Sarbast's Heart Surgery

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Friday, June 13, 2008
Sarbast Leaves Israel
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Sarbast has been enjoying his stay in Jerusalem since his discharge from the hospital. He is doing fine, and he loves to play with the other children at the Shevet house. The trip to the park did him a lot of good. He loved riding the merry-go-round, and he even made up songs about the other children as he rode.  Sarbast’s mother is very anxious to go home. She has been very disappointed over the past few days as their visas have not yet come.

Short-term volunteer Amy adds:

Last night around 10:30 p.m., tears of joy were shed as the mothers of Sarbast, Aryan and Cheya were informed that today they would be on their way home to Iraq. Prayer has gone before the throne of God for this to happen. There is thanks to the Lord for this prayer answered.

Before traveling today, we all gathered together to pray and give thanks to the Lord for all He's done, and to pray for traveling mercies on them. Alex and I then began the long-awaited journey to the border. As we traveled to the border, almost everyone in the van fell asleep, except for Alex of course.  When arriving to the first checkpoint, they waved us through without a long wait, thank goodness!  When we arrived at the border there seemed from the mothers to be nervousness as well as excitement.  They were probably too excited to really express it. Because Alex and I were close to missing our bus back to Israel, we had to say our goodbyes quickly. I'm glad that they are able to go home to their families. Through the goodness and grace of God, Sarbast, Cheya and Aryan may now have a full, healthy life.

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Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Catheter Shows No More Surgery Needed
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Sarbast underwent his catheterization this morning just before Shaima was expected to go for her open heart surgery. The doctors found that Sarbast does not need another surgery - praise God! This news turned his mother's apprehensive countenance into a big smile. Sarbast didn't take long to recover from the procedure and was happy to leave his room and come to check on Shaima as we waited for her to return from her operation. This good report means that barring complications, Sarbast can leave for home when he finishes a course of antibiotics he's taking for the infection he had last week. We will keep you informed as plans for their return come together. Meanwhile, please pray for him to remain healthy and strong, and the visa process required for their return to be done quickly.

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Tuesday
May 27, 2008
Catheter Tomorrow
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It was great to find Sarbast smiling, laughing and moving about in the children's ward when we visited the hospital today. He is drastically improved from a few days ago, and his mother is therefore feeling better too. He really enjoyed receiving some cards made for him by some children in America who are praying for him and his family. He acted as though he was reading a book as he looked through each one.
 
Because of Sarbast's improvement, the doctors decided they can go forward with the catheterization tomorrow which had to be postponed last week because of his fever. Please pray for Sarbast and his mom during this procedure, and for doctors to find the best course of treatment to be simpler than previously thought because of prayers answered.

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Monday, May 12, 2008
Enjoying the Sunshine
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Last week when I visited Sarbast and his mother in the hospital there was little I could do to stop the tears from pouring down.  His lungs were full of fluid and even the doctors commented that his mother was “in despair.”  Today things have changed.  Sarbast’s surgery took place almost three weeks ago and finally yesterday, much to his mother’s relief, he was able to move out of the ICU.  I was surprised to see both of them outside enjoying the sun as I walked up to the entrance of the hospital.  Unlike most children post surgery, he smiled for me and I was able to capture it with my camera.
 
Sarbast’s mother begged me to take her and Sarbast to the Save A Child’s Heart house in Azur. She is tired of the hospital and is ready to begin taking the steps that will take her back to Iraq (understandably so, since she is seven months pregnant).  Pray that Sarbast will continue in his recovery.  Also, for his mother, that she will understand that in order for Sarbast to fully recover, he needs time. Pray that she will have patience for the process.

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Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Mother in Despair
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Sarbast still has fluid draining from his lungs, and he will need to stay in the ICU until this problem clears up. When we saw him, he was sitting up in bed with some of his toys, and he seemed to be in good spirits. His mother, however, is very tired and quiet. One of the doctors said that she is "in despair."  Please continue to pray for Sarbast and his mother.

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Thursday, May 1, 2008
Draining Fluid from Lungs
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We visited Sarbast in the ICU today. He is doing much better since our last visit.  A lot of fluid has been drained from his lungs. The nurses told us that if all goes well, they plan to extubate him tomorrow. Sarbast's mother seems to be in good spirits but looks very tired.

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Monday, April 28, 2008
Blood Transfusion Following Surgery
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Sarbast underwent heart surgery this Sunday. The nurses told us that he is doing fine over all, but he is low on hemoglobin. During our visit, they were giving him a blood transfusion to fix this issue. At one point an alarm began to go off next to his bed, and a nurse rushed to his side. We watched as he tried to move and open his eyes while the nurse lovingly calmed him. (Click the arrow below to play a video clip.)

She told us later that this little Iraqi fighter was already beginning to try to breathe on his own without the aid of the ventilator. Sarbast's mother was quite happy, but also very tired.  

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Sunday, April 6, 2008
Lung Infection
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I visited Sarbast and his mother in the hospital today. Sarbast has been admitted because of a lung infection.

When I visited them a few days ago at the Save a Child’s Heart house, Sarbast was in a corner sitting on a chair, happily singing for the rest of us for about 40 minutes. Today his mood had drastically changed.  His smile was gone and replaced with tears.

Please pray that his infection will be taken care of quickly.

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Monday, March 24, 2008
Sarbast Arrives in Israel
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Sarbast, Nahro, Ghaith, and Aryan finally got the word that they’d be traveling to Israel on Monday. They along with 10 other children have been waiting in Amman for visa approvals and funds for their surgeries. Since the screening in early March, every day has been filled with the hope that it would soon be their turn to travel. The other families were encouraged that these four were finally traveling, yet disappointed that they’d have to wait a little while longer. Pray that they would stay encouraged, and trust God with the timing of their travel.  

Before packing up and heading for the border, all the families enjoyed a beautiful day at the park.  The children and their mothers had been looking forward to this outing for almost a week, and really enjoyed their time relaxing under the pine trees.

After eating lunch the time came for Nahro, Sarbast, Ghaith, Aryan, and their mothers to say good-bye to the other families. Many of the mothers and even some of the children teared up as they sent them on their way with the hope of joining them soon in Israel.

Since we got an unexpected late start, we didn’t arrive at the border until it was almost eight.    While Dirk was inside the terminal waiting for their paperwork to be processed, I took the families outside to enjoy the pleasantly warm evening. I enjoyed these last few moments with them as we spoke of the time they’ll spend in Israel and what lay ahead in the coming weeks and months. The kids also took advantage of the time to run around and stretch their little legs. After about an hour of patiently waiting, the families loaded the bus and headed for Israel.

It was a joy and an encouragement to see these precious little ones on their way. Pray that the Lord will continue to give them grace, strength, and endurance for the road ahead as we look forward to seeing His healing touch in their lives.