Rawan's Heart Surgery

Thursday
July 5, 2007
Rawan Released Today
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Rawan and her mother were escorted back to Gaza this afternoon by Shevet driver, Simantov, and his wife Linda. Rawan's smiling presence will be missed at Wolfson, but it's great that she is reunited with the rest of her family now.

During their stay in the children's ward, her mother made a number of friends also from Gaza. It seems like they will be in touch back in Gaza, as one of the mothers, still in the children's ward, said she would distribute photos of the kids when her son is discharged.

Sunday, July 1, 2007
Rawan Moved To Children's Ward
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Rawan's progress continues to amaze us! Now she and her mom can be found enjoying each other's company in the children's ward. They are in good company, as the room holds two other Arabic-speaking mothers and their children.

Rawan was very animated and exuberant today. She was very responsive to her guest's attention, putting on a little show with her active limbs!

We'll continue to follow her recovery as she progresses. Please keep praying for her healing--that she may experience rejuvenation in her body and her spirit as she grows.

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Thursday
June 28, 2007
Heart is Healing Well
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Making good progress in the ICU at Wolfson, Rawan’s newly remodeled heart is healing well. Starting this morning, she has been feeding from a bottle. Her doctor hopes to take out her chest tubes this weekend. Her progress brought a smile to the face of our staff member Simantov, pictured at right.

One consideration the doctors will face is what to do about a small patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) still in Rawan’s heart. Thankfully, since her PDA is little, the doctor said that if they elect to repair it, this procedure can be done through heart catheterization rather than open-heart surgery.

Please pray that God would give discernment to the doctors and nurses watching over Rawan and that her mother would know the power of the Living God, who is at work in her daughter’s life.

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Monday
June 25, 2007
Recovering After Five Hours in the OR
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Rawan received her open-heart surgery today, which lasted about five hours and repaired two holes between the chambers in her heart. The surgeon was also able to restore her two AV valves back to normal condition. She is now recovering in the ICU and appears stable.

I asked an attending doctor from Russia about Rawan's procedure and if her recovery would be different because of having Down syndrome. He said that the recovery time is usually longer and that sometimes added complications can occur in children with Down's. Rawan should be off the mechanical ventilator in a few days, according to her doctor.

We are rejoicing over Rawan's smooth surgery and pray that her recovery will be complication-free. Please also lift up her large family (nine kids total) in Gaza, and her mother, Fadya, who is staying with her in the hospital.

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Rawan was brought to Israel from the Gaza Strip 11 days ago, one of the last to leave before major fighting broke out and the borders were closed. Our staff visited her today in the surgical unit at the Wolfson Medical Center in Holon, where she is staying with her mother, Fadya.

Rawan is one year old and was born with Down syndrome. Like many Down children, she has a serious problem in her heart: two valves are not working properly, and there are two holes in the heart. As you can see by clicking on the play arrow of the video below, Rawan acts in some ways like every child of her age:

But immediately after her birth, Rawan's parents realized that something was wrong: she didn't cry at all for five days, even when she needed to eat. She also had difficulty maintaining her body temperature. She remained in this condition untreated for one year, until she was brought to Israel. Rawan's father doesn't work, and the family has 7 daughters and 2 sons. Rawan is the youngest. Her mother explained to us how difficult life is now in Gaza, with no work, no hospitals, no food. We asked her to keep thanking the Lord for this last-minute opportunity to come and be hospitalized in Israel (three previous times her appointment was postponed), and that here she will be much more safe.

Rawan's surgery is tentatively scheduled for Thursday. Please join us in praying for her, and for the people of Gaza.