxygen levels appear to be stable although still being monitored. Please continue to pray for Hardeen's speedy and full recovery.

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Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Hardeen Resting Peacefully
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Only two days since his surgery, and Hardeen is doing wonderfully! They still have him sleeping, but he's off the artificial respiration and is resting quite peacefully. His cheeks are glowing beautifully, and you can even trace a sweet, calm smile on that face of his!

Thank you so much for praying for this precious little boy. Let's pray that God would continue to bless his healing process, strengthening Hardeen's heart more and more each day and guarding his heart with the strong and perfect peace of His love.

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Monday, January 4, 2010
Tears Turned to Joy
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When we got the Wolfson Medical Center today Hardeen had already been taken downstairs to the OR, so we hurriedly went down and found Hardeen and his mother in the waiting room with lots of people and even one journalist with a big camera.

At first Hardeen was interested in all the people who were in the room with him, but when they got ready to take him out his mother and he both got upset. His feeling was just plain fear and his mother's was concern for her son. As they were taking him in the operating room he was still calling out to his mother. She held up real well until he was out of sight and she broke down and cried. She would have stayed down there if Michelle and I had not convinced her to come upstairs where the other moms were. She spent the following hours pacing and crying until the doctors came out with a good report. Everything went smoothly despite the worries and fears of both Hardeen and his mother.

Madelyn Wiley continues:
Jonathan and I accompanied Hardeen's mother into the ICU to see how he was doing post-surgery. Seeing him unconscious and on artificial respiration I remembered the lively and smiling Hardeen from the house.

Now he was stable, but had obviously been through a lot. Apart from some wiggling fingers, Hardeen's only movements came from his steady breathing. Mom looked upon her son, her face furrowed in anxiety that had not left her even though the surgery was now over. Tubes and machines were attached to her son's still body, and I can empathize how it feels to see a loved one so vulnerable and exhausted from extensive sugery.

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As you can hear in the video above, Hardeen is showing high levels of oxygen in his system, which is a good sign, and his mother joins us in giving thanks to God. We praise the Lord for guiding the doctors hands today and blessing Hardeen in his surgery.

Even though the surgery is now over, there is still a long road left for Hardeen of healing and checking to make sure there are not further complications. Please continue to pray for him and his mother, who still shows worry and fear over her son's prognosis. Pray that that Lord may grant her peace and freedom from her worries.

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Sunday
January 3, 2010
Hardeen Happy to Go to Surgery
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We received an unexpected call this morning to say the cardiologist Dr.Tamir wanted to see Hardeen as soon as we could get him to the Wolfson Medical Center. There was excitement all around anticipating that it may be Hardeen's turn for his surgery, although no promises were made. The only information we had was - his case was the next one to be looked at and a plan of action determined. It was either going to be a heart catheterization or surgery.

After an echocardiogram was completed and a phone call or two was made, Hardeen and his mother received the good news. I don't know when I have ever seen an eight-year-old child this happy about having surgery. All was well until the medication port was inserted and the blood work was done. Hardeen began

to have a few second thoughts about the whole ordeal. He seemed to gain a little comfort when I explained that every time someone needed to stick a needle somewhere it would be in the port and not in him, so it wouldn't hurt. When I left I could see him considering the value of the port in his hand. Please pray for Hardeen and his mother. This little boy has spent a lot of his life low to the ground in the squatting position in order to force enough oxygen into his body to walk short distances. May God grant him the opportunity to see the world from new heights and enjoy a full life with lots of music, praise and laughter.

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