Mohammed's Heart Surgery

Early this morning Alex and I returned to the Makassed Hospital on the Mt. of Olives to take Mohammed and his mother for the second opinion about his operability.

Mohammed's feeding tube hadn't been connected overnight, and we found his mother giving him water with a hand-held syringe. She continued this in the car as we made our way down from Jerusalem to the Schneider Children's Medical Center near Tel Aviv.

We had an appointment with Dr. Birk, who is head of the cardiology department, for an echocardiogram. As we were processed into the cardiac area of the hospital, we noticed that each person who looked at yesterday's discharge report from Wolfson Hospital shook their heads as they read the long list of problems.

As the echo began, visible headshakes and long sighs were felt and seen around the room. In just a few minutes, Dr. Birk turned to us with a clear and distinct voice, "There is no repair possible for this child. I agree with the cardiologists at Wolfson."

She calmly continued, "There are borderline cases--and this is not one of them. Anything we would try would kill the child very quickly. Had it been an Israeli we would have done exactly the same thing. You need to be sure about that."

Through a translator, Dr. Birk shared with Mohammed's mother that the very best thing to be done for Mohammed was to go home and spend the rest of his time in his mother's arms and with his family. As we began to make arrangements to take Mohammed back to Gaza, Um Mohammed gently cried and held her son.

On our drive to the Gaza border, Um Mohammed made arrangements with her family to meet them by the ambulance which would drive them home with the oxygen he needed. Only after these calls were completed did Um Mohammed break into sobs. It was easy for me to cry with her as I thought of receiving the news a few months ago that my family and I had only days or weeks with my mother. I knew she was thinking of how many more times she might have to cuddle him, nurse him, look into his eyes, watch him sleep... all the things a mother holds dear to her heart when spending time with her child.

The Israeli staff at the border was very helpful in allowing quick entry to Um Mohammed and her dying son. They assured us the ambulance was waiting on the other side of the border and that she would have a short processing in the crossing terminal. Mohammed's mother gave us the only smile we had seen in many days when she thanked us for all our help. I gave her a last hug and we prayed one last time over Mohammed before she carried him back toward Gaza.

Throughout the morning, the words which were running through my mind were those in Isaiah 40:11 which say that, "He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; He shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young." I have no doubt that, as promised, the Lord is near to this broken-hearted mother and family. It is my prayer that she will know Him and receive the fullness of the comfort He came to impart.

A late update from Alex:
I spoke to Um Mohammed just a few minutes ago. She explained that Mohammed had been returned to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip to continue on oxygen. Given that I have small daughter of my own I may have done the same thing.

We still believe in miracles here in the Middle East and also believe in a merciful Father in Heaven. Let us ask the Lord how we might pray and may all the answers mean new peace for Mohammed and his family.