Liya returned to Sheba Medical Center from her home in Gaza as she had an echo appointment today.
The doctor said that everything was fine with her heart, the neurologist also checked her and they had to change the dose of medicine since she often cries for a long time without stopping.
Also sometimes her body trembles; hopefully the medicine will correct this too. We hope that with this change everything works better for her. Thank you for your prayer support for little Liya.
Today was finally the big day where Liya was allowed to return to her loving home. When I entered her room this morning her mother was all excited and ready to go. All her stuff was packed and she couldn’t wait until the ambulance finally arrived here.
Liya was dressed in a beautiful pink dress and if she had understood what was going on she probably would have been as happy as her mother. Liya will go to the hospital in Gaza now where she can be close to her family and her mother can see her other children from time to time while still caring for Liya.
It’s such a miracle seeing Liya go back to Gaza today after more than four months in the hospital. When we got her report from the doctor I told her mother that this is not a report, it’s a book. In her time here Liya had to get resuscitated twice and there were so many moments where we feared for her life. And now she is breathing on her own again and yesterday i was allowed to even hold her on my arms again. Liya’s mother was such a great support to all of us in her time here, she took care of the other moms in the hospital, told us all the news we needed to know and we sometimes joked that she is our best Shevet volunteer.
It was hard to say goodbye as it will be two months until Liya comes back for an echo and neurology appointment and until then I will not be in Israel anymore. We will miss our beautiful princess and her mother a lot and at the same time we are so happy for them that they can finally be in their own home again!
We pray that Liya will remain stable there and will get strong enough for her next surgery! Please God protect this beautiful girl!
Today was the day we hoped that Liya will finally be transferred from Sheba Hospital back to the hospital in Gaza. Her mother is waiting very eagerly for that day. But unfortunately Liya developed a fever yesterday and now she is back on oxygen support and gets antibiotics and fluids again.
Her doctors suspect that she has some kind of infection but they are optimistic that she will get better soon and can go to Gaza then. Liya’s mother was so disappointed today which I can totally understand as she is already in the hospital for more than four months and misses her other children a lot.
Please pray that Liya will get better soon and they can finally go to Gaza!
A brief, wonderful update on Liya, who is now off her ventilator and out of the primary ICU, praise God. While I was visiting her, I noticed that her eyes seemed to track with my movement a little–and sure enough, when I spoke with her doctor, he told me that her physical therapists suspect she may have some of her sight after all! She will never have good vision he suspects, but some will be better than none! Praise God! We ask for her continued healing, and that her full vision might miraculously be restored!
This week in Sheba Hospital, Liya surprised us with some next big steps. She is completely off the ventilator now and therefore she is allowed to go for little walks through the hospital with her mother. Her mom was so proud to walk around pushing the stroller of cute Liya. I was so happy to see her again out of her room, what a miracle when we look back how bad her situation was a few months ago.
Later this evening Liya got moved to the intermediate ICU which is another good step for her! Her mother mentioned today that maybe in a few weeks they can go to the hospital in Gaza and come back later to try again the Glenn surgery. We’ll see what her next steps are, but for now we are just thankful that our beautiful girl is doing so well!
When I walked into Liya’s room at Sheba Hospital today, I was so happy to see her doing so well whilst off the ventilator! Last time I saw her, just one and a half weeks ago, no one even thought about taking her off the ventilator and now she is nearly completely off of it. Her doctors are very thankful for her progress!
Right now they are waiting for Liya’s mother to make a decision whether she wants Liya to have a PEG tube placed or not. If she receives one, she could probably get discharged to her family home soon and then come back in a couple of months for her Glenn surgery. But there are also a lot of risks for infection and so her mother didn’t want it until now.
Please pray especially for Liya’s mother as she has to make this decision and is having a hard time being gone from her family for so long. We thank God for all of Liya’s progress thus far.
Our little Liya is making such good progress at Sheba Hospital lately. She is strong enough to breathe on her own and not only for a few minutes, but for three hours straight, several times a day. She always has one hour of intubation to get some “rest” so that means that 3/4 of the day she can breathe without any help. This is surely a miracle.
But we also got some news that was not so good. Liya‘s doctors suspect her to be almost or maybe completely blind. To check her sight the doctors need to perform a special eye-examination, which they usually don‘t do in Sheba. So we need to wait and see if there is an option to do the test or not. When we visited her in her room, she was crying a bit, but calmed down really fast. I was so surprised, because in the last few weeks she was crying very hard most of the times I visited her, but she seems to mentally get better and better. We really enjoyed spending time with her and trying to make her fall asleep.
Please pray for our little girl, that she will keep on improving physically and especially for her sight, that her doctors will be able to make the special eye-examination and gain an accurate idea as to how exactly she is doing.
When I asked the ICU doctor today about Liya, he was so happy to tell me that she was off the ventilator. I was so surprised as I didn’t expect such good news. Liya is now four months in the hospital and since her last heart surgery failed, she has only recovered slowly. But it was never imaginable that she could breath on her own, and hearing today that she made another big step forward is so encouraging. Our God can heal!
She isn’t yet off the ventilator the whole time but already for several minutes. The first time she was only off the ventilator for five minutes and then they had to put her back on the ventilator, but when I visited her a second time later in the afternoon, she was off the ventilator again. She still has a long way ahead of her as she still needs the heart surgery which failed the last time doctors attempted it. Please pray for this little girl and her wonderful mother who is there by her side the whole time.
When I visited Liya at Sheba Hospital today, I had the impression that she looked much better compared to a few weeks ago. She looked much more relaxed and happy than before. She was even laying in a baby seat, but didn’t enjoy her new environment that much and started crying. Thankfully there are so many people in the ICU that care about her. One of the staff there just walked into her room, took her time, and stayed with Liya to calm her down.
Later on as I asked the doctor how Liya was doing over the last day, he told me the same thing, saying that Liya has made a great improvement. Even so, she is not able to breath on her own and might not be ready for her big surgery, but it’s great to see her much more relaxed and happier.
We continue to pray for her as she has still a long way to go and might still have a hard time even after all her surgeries and treatment. Some kids don’t even fully recover ever and leave with bad circumstances. Thank you for your prayers for Liya and her mom. Gladly her mom also seems much more relaxed and cheerful in the last weeks. When we visit our kids in the hospital we often meet her in the hallways, most likely together with other Gaza moms. It’s great to see that they have each other to count on and how they became good friends.
On the first of April 2022 a beautiful girl was born in Gaza and from this day on she started fighting. Fourteen days later, little Liya got rushed by ambulance to Sheba Hospital. I still can picture her as a newborn baby, remember how she was lying there helpless in ICU room 4 and the conversation I had with her doctor in front of her room the day after her first surgery: we don’t know if she will survive the next days.
But she did! She got better, deteriorated again and fought her way up again. She got discharged to her home in Gaza, got rushed back again by ambulance and got better again. So many times we feared alongside her family and doctors for her life and today she came to a day we weren’t sure if she would ever experience: her first birthday! This beautiful girl is now one year old, one year of fighting and God’s faithfulness. His work in the life of Liya and her family is not done yet!
This evening after Shabbat, coworkers Elise, Luisa and I took a cake, a balloon and some presents and drove to the hospital to celebrate this special day together with her mother. She was so happy and proud of her daughter. We made pictures together, put her little hat on her and covered her with her new blanket. What a beautiful little princess!
It didn’t take long and her mother turned off the big hospital light and turned on her beautiful Ramadan lights and played some music for Liya. Even though we were still in the ICU, we could forget that for a moment and just celebrated the birthday of a one year old with her mother, no matter what the circumstances were today.
Liya wasn’t very interested in all the lights and the music though, she in fact only had eyes for the cake. Her mother put some crumbs into her mouth but that was all she could eat from her birthday cake this year.
The rest of it we shared later with all the other mothers and some older kids from Gaza and the west bank who are in the hospital right now. Once we left Liya’s room it took five minutes and all the Arab mothers were gathered around a table with a lot of snacks and we had a nice evening together. I love to see how those mothers in the hospital become such a beautiful group where they support each other and laugh together, and how they let us be a part of it even though we can barely talk with them.
From a medical point, nothing really changed in Liya’s situation, she is still waiting to maybe get a peg tube and in the big picture waiting to finally be stable and good enough to get the Glenn surgery. God thank you for our miracle Liya! Thank you for bringing her this far! And thank you that we can trust you that you know her future and have good plans for her! Please bless her and her mother especially on this day!
Every time I go to Sheba Hospital and I see Liya’s mother there, she is always so happy, including today. She is such a positive woman, even though she has to go through all these hard things with her sick daughter. I went with Liya’s mother to a meeting. Liya can’t have her surgery until she recovers from her situation right now. This needs to happen in a hospital in Jerusalem. They are willing to take her, but with one condition: a PEG tube. This is something Liya’s mother doesn’t want, because she is afraid that when Liya goes back to Gaza, she will get an infection. Still, this needs to happen for Liya to get to the rehabilitation hospital and eventually to have the life-saving surgery. This is one of the first times I saw that Liya’s mother had a hard time. Your prayers are appreciated for Liya’s condition, for the possibility to rehabilitate, and for her mother and the rest of the family to have patience, even though it is so hard. May God bless this family.
Our cute Liya is still waiting in the ICU and slowly improving. She looks better every time I see her and still the progress is only very slow.
Today Liya listened to some calming music from a electronic tablet, regardless she started to cry sometimes. It is always so sad to see a baby with a tracheostomy cry when they are unable to make any sounds. She is crying but no one can hear her cry for help. Liya still needs to wait to get stronger and better until the doctors can make her next surgery.
In the meantime, we enjoy the time we get with Liya and her mother. Please pray for Liya and that she will keep improving!
When I visited Liya at Sheba Hospital today, I was so surprised how good she looks. All the red spots and bruises on her are gone and she looks so much healthier than two weeks ago! She is awake and reacting to what happens in her room. Her doctor told me that there is no news about Liya which means that they are still waiting for the blood in her brain to go away before they will try a second time to do the Glenn surgery.
I stayed a while with Liya in her room and I was amazed how great her mother is taking care of her. In the long time she is already in the hospital, she learned how to do so many things that usually the nurses do. When the nurse entered the room, they were just doing everything together as a team. It’s so beautiful to see how good friends Liya’s mom is with the doctors and nurses and how she is laughing together with them.
Thank you God for Liya and her wonderful mother!
When I visited our cute Liya today in Sheba Hospital, she was crying as she often does. Sometimes she keeps looking me in the eyes, but most of the time she’s just looking up to the ceiling. But when her mother enters the room and talks to her daughter, it is like a blind man suddenly gets to see. She immediately recognizes the voice and keeps looking for the face of her mother. She is the one Liya can rely on. Seeing this great bond is so wonderful. They are both leaning on each other in probably one of their hardest times in their lives. And they will need each other for some more time since Liya will have to spend more weeks and maybe even months in the hospital.
There is still no news about further steps for Liya. For now she has to recover from her brain damage and her neurologist will probably decide what’s coming next.
Please pray for patience for Liya’s mother and for wisdom for Liya’s doctors.
Liya is still recovering from her brain damage and waiting in the meantime for the doctors to decide what her next steps will be. Right now she is stable, but sooner or later the doctors want to go a step further. Soon the doctors want to meet and talk about her next steps or what they can do to help her next.
Today I again realized how strong her mother is, standing by Liya’s side and watching over her little baby while a lot of things seem uncertain. I admire her mother for going through all of this and I believe it’s not an easy thing to do. She and Liya have been already through many hard times and those probably won’t be the last hard times for them.
We’re thankful that Liya is now in some way stable and doing okay. Praying for strength for Liya’s mom and for Liya’s health to be restored.
When I went into Liya’s room at Sheba Hospital today, her mother was holding her girl in her arms and smiled at me. It is so nice to see that even though her way has been so so difficult, Liya is slowly getting better again and the doctors are slowly reducing her meds.
What a step for her to be stable enough again to be in the arms of her mother instead of in the hospital bed all the time! I’m sure Liya wouldn’t be improving the way she does if her mother didn’t love her that much and was so strong for her daughter.
Last Thursday Liya had another CT scan to see if the blood in her brain decreased but the doctors couldn’t see any change to the CT that was taken before. But still they are not giving up hope that she will get better and just want to wait until she is good enough to finally have her needed Glen surgery. Please pray for Liya’s safety, that blood in the brain area will dissipate, and that she will improve enough for surgery.
Visiting Liya and her mother is still the highlight of every Sheba Hospital day for me. Our girl is still not very good but she is stable. She is slowly waking up and reacting a little bit to what is happening around her which are very good steps for her, but her doctors still don’t know if she will need brain surgery. They want to give her time to recover because there is a chance that the blood in her brain will dissipate by itself.
When I stayed a while with Liya in her room she suddenly started throwing up and her nurse came in to care of her. He told me that Liya is making steps forwards and backwards all the time. She is getting better so that her doctors are able to reduce her medicine but now she has withdrawal symptoms and started having a fever and throwing up. Please keep praying for her and her mom who is also having a hard time staying with her sick daughter all the time.
Please pray that Liya will keep improving and doesn’t need a brain surgery. God we believe that you can heal this wonderful girl!
Only two weeks ago I left Israel for a short vacation with my family and had beautiful Liya in my arms shortly before I left. She was smiling and seemed to be so good. I heard what was going on in the last weeks with Liya and every day I just prayed that I can see her again on this earth.
Today I was able to finally visit Liya. I was so happy to see her and her wonderful mother again but it was so hard to see Liya in her present condition. She has bruises all over her body, a little tube from her dialysis coming out of her abdomen and it seemed like everything was so exhausting for her. Even though she is on a ventilator it seems like she is having trouble breathing. Her eyes were opened a little bit but she didn’t recognize what’s going on around her. What a difference to the smiling happy girl she was just two weeks ago.
It hurts to see her suffering like this. Her mother told me that one of Liya’s lungs collapsed today but we need to talk to a doctor tomorrow to confirm what’s exactly going on. Today they just told us they want to do another MRI and then have a meeting about what’s best for her.
God at this point we can only pray for grace. You know what’s best for Liya. You have good plans for her. Please give all her doctors wisdom and don’t let her suffer! Please be with her wonderful mom and give her what she needs.
Beautiful Liya had a CT of her brain two days ago and today the doctors at Sheba Hospital shared results. Liya has blood in her brain, or a so-called embolism and she will need brain surgery within the next days. She is stable but her doctor said they are concerned about her neurological situation. She’s not waking up like they want her to and although this news sounds really negative, neither the doctors nor Liya’s mother are giving up their hope. They’re doing their best to help our little girl recover.
Throughout the day I visited Liya several times mostly because I can’t get enough of this perfect little girl, but also because it’s so much fun to spend time with her amazing mother and just sit and laugh together. Keep Liya and her mother in your prayers. Pray for healing and strength for Liya, her mother and her family.
Today I met Liya and her mother together with a doctor and some nurses in the hallway of Sheba Hospital on their way to a CT via ambulance. I accompanied them for a short time and talked to Liya’s mother a little. It was really good to see that Liya is finally getting a little better. The doctor confirmed that and even said she is slowly waking up. When coworker Lena and I visited her today and held her hands for a short while, she moved a little and we saw that she was recognizing us.
The doctors still have to wait for the results of the CT, but said that the EEG which Liya had yesterday looked good. They couldn’t find any evidence of seizures which is really relieving.
Please continue to pray for them. Hopefully Liya can wake up soon and begin improving, step by step. We are thankful that she is doing so and we’re also thankful for her mom who is so strongly standing by her side the whole time.
This morning, we found Liya surrounded by doctors and nurses getting ready to move her from her room. Her mom met us at the door and explained that she was on the way to a brain MRI to see how she is recovering after the treatment on Thursday evening to treat the air bubbles in her brain.
Liya is slowly improving since the difficult events of last Thursday. On Thursday evening, she was receiving the maximum treatment available for her unstable blood pressure and oxygen saturations. As of today however, her inotropic support has been decreased and she is still stable. This morning the doctors stopped her sedation and she woke up and opened her eyes, which is a good sign.
She still has a long way to go, but we are grateful for these little steps in the right direction.
Today was the long-awaited day of Liya’s Glenn surgery. I went to Sheba Medical Center early in the morning to see Liya before the surgery started, but it was delayed for one hour, so we played a bit together. Her mother was very worried as this is a big surgery and there was some survival-risk for Liya.
Finally some doctors entered the room, managed the paper work with Liya’s mother and picked up Liya. From that point on, Liya’s mother and I had to wait. I’m glad there were some other mothers from Gaza in the hospital at the moment, they comforted her a bit and even made her laugh.
For seven hours we had to wait for the surgery to end. Finally the surgeons came out to talk with us. From the first moment I saw them I had the feeling something was wrong because they weren’t talking to Liya’s mother right away to say the surgery went well or as planned. Instead they had a small ‘doctor meeting’ in the hallway at first, sometimes looking over to us. I was so scared that Liya didn’t make it, but the surgeon reassured us that for now Liya is okay.
It was explained that they found a hole in Liya’s pulmonary artery. They were suspecting air to enter the blood stream through it and collect in Liya’s brain, so they closed the hole and didn’t do the Glenn surgery. The new plan was to get rid of the air bubbles by getting Liya to a Hyperbaric Chamber. At first her doctors had to get a CT-Scan of Liya’s brain, to reassure that she has no bleeding there, which would make the Hyperbaric treatment impossible. Thanks be to God she wasn’t bleeding!
As soon as that was confirmed, they called an ambulance for her, since there is no Hyperbaric Chamber in Sheba Hospital, so we moved her to another hospital half an hour away.
When we arrived at that hospital at 6 pm, Liya’s treatment started immediately. The doctors let us know we had to wait for six hours.
Shortly after they began, coworkers Lena and Luisa came to the hospital since Liya’s mother and I had had a long day and needed some support. In the waiting time we explored the hospital a bit and Liya’s mother showed us some photos of her family. It was a great time we spent together and Liya’s mother seemed to be able to relax more and more.
At midnight the six hours were finally finished and the doctors carefully removed Liya from the Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. We then rushed Liya back to the Pediatric ICU at Sheba Hospital. On the way there it was such a high-tension situation, but Liya’s mother seemed really strong and even made jokes with the nurses who joined Liya’s trip to the other hospital.
But once Liya was back in her room in the ICU to be stabilized, the reality of the situation became clear. Her doctor later explained to me that Liya is in a very critical situation. She wasn’t doing well at all despite receiving the maximum dose of medication. With a saturation that was okay and a very low blood pressure, she wasn’t that stable.
With the words of the doctor, “We hope she will make it,” I realized how critical the whole situation was at that moment.
When I went into Liya’s room to see her a last time before I had to leave, she didn’t look good at all and I almost didn’t recognize her because her face was so puffed. But I was relieved when I saw that at least her mother seemed somehow okay. Many family members called her, so she wasn’t alone. I’m still in a state of wonder as to how she went through this day without crying so much. Although she shed a few tears, she seemed to be fine although really worried.
Please continue to pray for Liya and her mother. Right now they need our prayers and our support to get through this hard time. But please also thank the Lord, our Heavenly Father, for how far our little girl has already come. This is surely a miracle!
After waiting in Sheba Hospital for a while for Liya’s surgery, we finally got good news today. Liya will have her Glenn surgery tomorrow morning.
Her lovely mother was so happy to tell me the good news in the morning. We hope the best for the surgery tomorrow and lay Liya’s life into God’s hands as he is the one who can bless her with everything she’ll need tomorrow.
After waiting the whole morning, Liya was finally taken into her catheterisation in the early afternoon. When I visited her before the catheterisation, she was smiling brightly and was so happy.
What she didn’t like at all was that she didn’t get any food and had to stay with an empty stomach the whole day. We played a little hide and seek together before it was finally time for her to have the catheterisation.
After a few hours she was back in her room and the doctors said that her lungs looks much better. Still she has a high pressure on her heart. Tomorrow the doctors want to talk about what to do and when she can have surgery, or if it has to be postponed again.
Let’s pray for Liya and her ongoing treatment. Hopefully she will be better soon and something can be done against her problems.
Liya was still sleeping when I visited her this morning at Sheba Hospital, but not a minute afterwards, her mother welcomed me into their room. Liya opened her eyes to see for herself who was in the room to visit her. With her beautiful big brown eyes, she looked around the room and gave me a huge smile when she saw me. This cute moment was followed by some great news from her mother: Liya will have her catheterisation tomorrow, something they were waiting so long for. Liya is still not strong enough for the Glenn surgery but the doctors hope to get her there through the cath.
God bless the cath tomorrow and the doctors treating Liya. We pray not only for Liya’s health, but also for her mom, as she is now the only mother of a Shevet child in the hospital presently and no one really knows how long Liya will have to remain admitted.
Today I visited little Liya in Sheba Hospital’s Pediatric ICU. When I entered her room, she was sleeping peacefully. I didn’t want to wake her up, so I left the room again with quiet steps. Before that however, I quickly took a picture – I wanted to show her mother who had conversations with other mothers in the waiting area, regarding how adorable her little daughter looked while she was sleeping.
I also told her what a nurse had reported before, that Liya’s next catheterization is supposed to take place next week on Tuesday or Wednesday. The doctors will then make a decision about when Liya’s surgery should take place.
May the Lord continue to stand with Liya’s family in all the challenging situations. It is so great how He has always protected Liya and held His hand over her during all the procedures that she had.
Liya is such a lovely baby and sat up for a good pose at Sheba Hospital today! Her mother was not like any guardian of patients but just a happy mom. Nurses said ICU doctors and cardiologist will have discussion this Wednesday to determine which treatment should be given this cute patient.
I hope to listen to her cute voice also as her tracheostomy site should be repaired soon and her vocal cords should make harmonious sounds again. Let’s pray for Liya’s complete recovery.
After a couple of delays and recovering from a virus, Liya finally had her diagnostic catheterization today. “She did great,” the doctor told me and Liya’s mother as he wheeled her bed back to her room in the intermediate ICU. However, he discovered some problems with her pulmonary arteries and one of her lungs. This could have been caused by the virus she had recently, and he wants to wait and see how she progresses in the coming days. Either way, based on his findings today, he and the other doctors have decided that Liya is not ready to have the planned surgery yet.
Yesterday we found out that Liya’s catheterization is scheduled to take place this week on Thursday. That really surprised us all! However today, her doctor told me that plans have changed. More specifically, her catheterization will take place on Tuesday and two days later on Thursday her second stage surgery. Our prayers for Liya are all the more important in these days. We know she in the hands of the Lord, watching over her and being always faithful. Let’s also trust in that this time.
After receiving this message, I entered Liya’s room where she had been sleeping peacefully. In the still dark room she opened her brown eyes and looked at me very happily. It’s good that she’s gaining energy before the upcoming interventions.
Today I visited Liya at the Sheba Medical Center. For some time we have been waiting for her catheterization to take place.
Last Thursday, the doctors did a bronchoscopy to get an accurate picture of Liya’s situation. They had recognized a narrowing in Lyia’s bronchus. Thank God it doesn’t affect her at the moment.
Since Liya has made good progress in the last few days and does not need oxygen support, so the catheterization can take place soon, possibly on Thursday, but maybe even earlier. May God always be by her side and keep healing Liya.
Today I found our cute Liya happily playing with her mom and smiling a lot. I’m amazed how good she looked today. Yesterday her mom started crying in my arms and today she was so joyful again. Liya is still getting antibiotics against her pneumonia but she is improving. In the bronchoscopy yesterday the doctors could see some changes in her airways.
The reason for one part of this change could be that her mother accidentally usually did her suction too deep and that could have caused some damage. But another part of her airways is also occluded and the doctors need to do some more tests before they can make a plan how to help our girl.
Yesterday Liya’s mom told me how thankful she is to be here in Israel now that Liya has all those problems. We agreed that it was God’s hand and perfect plan.
Liya was supposed to come for a cath at the end, but when she was already here, it got suddenly canceled and Liya and her mom had to go back to Gaza. It was pretty disappointing for them but now we see that it was maybe just God’s grace to bring Liya here in the time where she needs the medical attention so much more. Let’s thank God for his perfect plans and his work in Liya’s life.
When I visited Liya today, she didn’t look that good to me. It’s a long time ago since I saw her the last time, so I was really surprised how much she grew but even more how thin she looked. It was really hard to see how she was struggling, crying and moving with her thin body in bed. She wasn’t happy and was crying a lot. The nurse had told me that she had a desaturation and now needs oxygen support again.
Today, Liya had a CT and a bronchoscopy to find out why her oxygen levels were so low. Because Liya is not doing so well, her mother is also very devastated. She was crying today several times. It must be hard for her right now, so please keep praying for her. I was only a short time with them and even for me it was hard to see Liya like this. How much harder must it be for her mother to see her little one in such a condition.
Please pray for Liya that she will be better soon and that her mother can be a bit more relaxed.
Today I found Liya’s mother in one of the hallways of Sheba hospital taking a walk with Liya. She told me proudly that Liya is able to be off oxygen support and that she is allowed now to leave the ICU for a walk with her. Liya’s catheterization is scheduled for next week, so we hope and pray that she will stay stable enough for this procedure. Keep praying for her please.
Liya was relocated to Sheba Hospital’s Pediatric ICU on the weekend because of low oxygen saturations. She is improving well since then and was again relocated today to the secondary ICU. She is such a cute girl and was smiling a lot at her mother.
She also got a visit from some hospital clowns and watched them from her bed. As Liya is getting better now, the doctors think they can do her cath soon, but they don’t have a date yet for her.
Please continue praying for our little miracle!
After Liya was admitted to Sheba Hospital yesterday for a diagnostic catheterization today, the doctor found out Liya has a virus. She needs to recover in hospital. Next week they will see if Liya will be ready for the procedure.
Today I picked up precious Liya from the Erez Border Crossing with Gaza and brought her to Sheba Hospital for her Cath admission .
Some tests were done also an X-Ray . Liya’s doctor examined her and noticed that she was breathing very heavily. After all the tests and examinations, Liya was admitted to the Secondary Pediatric ICU.
Please pray for her Cath tomorrow for protection but also for wisdom for the doctors.
Today Liya was supposed to get admitted for a diagnostic cath tomorrow. She had again trouble getting permission from Erez and so she arrived at the hospital pretty late. But then, shortly after she arrived there, a doctor came to us and told us that the doctor who is doing the caths is not here tomorrow. So Liya’s cath will be postponed for at least a weak. Liya’s mom was of course pretty disappointed as she put so much effort in coming here without success, but she remained kind and understanding.
To cheer her up, coworker Jakob and I made a short stop at a supermarket on the way back to Gaza. There she had fun buying a few little things and we had fun with Liya trying some new shoes for her.
Liya will soon get a new date for her cath and we are looking forward to seeing our girl again. Please pray that next time it will be easier with getting her travel permission.
Today I was able to accompany precious Liya and her mother to their long-awaited ECHO appointment in Sheba Hospital. First the oxygen was measured, then an ECG was made, and afterwards the ECHO. The ECHO went fine. Despite everything, the doctor said he would like to carry out a diagnostic Catheterization on Liya soon.
Today little Liya was scheduled for an echo, but there was some trouble getting her permission to enter Israel and so it was after four o’clock when she finally arrived at Sheba Hospital. There was no longer a doctor who could see her at that point, but in the end they agreed that she can stay in our Ashdod house and we can bring her for an echo in the next days.
Please pray that her echo will work out and that she will remain stable in our house!
When we entered the family house this morning in Ashdod to collect Liya, we found her sleeping on the couch in a beautiful dress! We were really looking forward to the rest of the day, for she was very happy and excited.
This morning some machines that our little Liya needed to go home with, arrived at Sheba hospital. She needs an oxygen machine and suction machine as she still has a tracheostomy and her parents also have to be able to measure her oxygen.
It took a long time until we organized all the medicine, milk and other things that our little girl needs to stay safe at home, but once everything was figured out, her mom was thrilled to finally go home! After nearly eight weeks in the hospital, I can understand her mother very well.
We will miss Liya’s mom very much during our daily visits in the hospital, as she cared always so wonderfully for us, but I’m so happy for her that she can go home. And at the same time, I’m so amazed and thankful for how well Liya is doing. I still remember very well a conversation with her doctor a couple months back when Liya just arrived for the first time at Sheba. The doctor siad she didn’t know if Liya will survive the next days, but that they will do everything for her that they can and that it is in God’s hands. And yes, Liya was and is in his hands.
Thank you God for healing Liya and for protecting her so far. Please keep her safe and bless her whole family!
When we walked into the ICU this morning, we were surprised to see Liya’s room empty. Her mother met us a few minutes later and eagerly waved us toward the secondary ICU, where Liya was enjoying a nap in the peace and quiet of a private room.
If Liya continues to grow stronger, she may go home very soon– “God willing tomorrow!” her mom keeps saying with a hopeful smile. Liya’s dad works in Israel so he can come visit often, but Liya’s mother is looking forward to the day when they will all three go home together to the rest of their family in Gaza.
Today we visited Liya at Sheba Medical Center and spent some time with this beautiful little girl. While we were with her, the nurses suctioned her tracheostomy and it was impressive how well Liya behaved during this though it is very uncomfortable for her. The Physiotherapist showed us some positions with which to hold Liya that will help to strengthen her neck.
Afterwards we were able to feed her and were surprised on how much she improved. Also we could see that Liya can follow sounds with her eye movements which is a very good sign regarding her cognitive abilities.
She is such a sweet girl. We pray for her further recovery and that she will improve day by day.
When visiting Liya today at Sheba Hospital, I had the opportunity to feed her. I was very impressed by how well she was drinking. Praise God for the progress she is making. She still breathes through her tracheostomy and has to be on the ventilator at night.
I also was very impressed today by Liya’s mom. Because of the tracheostomy Liya has, she isn’t able to cough up mucus. That’s why the mucus has to be suctioned a few times a day. Liya’s mom was instructed to do it on her own, because Liya will be discharged with the tracheostomy, God willing. Watching her while she did it, was so impressive for me, because she did it with so much professionalism and calm.
After the whole process I tried to tell Liya’s mother my impression via translator. She was very happy and grateful about the compliment. So, I want to encourage you to tell your neighbors what they do well – words of affirmation have power!
Be also invited to keep praying for Liya, for a further improvement of her condition.
I was pleasantly surprised today to see little Liya in her stroller with her sweet mother, in Sheba Hospital’s waiting room. I’ve never seen Liya outside of her ICU room before. Even though she’s still on oxygen at night, and she has a bit of a fever, it was very encouraging to see her outside of her room.
Cute, little Liya is progressing very well.
Today at Sheba Hospital I found her mum feeding her with milk from the bottle. You could see that Liya is not used to drinking on her own anymore and she needs to learn again how to suck properly.
But her beautiful mother was cheering her on all the time and she slowly finished her 25 ml of milk. It was so nice to see how proud Liya’s mother was of her daughter.
Let’s continue in prayer for this beautiful family and for Liya’s complete recovery.
Liya has been receiving physiotherapy at Sheba Medical Center Children’s Hospital. The doctors wanted to make sure her development is normal according to her age.
The physiotherapist recommended some bands be placed around Liya’s hands to help her become accustomed to having her fingers opened more, which helps with mobilization. Also Liya’s doctors want to remove the feeding tube, and to try slowly starting Liya on drinking milk again.
As soon as I walked into the ICU this morning, Liya’s mother was waving me into her room with a huge smile. “Look!” she said proudly. “She’s been off the ventilator all morning!”
Today was an amazing surprise at Sheba Hospital when we found our beautiful Liya disconnected from the oxygen support.
Our little Liya is slowly getting better and gaining strength. Everyday at Sheba Children’s Hospital, she gets disconnected from the ventilator for a while so that she learns more and more how to breath on her own again.
For Liya’s mother, it is still very hard to see her beloved daughter with the tracheostomy and she started crying a little bit when we visited her today.
God I pray for little Liya and her amazing mother, that you bless them both and give them strength!
How good to find both mother and father by Liya’s bedside today! The father is working night shifts at a bakery in Israel and was able to get away to see his daughter firsthand today.
Liya seems to be doing much better now with her tracheostomy, and I shared with them the story of baby Abed, who went home to Gaza with a tracheostomy and now has grown and strengthened to the point that he may soon have it removed.
Liya’s parents seem caring, committed and highly motivated to care for her. As we visited today they had a bluetooth speaker on her bed playing soothing music.
Let’s continue to give them all our support through prayer and visiting.
When I talked with the doctor at Sheba Hospital about Liya today, he was very happy. Her fever is gone and the x-ray he had ordered for her, was better than any he’s seen. They are also taking Liya sometimes off the ventilator for a period of time and she is doing great breathing on her own for a while.
Our beautiful Liya had a successful tracheostomy at Sheba Hospital and she is stable.
After the procedure, Liya still needed oxygen support through the tube. Because the procedure involves opening the neck to place a tube, Liya is having some pain even when the nurse suctioned the tube to clear the airway of secretions. She cried during this, and still needs to become accustomed to the tube.
Today the sirens sounded on floor 4 at Sheba, just two minutes after the doctor wanted to talk with Liya’s mom.
At the beginning, it was a disconcerting moment, when they had to isolated the ICU, and at the same time a few doctors were in Liya’s room and also the doctor asked me to look for Liya’s mom.
After fifteen minutes in the waiting room, two doctors came and explained with a lot of details and answers to all of Liya’s parent’s questions about the options to help Liya’s breathing. The parents accepted the best plan which was a tracheotomy for Liya. They were waiting for this process to end, which it eventually did.
Liya still needs a lot of prayers, so please continue to pray for her.
Today brought not so good news for our little Liya recovering in Sheba Hospital. After being extubated yesterday, she failed and had to be reintubated. As this was the second time of an unsuccessful extubation, the doctors are now thinking about a tracheostomy.
They discussed this with Liya’s mother today and if she agrees, they will probably do her tracheostomy in the next few days. For her mother, this was quite frustrating news and she was crying for a while.
Lord I pray that you help this little girl to get better. Thank you that you have a perfect plan for her and that she is still alive!
Liya has been struggling to come through this, and finally did. I was a little nervous when Liya started coughing today, but the doctor told me that in this case, coughing was a good sound for Liya because it means she is fighting for her lungs to become stronger.
When I visited our little Liya in Sheba Hospital this morning, her doctor told me that they planned to extubate her today. But because she still has trouble breathing even with the ventilator, they are not sure if they can do it. Her hemoglobin is very low which is most likely related to her breathing problems. She is receiving blood to solve this problem and depending on how she will improve during the day, they may still attempt to extubate her.
Please pray for this little girl and her lovely grandmother who is very worried!
Our last blog on little Liya, who was finally well enough to have her second surgery on Sunday morning, after her emergency return from Gaza on a ventilator.
From the photos, one might not know that Liya’s doctors are actually pleased and optimistic about the outcome of the operation and hope to wean her from the ventilator in the coming days.
Liya’s grandmother is a ray of sunshine in the ICU and takes good care of the other moms and grandmothers. Please remember both this loving grandmother and little Liya in your prayers for her complete recovery.
Liya has survived the critical 24 hours post-surgery. Doctors are carefully and diligently tending to her, pleased with the results of the surgery and hopeful for her recovery.
Sitting in the ICU with her grandmother, we discussed the importance of prayer in the healing process. She was eager to hear that our staff pray morning and night for the children in our care. She tilted her phone toward me to show a photo of Liya taken days before her surgery, with her bright, beautiful eyes looking up to her parents. She is waiting patiently for her granddaughter’s healing.
Please pray Liya continues in this stable trajectory!
Liya was finally well enough to go in for her second surgery this morning, and when we saw her this afternoon in the ICU her doctors were gathered and enthusiastically discussing the outcome. They believe they succeeded to reroute the circulation through her complicated heart in such a way that will allow her now to grow and thrive.
We thank God for bringing little Liya through so much, including the perilous hospitalization in Gaza and return in ICU ambulance, in order to see this day. Let’s keep praying for her over the next critical 24 hours.
Liya is doing better today! The virus she was dealing with seems to be gone, so she is not receiving antibiotics anymore.
After Liya recently left Sheba hospital to go back to Gaza, her situation deteriorated. She went back on the ventilator in an ICU in Gaza. She also suffered from sepsis.
Liya, after a few days in Sheba Hospital and some fever, was discharged today to go home to Gaza.
Now Liya’s doctors want her to gain weight and then return, “Inshala,” like her mom always says, for her surgery
in two weeks.
Liya was supposed to have her surgery today but she had a temperature so it was canceled. Now it is just a matter of time, but first her temperature needs to diminish. Liya’s mother is still waiting for results of additional tests the doctors made for her.
It was very nice to see Liya today, to see her smile. She looks a beautiful as always and was smiling again. I really appreciated that Liya’s mother allowed me to feed Liya. I loved doing that.
Pray for our beautiful Liya, with the help of God she will have a surgery soon.
Our beautiful Liya came to Sheba Hospital to have a CT scan and was unexpectedly admitted to the ICU.
Liya crossed the Erez border yesterday and this morning she had a CT scan. When the procedure ended, we talked with the cardiologist about the next steps in Liya’s treatment. Liya’s parents want to have a vacation time with all the family before Liya’s next surgery which they expect to be in a few months.
The cardiologist ordered an echo, an electrocardiogram and a routine test for Liya. The results of these exams and a fever rush with vomiting, all pointed to the fact that Liya needed to remain hospitalized. There will be more tests and possibly a surgery on Sunday. Pray for strength for Liya and her parents, they’re worried and surprised about Liya’s health.
Today my Coworker Joanne and I picked up little Liya at Erez crossing point and brought them to Sheba Medical Center. She had an ECG and an Echo today. Her heart is not doing well and she has a lot of different problems. The doctor told me that Liya will have to come back in one month and until then the doctor will present her case to all the other doctors and they will decide the next steps of treatment. The doctor said that there is the possibility that they can’t do anything else for her. So please pray for this little girl and her family. Bless them and pray for wisdom for the doctors.
Beautiful little Liya really got discharged today! We couldn’t believe it, but finally we sat together in the car on our way to Gaza.
Liya had a surgery to place a band around one artery in her time at Sheba and first struggled a little bit by breathing on her own. But after that she improved pretty fast and also learned fast how to eat through her mouth. Due to this she was able to be discharged.
Her grandmother was very happy and kept saying “Thank you, thank you.” Also all the other grandmothers were at the car to wave goodbye. In one month, beautiful Liya will come back for a follow up appointment.
We can thank the Lord for what he already did in Liya’s life and ask that he will keep her safe until her next surgery when she’s older.
When I visited little Liya at Sheba Medical Center this morning the doctor told me that Liya would be ready to go home. She will still stay in the hospital till Sunday, because the Erez Crossing point is closed right now.
We’re all very happy and surprised that she recovered so fast and so well. Please pray and bless her and her lovely grandmother.
When I visited little Liya today at Sheba Hospital, she was moved again back to the ICU because she developed a fever over the weekend. She was awake when I entered the room and I could hear that she was breathing fast and was in some distress. Last week doctors made some tests and found that Liya has some bacteria and was put on a course of antibiotics right away.
Also Liya has been experiencing problems with eating. This morning a specialist visited her and found that Liya is not taking from a bottle very well. For now, doctors are trying to feed her via mouth as much as possible, then give her the rest through a tube. But as she has also problems with breathing, there is some concern that Liya aspirates her milk when they are feeding her. Liya is still extubated and receives some inhalation to improve her breathing.
Liya’s grandma is staying faithfully by her side even though it has to be very exhausting for her. Let us thank God that Liya is doing fairly well despite all of this and pray for her healing!
Today, coworkers Lilly, Frank and I found Liya and her grandmother in the Secondary Pediatric ICU of Sheba Medical Center. Liya is doing very well, although she has some bacteria in her blood.
The good news is that she does not need oxygen support anymore and they already started feeding her not only with the NG Tube, but also through her mouth.
Liya’s grandmother is very thankful for her progress. Thank you for your prayers. We can continue to pray for Liya and her full recovery.
Today coworker Frank and I visited little Liya and her grandmother at Sheba Hospital.
The doctors told us that Liya is finally extubated since yesterday, but she still requires oxygen support. Also, she is getting her food through an NG Tube.
This morning, Liya had a fever, so they did a blood test and started a course of antibiotics for Liya. So hopefully she is doing better soon.
We spent a really good time together and her grandmother was very thankful and happy that we visited her and took the time for them. So please pray for them, especially for Liya, that her fever abates.
When Liya’s grandmother met me and Jonathan at the door of the ICU this afternoon, she eagerly beckoned us to come see Liya. Liya is stable right now, but yesterday she had several episodes of oxygen desaturation and needed increased medication. The doctors think this was caused by pulmonary hypertension and they hope to begin decreasing her medication soon.
Today coworker Willem and I visited little Liya and her aunt in Sheba Hospital.
The doctor said that they tried yesterday to extubate her, but it failed. So Liya is again intubated and they are searching now for the reasons why extubation is not working and are trying to solve the problem. However, Liya is stable and for this we’re thankful.
We had a nice time with Liya’s aunt and talked with her a while. Please pray for her, her family, and that the doctors can find and solve the problem with Liya’s extubation difficulty quickly.
Today I visited little Liya at Sheba Hospital’s Pediatric ICU for the first time. Her grandma is really kind and was happy that someone came to spend time with her. The doctor told us that they plan to extubate Liya today. They want to wait first until she is waking up but she is taking her time.
The band doctors placed around one of her arteries in the surgery yesterday, is for now to pretend that too much blood is coming to the lungs. Her heart is very complicated so she will need further surgeries in her life if she survives until then. The doctor was very honest to us and told us that Liya’s condition is very serious.
Her grandma was hopeful however today, and that’s what we are too. God loves this child and so we will never give up hope. Thank you for praying for little Liya. May God protect and bless her!
Liya went into her first surgery at Sheba today. I sat with her grandmother for a while, who seemed relaxed under the circumstances. When we came to the room to see Liya after the surgery, I could see the emotions coming out of her grandmother. Like a relief.
Week old Liya arrived yesterday evening in Sheba Hospital via ambulance from Gaza. She is an emergency baby with a heart problem that is too difficult to treat there.
Liya is a months old child from the Gaza Strip diagnosed with ventricular septal defect.
Liya does not yet have a local leader to advocate for prayer and financial support for her surgery.
As of right now, Liya still needs $6500 toward surgery and related expenses.