Dear little Ibraheem from Tulkarem returned to Sheba with his dad this morning for a heart check up. Looking smart in his new forest green outfit, he was full of smiles and energy! While waiting for his echo, he raced around the waiting area, played with balloons, and cheerfully inspected all the other children.
Like many little ones, Ibraheem wasn’t a fan of lying still with cold gel on his chest and being prodded with the ultrasound tool. There were a few tears, but with Dad and me helping, the technician and doctor managed to get the images they needed. He also had his ECG, vital signs, and weight checked.
Praise the Lord, his doctor says he is clinically doing well and looks healthy. Blood flow through the conduit and into both pulmonary arteries is good, although his right ventricular function remains reduced. The doctor would like him to return in 2-3 months for catheterization and redilation of his pulmonary arteries.
Thank You, Lord, for this beautiful, smiley boy. Bless him with continued health, strength, and healing
Ibraheem had his catheterization at Sheba Medical Center yesterday and has recovered very well.
Today, I met him and his father in the hallway of the secondary ICU. Ibraheem smiled brightly. He was being held tightly by his happy father. It was so good to see them both smiling and happy, and Ibraheem looking so healthy.
Ibraheem was discharged later in the afternoon. I can imagine that Ibraheem will be even more happy to see his mom and many sisters back in Tulkarm.
Little Ibraheem of Tulkarm had his catheterization at Sheba Medical Center early this morning.
The cath went well and he was returned to his room still under anesthesia. His caring father was by his side. A nurse instructed his father on holding Ibraheem’s leg straight for the next five hours, so that he receives proper blood circulation in his right leg. His father lovingly held his little sleeping son’s leg as we chatted about family and life.
We expect Ibraheem to recover quickly and return home soon. We ask that you lift him up in prayer to heal and be restored to health.
Jonathan and I visited the Children’s Echo Department of Sheba Medical Center this morning and found this bright little face waiting there with his father. They arrived today for an admission process which started with a discussion with Dr. Tal.
The balloon catheterization will take place tomorrow morning. It will be the first treatment for Ibraheem since his 46-day hospitalization for surgery six months ago. Dr Tal met with Ibraheem’s father and carefully explained the balloon catheterization procedure and its risks with Jonathan there to help with some translation. At the end of her talk, she expressed confidence that all will go well tomorrow.
I was so happy to see little Ibraheem from Tulkarm and his father waiting in the lobby of Sheba Medical Center early this morning. His father is a very kind man who really loves his son.
I remember visiting Ibraheem and his father in October after Ibraheem had a major heart surgery. You can’t help but love this adorable baby boy with the big brown shining eyes. He is a fragile little guy that needs strength and healing.
Ibraheem had an echocardiogram, an EKG, and a doctor visit today. Please pray for Ibraheem to be healthy and continue to gain weight and be strong for the next procedure on his path towards recovery.
We want to thank God for little Ibraheem whom we’ve had the joy of seeing so much in the hospital the last two weeks. He is slowly gaining weight and strength, and Friday afternoon his doctors allowed him to return home.
Please pray for the continued strengthening of Ibraheem who is such a dear little boy with a joyful temperament. We want to see his appetite increase, for him to eat on his own without a feeding tube, and, the end goal, to gain weight.
This morning, we visited Ibraheem and his father in Sheba Medical Center. They were both visibly happy to see us. Ibraheem frequently flashed us his familiar broad smile.
Ibraheem has great difficulty swallowing food. He now has a nasogastric tube again. He’s not allowed to go home until he starts eating orally. His weight has increased slightly.
During our conversation, his father shared a lot about his wonderful, beautiful family. This clearly brings him a sense of happiness. During the visit, IDF soldiers came and shared ‘sufganiyot,’ the jelly-filled donuts traditionally baked in Israel for the upcoming Chanukah holiday. Ibrahim enjoyed the delicious taste of the red jam.
After sharing some photos of his family, we were able to dedicate Ibraheem and his family to our God in prayer. Let us continue to pray for Ibraheem and his family. May he learn to enjoy the food and eat enough to grow and become strong so that both he and his father can return to home.
Today at Sheba Hospital, we saw Ibraheem. This little kid is very content, he received a toy which he pretty quickly broke. but when his father picked him up, he handed Ibraheem a piece of paper, and he was immediately calm and happy. Isn’t that how a lot of children are?
Over the weekend, Ibraheem got a fever and therefore was not able to be discharged, which ended up being a good thing as he has started to refuse his food again. His father told me that he has lost a little bit of weight, which is not good.
At Sheba Hospital today, Ibraheem slept peacefully as we greeted his father Montaser, from Tulkarem, who told us that Ibraheem is usually awake complaining most of the time. I silently prayed for his healing and growth. Ibraheem’s father told us that his son still only drinks milk. He should be eating more various foods to gain weight. Now nine months old, he weighs only 6kg. Ibraheem should gain weight to reach the 10kg required for his second operation. We are praying for Montaser who has been unwell for several days. Ibraheem awoke unhappy and his father gently rocked him back to sleep.
This afternoon in Sheba Hospital, we visited our dear and always kind Ibraheem. Both, his father and mother were present and seemed pleased to see us. Ibraheem hadn’t lost his familiar friendly smile. He laughed frequently.
Despite this, Ibraheem looked a little frail. His father told me Ibraheem needs to regain his strength. He won’t take Infatrini, but they are currently trying other medications and Materna formula, some through a nasogastric tube and some orally, to address the growth retardation. According to Ibraheem’s father, Dr. Nadid said they will soon perform a cardiac examination.
Before saying goodbye, we were able to pray together for God’s blessing on our beloved Ibrahim’s treatment.
Praise God, our friend Ibraheem finished his long 46-day road in the hospital today and went back to the West Bank smiling!
Ibraheem still is having trouble eating enough to gain weight, so doctors in Israel asked us to transfer him to a local hospital near his home for placement of a nasal tube to help supplement his nutrition. We trust God to complete the good work that he has begun.
Ibraheem didn’t leave Sheba Hospital as soon as we had hoped. He’s not taking his milk by mouth, so he still has a feeding tube in his nose. We’re hoping to transfer him to a hospital in the West Bank, or maybe even have him discharged to his home, very soon.
Despite his long wait, he is a very happy baby. Please pray everything falls into place. His father is eager to wrap up their stay at Sheba.
Sweet Ibraheem was all smiles today when we visited him at Sheba Hospital. He is a very happy baby with some of the best smiles I have ever seen! His father said he still needs to eat more, but as the doctors told me, God willing, he will be able to go home on Sunday.
Ibraheem is getting better, but while we hoped he would simply need an Echo and then be discharged, today his father and I learned that this is not the case. The doctors want Ibraheem to put on some more weight before they discharge him.
When my coworker Corry and I popped into his room to see him for the second time today (the first time he was fussy and didn’t want visitors), we found him taking his bottle of milk. During our first visit I told him to eat lots, so I’m happy to see he is following instructions.
I came across Ibraheem and his father relaxing in a Sheba Hospital waiting area. Ibraheem’s dark round eyes looked up at me as he laid back in his stroller, comfortably content.
His father was happy to report that Ibraheem just needs an ECHO to confirm that he would be discharged to his home in Tulkarm. We thank God for answered prayers and the recovery of Ibraheem. And we praise God for the incredible staff of doctors and nurses that give such great care and work so hard for these children.
Pray that Ibraheem has a successful ECHO and that he is able to return home soon.
At Sheba Hospital today I attempted to visit Ibraheem. He continues to make progress in his healing journey. He’s now been moved to the secondary.
However, I was unable to visit him because he’s currently in isolation because the medical team is waiting for results to see if he has a respiratory illness.
Our prayers continue to be with this little one, thank you for joining us.
At Sheba Hospital today I was able to visit with Ibraheem. He is still extubated and off support.
Today the doctors confirmed he has not been having seizures, so this is good news. He does have a bit of delirium post-op and needs to recover neurologically. He’s having a hard time feeding and swallowing.
Please continue to pray for a complete and speedy recovery.
Ibraheem has been extubated at Sheba Hospital’s PICU as of yesterday and is doing well with breathing.
According to physicians, he is having problems with possible seizures vs medication withdrawal for which he is being medicated. But they say he is stable and doing well. Praise the Lord!
His dad was at his bedside and is doing well. He was happy with events as they have progressed and seems to understand what’s happening with his dear little son.
I went to Sheba Medical Center to visit with little Ibraheem and see how he is doing. His father welcomed me and my coworker and gave us an update. Ibraheem’s chest was closed yesterday but he has now become unstable with fluctuating blood pressure which may necessitate their opening up his chest again to see if there is a problem. Meanwhile Ibraheem remains intubated and sedated. We thank God for this child and ask that God’s hand be upon him and his family.
A special thank you to all the caregivers who work endlessly with our sweet children. May God give them the strength to carry on.
I went to Sheba Hospital today to visit Ibraheem. His doctor said Ibraheem’s chest cavity was closed and he is stable. We thank God for this and the mercy shown to this little boy and his family. May he continue to grow stronger each day and soon be discharged home. We bless and thank the staff at Sheba for their excellent care and continued work for Ibraheem.
This young baby had extensive surgery at Sheba Hospital according to his physician; they did the MAPCAS in addition to other procedures. The chest cavity is open in case something unexpected happens and will be closed over the next few days.
Ibraheem is stable at present but his parents very concerned and need lots of reassurance. May the Lord give them peace, strength and comfort. Your prayers for Ibraheem are also appreciated.
Today at Sheba Medical Center, Ibraheem had his long-expected surgery. His family is very sweet and when I walked into their room Ibraheem’s mother was cuddling him with tears in her eyes. After a few minutes, I felt like it would be better to leave them to hang out for these last couple minutes before a big and oftentimes scary surgery.
About thirty minutes later, this sweet little one went in for what turned out to be an eight hour surgery. During this time his parents were pretty good. His mom was worried and a little weepy, but otherwise good.
Hopefully we will have more details tomorrow about his surgery, but when I left this evening Ibraheem was stable. His father said the surgeons told him that Ibraheem will need another catheterization and then surgery in a couple years.
Please pray for him to remain stable and able to leave the hospital as soon as he is well enough.
We got a visit from sweet little Ibraheem! While he did not greet me with a smile, it did not take very long until he did. He is probably one of the most chill babies ever!
They had their ECHO and ECG before I arrived at Sheba Hospital, but I was able to go with him for his X-Ray. It was impressive because I could hear him wailing pretty quickly after they went into the room, but when they came out he was pretty much back to himself, just a little teary.
After a couple hours of waiting, they were given a room and we left them for the night just as Ibraheem’s father arrived.
Please join us in praying that he will have a successful and quick surgery and recovery. I believe they are repairing his tetralogy of fallot abnormalities.
Little Ibraheem came to Sheba Medical Center from the West bank for a check-up today.
Both of his parents joined him. They were really kind and treated their child with a lot of cautiousness.
During the EKG he was easy to distract and stayed very calm and like every child, he loved to play with the cables.
The doctor who auscultated his lung said he’s doing well according to his condition, as the EKG didn’t show any change to the last one and he’s gaining weight.
Next time Ibraheem will come to Sheba for surgery which will hopefully be in August.
Please join in prayer for this beautiful child of God, that he would be completely healed.
“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26
Let us also pray for strength and patience for Ibrahim’s lovely parents.
At Sheba Medical Center today, sweet little Ibraheem who had a cath yesterday, was discharged. When I arrived to hospital with coworker Caroline, I realized that after about two or three months which is when I last saw him, Ibraheem has grown so. He is probably one of the cutest little guys ever!
The cath went very well and they will plan for a potential surgery or cath in the coming months.
Ibraheem had his diagnostic catheterization at Sheba Hospital today, done to prepare the way for a future surgery for Ibraheem. His condition was obscure upon his arrival at Sheba many months ago, with a misdiagnosis of Truncus, and doctors today went to seek more clarity before moving to a surgery option.
His father was calm and compassionate before the surgery, but Ibraheem was deeply upset by the early morning and lack of food. Soon enough he was carried into the Cath Lab by the anesthesiologist’s arms.
Ibraheem’s father connected with families he knew from his last stay, and after about two hours, Ibraheem was brought out. He took some time to wake up and was very upset, he had to wait to eat and he had to wait to drink, and anesthesia is not fun for anyone, but praise God as we left that day, he was in calm spirits with his father.
We pray for increased clarity and a clear plan moving forward, and for healing and peace before Ibraheem’s surgery as he returns home tomorrow.
Ibraheem was admitted to Shiba Hospital today for a diagnostic catheterization tomorrow, in order to finally prepare him for surgery to repair his heart.
Ibraheem’s father is a gentle and grateful man, and also a Hebrew speaker, which made communication with the doctors much simpler.
We ask our Father for life for this child and for his family.
ittle Ibraheem was brought to Sheba Medical Center Pediatric ER in an emergency transfer from the West Bank, diagnosed with Truncus and in need of a surgery quickly. However, all of that was turned on it’s head as he left Sheba after his examination, in a good and stable condition, being taken back in a car by his dad, now properly diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot.
Ibraheem handled most of the day well, by sleeping through all of it. His father and I however, gained clarity from the medical team on the next steps for his little baby. They went on to find Ibraheem’s dad a ride after their original car had canceled on them. This was luckily resolved quickly.
While Ibraheem’s condition does not need a surgery so soon, it is still a complicated one, which will require him to have a surgery in a couple of months, as well as frequent doctoral observation. We will see Ibrahim back in a month or so, and we are praying for his health and wellness until he returns.
When I reached the Sheba Hospital on Monday, I found that Ibraheem was no longer in the ICU but had been moved to the secondary ward.
Surprised, given he’s had no surgical treatment yet, I went to see him and his father, where I heard the news: although Ibraheem was not necessarily misdiagnosed (his doctor wasn’t willing to commit to a label for his condition with the limited information he had), he’s in much healthier condition than we might have thought. In fact, he’s so strong and stable that his doctors are planning on just discharging him, pushing off his surgeries until he’s grown bigger. We’re just waiting on a clean viral test, at which point he’ll be good to go home.
We praise God for this slightly altered diagnosis at least for the time being. Prayers go up for his complete healing.
When we arrived at Sheba Medical Center, we found Ibraheem already safely in his room, surrounded by doctors and nurses performing tests and examinations. He had been transferred by ambulance early in the morning, as soon as a bed had opened for him.
Ibraheem is a 25-day-old little boy from the West Bank diagnosed with Truncus. Remarkably enough, both his diagnosis, home city, and birth hospital are all the same as little Aisel, who is right across from him in the ICU. Ibrahim is a couple weeks older than Aisel; we’ve said to their parents that perhaps their children will grow up to be friends.
Ibraheem did not receive his diagnosis until after a couple weeks of life, when his parents noticed that he was breathing unusually rapidly and took him to see the doctor. Afterwards there was a fairly quick process of transferring him to Sheba, where we met him and his father. Ibraheem is a very cute little boy; he’s eagerly looking around and attentive to his environment, or at least, as much as a not yet one month old boy can be.
Ibraheem will need surgery in the coming weeks, but before that he’ll have a a gamut of tests run upon him. As his family has three other children at home, all of whom are young, Ibraheem is alone in the hospital with his father, a soft-spoken man who welcomed us generously and was glad to see us.
We pray for Ibraheem’s father, for strength in supporting his son, and that this dear boy will be treated with care and wisdom and insight by his doctors as we await his big surgery.
