Lava had one last echo at Sheba Hospital. As you can see in the picture, intelligent Lava is even helping the echo technician to perform her echo.
Lava is cleared to go back to Kurdistan without needing any medications. I am very thankful for God for this wonderful news.
Lava and her mother became like a family during their time here at Shevet. I’ve never met a mother like Lava’s mother during my term here thus far. She was always so patient with everything and never complained about anything. I would describe her as an angel and look back with love on the time that we spent together with little family.
I remember the hard days in the hospital when Lava was in surgery and the recovery time afterwards. These moments weren’t easy for Lava’s mom. I’m glad we were there for her and helped her to get through them. Even though I’m sad that on the one hand Lava and her angelic mother will go back to Kurdistan, the happiness outweighs definitely and I will be thrilled for them, for Lava’s brighter future, and will keep them in my mind and heart always.
This morning we woke up early to bring Lava to Sheba hospital for her last bronchoscopy. This was not for a dilation, but for the doctor to look exactly at her trachea, and determine if she is 100% safe to return to Kurdistan. We’ve been hoping this is the last broncoschopy (akher jar) since the procedure was scheduled two weeks ago. It was quite a high-stakes day for Lava’s mum because if they saw she needed another balloon dilation, it would be another two months of follow-up care here, and Lava’s mum was afraid of this.
After the doctors took Lava into the OR, we went to a nearby Cafe to get coffee. This took us about fifteen minutes and then we went back to the waiting area. We were sitting, drinking the coffee for less than five minutes, before the surgeon came out and brought us into a room to talk, where the long-awaited news came. Lava can safely return to Kurdistan. Doctors concluded in the likelihood that Lava grows, her stenosis will not return. There is always a chance though and her mother knows to follow-up with a doctor in Kurdistan for this. After two months since her last balloon dilation, Lava has not had any further episodes and has remained in a very good condition.
After the bronchoscopy, we sat together waiting for Lava to come around from the anesthesia. Her mother and I went back through our memories with one another. We went through the time of Lava’s second cardiac surgery; this was the first time we really talked together. We remembered the days after in the ICU, Lava’s first bronchoscopy and all the subsequent ones, the appointments, admissions, ER visits, not to mention the memories of living together and of all that we both experienced with other families in the past five months. I basically owe all the Kurdish I’ve learned to Lava’s mother! Also while we were talking, I thought how very extraordinary it is that I should have the privilege of knowing and loving Lava and her mum, a rare mum that I am blessed to call a friend, and Lava is a wonderful girl with, I pray, the brightest future ahead of her.
Goodbye will not be easy, but it will be the beginning of a new and beautiful chapter for them and their family.
Next week will be the important bronchoscopy appointment for little Lava at Sheba hospital. Part of the preparation today, was an appointment with the doctor to check about her current condition.
Lava was very happy most of the time today and smiled a lot. It was so nice to see how her mother was caring for her and doing her best to entertain Lava; she didn’t want Lava to become exhausted during the waiting time.
Both did such a good job in staying patient, and we are very thankful for that. At the end we were very happy to hear from the doctor, that Lava is fine and has no UTI infection anymore.
We got all the papers ready for the bronchoscope, and after a blood test we could drive back to Jaffa, where both are staying until next week for the important appointment.
Lava had a full day at Sheba hospital today with an echo and an ENT appointment. While the results of the echo and ENT visit didn’t provide the immediate answer we hoped for, the outcome was still very good.
Firstly, the surgeon who worked on Lava’s trachea said that she is breathing well, but because he is wanting to safely release her to Kurdistan, he is choosing to defer her leaving until he is sure she will not need further treatment. For this reason, her doctor has scheduled her last bronchoscopy for the end of next week to know beyond a doubt that she can safely return to Kurdistan.
This doctor knows Lava really well and has been seeing her since the early summer. Lava’s mother sees the excellence and thoroughness of his care and was not greatly moved by the news of waiting still and was able to ask questions that both she and her husband had talked about beforehand. It made me think that between her parents and these doctors, Lava is blessed with incredible caregivers in her life, for which she is so much better for.
On the cardiac front, because Lava will be here for two more weeks, the cardiologist decided to start decreasing her medicine before she goes back; this, too, was good news for Lava today. Lava’s mother continues to amaze us with her poise and strength and fierce devotion to what is best for Lava. The doctor remarked today in the appointment, that he could see that Lava’s mum and I were very close and that we only had about two more weeks together before he clears her to go back! This of course made us both laugh and was a good way to end the appointment- hopeful for the future.
There is a word in Kurdish that means chubby – xapa, and in their culture, it is a very big compliment for a baby to be considered chubby. This is what we love to call Lava, and what many people today remarked on when we brought her to the ER at Sheba hospital.
How can she be sick, she looks so chubby and healthy? For some days Lava has been with a fever that comes and goes and has decreased appetite, so we planned to take her to the hospital for some tests. In the ER, the doctors found that Lava has an infection, and prescribed antibiotics for the next ten days.
Lava’s mum is amazing; it’s impossible to overstate how incredible she is. She is calm, never quick to worry, and so intelligent. She has been in and to the hospital loads of times, so today was a breeze. We took photos in a portable Sukkah to celebrate the Feast of Booths, one of the biblical holidays.
Two weeks have passed since Lava’s last ENT appointment, and we were excited about the possibility of Lava’s heading home to Kurdistan.
At Lava’s visit to Sheba hospital, the doctor decided that Lava would need to stay for a few more weeks. There is a possibility of her trachea narrowing and the doctors want to monitor the situation a bit longer. Upon hearing this news, Lava’s mother was very distressed, yet handled the situation with understanding and strength.
We are hopeful that their next visit to the hospital will bring news of sweet Lava and her mother’s long-awaited clearance to Kurdistan.
Today we had an ENT appointment at Sheba Medical Center, where we talked with the doctor who checked about the development of Lava’s condition. The doctor is contented and wants to see little Lava again in two week’s time.
We were all very happy, because everything went well and pretty easily. We didn’t even need to wait for a long time, Julio translated for the mother and we exited the building with good news, already after one hour. Let’s pray that Lavas Condition keeps good and that the next appointment will be fine as well.
Lava and her mother have been discharged from Sheba hospital to our community home today, after her balloon dilation last week. We love to have them staying with us and the time that we spend together with them is really nice because they feel like family to us.
Our prayers are for Lava’s assessment in two weeks. We pray she will remain in a condition good, and can return to her home soon. Lava’s mother has been very patient, away from her family a long time, and always displays a good attitude despite this.
“Hanasakem” is a word Lava’s mum often uses. A few weeks ago, I asked her what it meant. She said it was like saying ‘my oxygen’ or ‘my breath” to her daughter as an exclamation of love. After this, we learned this word was very helpful, especially with Lava.
For the past few weeks, Lava has had a recurring problem with her trachea that makes her breathing (hanasa) quite difficult. She was admitted to Sheba hospital’s ER on Sunday night and had a bronchoscopy this morning to check her trachea. Doctors saw that it was not better or worse than before, and therefore didn’t want to do any dilation.
She was taken back to the ward in the children’s hospital wing where her breathing became really difficult again. She was wheezing and her oxygen became very low. All the doctors rushed into her room and decided to transfer her up to the pediatric ICU, where they then sent her back into the surgery room to dilate her trachea.
This whole time, Lava’s mother has been absolutely incredible, even when today was extremely difficult. Actually, this whole week has not been a good one for them. Lava had one positive corona test that led to her being isolated and then a subsequent negative test. That, needless to say, was horrible for her mother to experience because it introduced a whole new fear for Lava’s life if she had had the virus. Then seeing her daughter’s deterioration today was again very painful for her.
Georgia and I sat with Lava’s mum through the procedure. Georgia pointed out that this week has come to an end. God willing, there are better things in store next week.
Lava’s breathing is much better after the balloon dilation. Please pray that her trachea, which will inevitably narrow again over time, will still remain wide enough that she won’t have this problem again.
Yesterday’s scheduled balloon dilation at Sheba hospital for Lava had to be postponed. The reason is that yesterday, little Lava tested positive for Corona, but it was a false positive, one they figured out today when they tested her again.
They are rescheduling the balloon dilation. She needs a room to be available in the ICU afterwards. Please continue to pray for lovely Lava and her mother who is happy of course, that they don’t have corona.
Lava and her mother are a very enjoyable presence to have in our community house. They often come over to the staff -housing side of the house for a visit, and I always really love to sit together, do some tasks together, or spend time chatting with Lava.
She is developing so beautifully, and is generally a very happy, smiley and sociable girl. Lava’s mother is so easy to spend time with, always light-hearted and handles all the difficult situations which are thrown at her, with dignity and sweetness.
Today, we took Lava to the emergency room, as she had noisy breathing all day. She was waiting for another bronchoscopy to check for possible stenosis of her trachea, and the noise of her breathing seems to indicate that she is with stenosis again.
Lava’s mother is worried about her, as it was revealed from the ENT doctor that Lava was to be hospitalised and have another bronchoscopy tomorrow. Likely she will need another balloon dilation of the trachea. The doctor was not able to tell us how many times she might need to have this procedure in the future. It is a bit of a disappointment for Lava’s mother. who is hopeful that soon her time would come for the joyous returning to Kurdistan.
She spoke this evening about how difficult it is to be away from her husband and young son, and the rest of her family. We reflected that since her immovable decision is that Lava must be well before returning to Kurdistan, it puts her in a difficult situation emotionally and unable to do anything to make the time come quicker to return to her family.
Please pray for her encouragement to continue, taking each day step by step, and for her to know that God is with her. Please also pray for Lava as she goes into the balloon dilation procedure tomorrow morning. We hope this is the last time.
This past Thursday, Sheba hospital told us early in the morning that Lava is ready to go home after her bronchoscopy with balloon dilation.
I had the opportunity to go and collect her from the hospital and bring her back to our community home in Jaffl. As you can see in the picture, she was very happy about things and so are we to welcome her back.
She needs to have an Echo this week and another bronchoscopy in around a month. Please continue to pray for this cute girl and her mother to have ongoing patience and for a pleasant time in Jaffa.
If you know Lava, you know she loves eating and loves being held; occasionally she likes to sleep.
The doctors had her fasting from twelve last night for her balloon dilation bronchoscopy, which meant that she was not very happy throughout the night.
This is the third procedure to treat the narrowing of her trachea, and when it was done (it’s only about an hour long), the doctor came out to where Lava’s mother and I were seated, and gave us the lovely news that he hopes this will be the last one she needs before she can go back to Kurdistan! It will be another few weeks before they can fly because Lava must have a test in three weeks time to see how much her trachea has narrowed.
Her mother is an amazing woman of resilience and strength. She has been so amazing through it all. I tried to explain an English idiom to her, “keep your head.” This characterizes her because she is always calm and thoughtful in circumstances where others might not be able to stay calm and think.
So now Lava is waiting to be discharged, God willing, tomorrow to Jaffa, and in the meantime, compensating for the hours of fasting by drinking all the milk she wants.
Lava was called into Sheba hospital this afternoon for her bronchoscopy and balloon dilation of her trachea tomorrow.
She was greeted upon arrival at the hospital by a big display of balloons. We thought this was the perfect welcome for her, coming into her procedure tomorrow! Lava was very happy to be in the hospital by the look of things, and was very happy.
This means “chubby” in Kurdish and is considered also a very big compliment especially for a baby. Lava’s mother calls her little girl ‘xapa gyan,’ and ‘hanasakam,’ or ‘my breath,’ as well as Lava Lu, and many other cute nicknames.
Lava and her mother are so lovely, and always a joy to spend time with. They are back with us in our community house in Jaffa after Lava was kept days at the hospital after her bronchoscopy on Saturday night, but now has been discharged to wait for another procedure next week.
This weekend Lava and her mother were visiting in Jerusalem. On Saturday morning, Lava’s mother called to say that Lava had been crying and nor drinking milk from the middle of the night. Moreover, she sent videos of Lava’s breathing which was very labored and had a wheezing sound.
Co-worker Georgia sent this to the doctor at Sheba hospital who had discharged her, and she said to bring Lava to the ER. They saw that she needed a bronchoscopy to open her airway. She was scheduled to have this procedure last week, but it was postponed; they did almost exactly the same thing in this bronchoscopy as they did in the last one during her hospitalization. However, the issue isn’t fully resolved and she may yet need to come back for a procedure with balloon dilation.
Throughout this harrowing situation, Lava’s mother was her rock. She has a soft and beautiful heart and is at the same time really able to endure so much. After the procedure Lava was much better, and so now we wait to see how she will be in the coming days.
The day started early today at Sheba hospital for beautiful Lava and her mother. They had to see the ENT doctor as Lava needs to have a bronchoscopy.
In the beginning of the day she was in a very good mood and happy as you can see in the beautiful picture of her. Lava had to see a nurse and two different doctors, all of whom really love little Lava. They were helpful all day for us.
The bronchoscopy was scheduled for tomorrow, and she would have to go to the ICU directly afterwards. However, there is no available ICU bed right now so the procedure needed to be re-scheduled.
Lava’s mother had a beautiful attitude all day even though we had to go from one place to another. The cute and lovely Lava got really tired from all the examinations and long waiting times, so she did fall asleep in between and afterwards.
Please continue to pray for patience for Lava’s mother and for her cute daughter.
Lava had an echocardiogram today at Sheba hospital. She has been crying quite a bit at home with us in Jaffa, but in the hospital and during the echo, she was very calm and quite happy.
Lava’s doctor told us that she has recovered very well after her two heart surgeries, and Lava has been approved to return to Kurdistan. She still needs to see the ENT doctor and have a bronchoscopy which we hope will take place this week.
We are very happy for this outcome for Lava, and for her mother who is missing her husband and son.
It’s been a long time coming for Lava and her mother who has been nothing but patient and today, Lava was discharged from Sheba hospital in a wonderful condition!
Thank God she is healed and looking a beautiful colour with full oxygen-saturation, feeding well, and happily interactive. She needs to have a follow-up bronchoscopy next week.
This week at Sheba Medical, the doctors performed a bronchoscopy to find out why Lava was having a stridor. The test showed there was narrowing in her trachea. A few hours after this, she was taken into surgery to widen the area.
Because this was a non-cardiac operation, she had to be transported to a different building. This was very scary for her mother who asked why it wasn’t in the normal surgical area; she’d thought something was dangerously wrong that Lava had to be brought to a different OR.
Her question was valid and significant given how ill Lava was when she first came to the hospital and how just the night before, we lost a Kurdish baby in our community. Given the grief and heaviness of this loss, and how she was afraid for Lava now, I was determined to assure her that this procedure isn’t the same as an open-heart surgery; it is a small operation for Lava. As for the change in location, this is the area for all operations which aren’t for children’s heart’s.
After Lava was taken into the OR, she wanted to explore the shopping area nearby. We got chips and Snickers bars before returning to the waiting area. I could see her relax and to her relief, Lava’s operation only took about an area before Lava was out and being transported back to the ICU. She was in a very good condition after this surgery. Next week, the doctors will repeat the bronchoscopy to check if her trachea has stayed open or if it has narrowed again
Little Lava amazed all of the staff in her department at Sheba hospital today. Upon Lava’s arrival there on Thursday, she was unable to do anything with a bottle teat in her mouth at all.
However today, she showed her speech therapists that she has learned how to suck again. A big flock of doctors and nurses rushed in to see her as they were so pleased at her progress. Lava was bottle feeding successfully! She took a small volume, which was supplemented by the NG tube.
We hope to see her progress each day, and that she will be able to come to our community home with us soon. Well done Lava and her patient mum!
Little Lava is struggling to relearn how to drink milk. She is quite upset, and as she doesn’t know how to suck, it means that she’s lost that ability to calm herself down. Her mum was tired and working hard to help her learn again how to feed today at Sheba hospital.
We had a beautiful moment of calm together as Lava calmed down when swaddled in her mother’s arms, and she took the pacifier for a few minutes.
In terms of her heart, she is doing very well and has been moved to the general department.
Little Lava’s mother had so much to be happy for today at Sheba hospital, as her baby was extubated today!
She became a different person with a lot more peace, as Lava is being weaned from sedation. It was a joy to see her big, beautiful eyes beginning to open.
I found little Lava still intubated in her hospital room when I visited her today. Her lovely mother only speaks Kurdish and wanted to know how her Lava was doing. One of the nurses told me that Lava is doing well so far after that big surgery and they are planning to extubate her in this next few days. They wanted to extubate her already today, but after a previous echo was done for her, they weren’t completely satisfied yet with the function of her heart. So they want to wait with extubating her for now.
This is normal for a child like Lava who underwent a big surgery just yesterday. Other Kurdish moms are often also in the ICU to help each other and provide each other a kind of emotional support. They have each other and can speak the same language. It is lovely to see how fast they always connect with one another. In the picture it is from left to right the mother of Asmeen, Lava’s mother and Yadgar’s mother. A great support ministry amongst themselves.
Doctors performed the second of two needed surgeries for little Lava today. It was a big surgery, the great arteries switched, for this small girl. Lava’s surgery was moved to 8:30 a.m. The surgery was around three and a half hours.
During the waiting time, Lava’s mother was joined by another Kurdish mom whose child had surgery yesterday. Also some of the other mothers who had appointments at the hospital today joined her for some time. It was a nice waiting time spent together.
After the surgery, one of the doctors came out to tell us that it had gone well. The doctor said, “Bascha,” which means good in Kurdish. They had to close her chest at that point. Lava’s mother cried tears of relief but also of worry for her beloved daughter.
Lava finally came out of her surgery completely an hour and a half later. Her mother cried when she saw Lava on the bed with wheels coming out of the OR and said, “I want to hold her.” I can only imagine how hard it must be to see one’s little daughter in that condition after her surgery and wanting to be there for her as close as she can be.
They took Lava back to the ICU and there it took them another hour to stabilize little Lava so continued waiting. We learned about patience, which Lava’s mother already knew well. When she could finally go inside the recovery room to see her little baby girl, she was happy and immediately went to the side of Lava’s bed to hold her tiny little hand. She loves Lava with her whole heart.
Thank God this surgery was successful. Please pray for a good recovery for cute Lava now as it can be difficult after such a big surgery. We ask God for Lava’s mother as well, that he may give her strength and patience as it is not easy for her to see her beloved daughter in that condition attached to all the tubes and wires and monitors.
The day after her surgery, Lava is recovering and still intubated. It is difficult for her mother to see her like this, but the nurse said yesterday she might be intubated for a few days after the operation.
There were two mothers with children awaiting surgery who were at the hospital for echoes today so Lava’s mother went to greet them. It was really good for these moms to hear of the experience of Lava’s mother with her baby going through a surgery.
We are praying for the days between Lava’s two surgeries to be without any complications, so she can easily make a full recovery.
Doctors performed the first of two surgeries for baby Lava today. This was the smaller one to prepare her heart for the switch surgery. The wait was around three and a half hours, which was long for her mother, but we had good friends to pass the time.
Since they have been in quarantine, today was the first day I really got to know Lava’s mother, and by extension via photographs, Lava herself. At one point Georgia took a photo of the group ‘niswan’ or women in English, which included Meera, a Kurdish toddler whose father was with us for some time during the wait.
When Lava came out of surgery, her mum was so relieved, and still it took about another hour before she could see Lava because of the time it takes to set up Lava in her room with the machines, medicines, and post-operative checks.
Please pray for the week or so in-between these two surgeries as the recovery can be difficult. We ask God for Lava, that her recovery will not a difficult one and that her body will adjust to the new ways her heart is working.
Sweet Lava was called in to Sheba hospital today. She will be having part one of a two-stage surgery tomorrow. She is the first of the most recent group of children who traveled from Kurdistan, to have surgery. She is already late for the switch operation so this is why they are going in two steps.
Please be praying for her life, for her mother and for the surgery to be successful.
Little girl Lava had to visit Sheba hospital today for her first assessment involving an echo and an ECG. During the assessment, Lava’s mother and I chatted a bit with each other to get to know each other. These parents are often worried and kind of afraid when they come to Israel because they don’t know anything here. It’s good that we can spend time with them to help them through the beginning.
Lava was crying during her examinations but her beautiful mother was by her side. The whole examination must have been quite exhausting for that little girl which is why she immediately fell asleep after it.
The doctors have to discuss Lava’s case now. As soon as they know what the treatment for her will look like, they’ll tell us and we can tell the family.
Let us pray for wisdom for the doctors that the Lord may lead them with their decision and for peace and patience for Lava’s lovely mother now.
Thank God for providing everything according to His great plan for Lava. She has a diagnosis of d-TGA, and traveled here from Kurdistan to Israel with her mother. They were given their entry permission visas for Israel today, and entered through the Jordanian border.
Sabrina and I were quite late in arriving to collect them. Thank God that a friend of Jonathan lives very close by, and his family is Kurdish! He collected the three families to save them from waiting for us alone. We met at his beautiful house.
Lava’s mother told us that Lava hasn’t been eating or sleeping well during the travel from Kurdistan. She was crying and her oxygen levels were quite low. She will travel to Sheba hospital first thing in the morning for an echo, and to see the doctor. The doctor felt that a good rest at our community home would help her to feel better before facing what tomorrow brings.
Our other quarantining families at the Jaffa house welcomed these three new families with a huge feast of Kurdish food, which I hope is the beginning of a peaceful home with good relationships.
Please pray for the very best for Lava during her time here.
Lava had one last echo at Sheba Hospital. As you can see in the picture, intelligent Lava is even helping the echo technician to perform her echo.
Lava is cleared to go back to Kurdistan without needing any medications. I am very thankful for God for this wonderful news.
