That was a long night! Yesterday we all celebrated together that God has stood by Lya’s side so faithfully over the past few weeks and months and that she can now return home. A few hours later, at 3:30 a.m., we made our way to the airport. Lya and her mother hadn’t slept a minute in the meantime.
All the impressions from the farewell party were still present when coworker Joanne and I sat in the car with them. On the one hand, there is the joy that the they can finally see their family again and that Lya is doing so well. On the other hand, we were all sad to say goodbye to Lya and her mother. During their time in Ashdod, good friendships had formed and we all lived together as one huge family.
At the airport we met another Kurdish boy who had arrived in Israel with Lya a few months ago and who also had a successful surgery. How nice that they can share their joy about going home.
May God bless their arrival in Kurdistan and give them a joyful family reunion. May He continue to stay by Lya’s side and protect her in her future.
Lya’s cardiologist was a little surprised to see her this morning. “I already told her she could go!” he said when he walked in.
But since she was hospitalized a few weeks ago, the doctor in the pediatric ward thought it best that she have one more check-up for her heart before going home.
We’re glad to hear that Lya’s echo looks good and her heart is doing great! One of her valves is still not quite normal, but her doctor is confident that this won’t cause problems for her.
Lya’s mom was thrilled to hear this, and Lya was happy enough just to play with the doctor’s badge and stethoscope. “Her heart is good but she should stay here, we all love her,” her doctor said.
We’re definitely a bit sad to see Lya go, but we’re so happy to send her home healthy! Please pray for her and her mother as they prepare to fly home later this week.
Today, Lya was also in Sheba Hospital and I got her photo too. I shared the “cochlear implantation” opinion of Dr. Choung from S. Korea and Audiologist Marwan of Iraq, with Jonathan.
In summary, little Lya needs a hearing aid in another month and cochlear implantation no later than a year to be able to hear sounds at 50~70% of normal people. It is a little late, and the cost would be 17000/34000 USD for single/both sides of implantation. Please keep this precious child in your prayers.
“Exercise in the morning!,” I said to Lya’s mother as we hurried from the Dental Clinic to the Genetics Clinic. Out of breath and with a slight delay, we finally got there.
The dentist was pleased with Lya’s good recovery after her dental operation. At first her lips were very swollen, but that changed after a few days. To ensure that the new teeth stay in good condition, the doctor explained to Lya and her mother exactly what to look out for in the future.
The doctor also demonstrated cleaning techniques with a special three-sided brush. She also explained how important good nutrition is for the condition of the teeth. In the future, Lya should eat less sugar and, above all, no sticky foods. In three months Lya is supposed to visit a dentist again, whether in Israel or in Kurdistan.
Afterwards at the genetics appointment, Lya’s mother had a good and constructive conversation with the doctor. The blood samples from a genetic test were sent to an institute last Wednesday. In about a month we will get the results.
As you can see from the photo, Lya was happy to be back in our family home in the evening. We thank the Lord for being with Lya throughout the day. He also guided us in the stressful moments.
Lya went into a dental procedure at Sheba Hospital today under anesthesia. It took a while to get to this appointment, but finally today was the day. Lya had been suffering from pain in her mouth a lot the last couple of weeks, so this must be so nice for her.
Right now she doesn’t experience the joy yet. Her mouth is totally swollen and probably the first days will still hurt. But the reward will be big. All her teeth are now clean and have crowns, five teeth were pulled and they were able to clean out an abscess. Lya is such a wonderful girl. Before she went into the procedure she loved that the nurse was checking her oxygen and blood pressure. The nurse said she was very brave. And she was. Thank you for your prayers.
Our cute girl finally had her hearing test today. They put her under anesthesia and then i waited a couple of hours with her mom while they did the test. With those results the doctors will be able to decide if she is a candidate for a cochlear implant. When Lya woke up from the anesthesia she wasn’t in a good mood as she was hungry and needed to get another blood test. Later in the evening Lya got discharged again to our house a d we are happy to have her back here. Now she waits for the results from the test today, we still try to schedule an appointment for her dental procedure and need to find out when to do her next echo. Please pray that all of this won’t be too complicated!
Lya will stay longer in the hospital than expected. She is going through extra tests before going back to Kurdistan. During her stay, she is having fun with another child from Shevet Achim named Saif who stays in the room across the hall. We are hoping through genetic testing and a hearing test under anesthesia, the doctor can give Lya a cochlear implant. If Lya is a candidate for this, she will be able to hear a little bit better. Also the doctors are trying to make a dental appointment for Lya, so all the infections in her mouth will be gone and she can live without pain-killers for that. Until now it is not working to get an appointment for her and nobody seems to understand that this is urgent.
Please pray for an opening at the dentist and for clarification around a cochlear implant. It is a complicated journey for Lya and her mother and for the doctors to arrange everything. We know that we can trust the Lord. He will open and close doors.
While waiting for a dentist appointment and being discharged to Ashdod, our sweet Lya got many presents today. After her admission on Saturday, she was treated with antibiotics against her tooth pain. Today the doctors told us that they will also send her to the genetics clinic to do a genetic test. They want to find out what exactly her genetic condition is and if se has more than just Williams syndrome. Her doctors also told us that they are trying for an audiologist to see her. Lya is deaf, but she could be a candidate for a cochlea implant that would enable her to hear. Although the Sheba staff make all efforts to help Lya as much as possible, we still have to wait for an urgent dentist appointment to fix her teeth and relieve her of the pain.
Between all those tests, Lya enjoyed her time in one of the little Sheba malls. When she came back to her room, a team of volunteers gave her many presents and some traditional pastries with the words “Happy Hannukah.“
It was so good to see Lya and her mother happy and welcomed by the Israeli people. Those volunteers are a real blessing to all those kids in the pediatric ward.
Thanking God that Lya’s situation is a little bit better by the happiness she felt during the Hannukah celebrations. We pray that all the necessary appointments will happen and that the doctors can help her.
I spent my day at Sheba Hospital with lovely Lya again today. Lya has not been her happy self of late due to an abscess in one of her teeth. Lya went to Sheba’s ER with a high fever a few days ago. The abscess had caused Lya to have a very painful mouth and created an infection in her body resulting in a high temperature and Lya feeling very miserable.
After not being able to see a dentist yesterday, we tried again today. Well today was one of those day that brought back many childhood memories. Seeing Lya staring up at the dentist, hopeful that it wouldn’t be so bad. Well not such encouraging news for poor Lya, her teeth need a lot of attention and it is very urgent the dentist emphasized.
Please pray that Lya can get an appointment soon to help her with urgently-needed teeth repairs. Thank you Father for your protection over Lya. We pray for Lya’s beautiful smile to return and her laughter so we can have more fun days together.
After the admission to Sheba Hospital, Lya had her first night there. She loves her big bed and doesn’t want to get out of it. So when we left for the dentist today, it was a little bit of a fight.
The doctor thinks that Lya has an abscess in her mouth. This infection needs to be treated soon. Because of a miscommunication, between the dentist and the ward, the trip to the dentist today was without success. Tomorrow Lya will go there again.
Lya is probably close to getting discharged to Kurdistan from a cardiac point of view. But now she has a little bit of a delay. Please pray for her and her mother.
This morning Lya’s mother called for us and was worried about Lya as she had a fewer. When we checked her, we saw that she had over 104° F (40.5° C) fever and a very high heart rate. We brought her to the ER at Sheba Hospital to be sure that it’s nothing serious.
There we had to wait a very long time and Lya was sleeping through most of it. She had tooth pain yesterday and again today, so the doctors guessed that this could be the reason for the high fewer.
After eight hours in the ER, Lya was admitted to the pediatric ward to stay there over night. Two more hours passed until the doctors saw her and told us and her mother what the plans are for tomorrow. A dentist will come see Lya and the cardiologist will check her to be sure her heart is ok.
This long day of waiting was very exhausting for the lovely mother and Lya. Let us pray for Lya that she will get better soon and the doctors can find the cause of her pain. Also pray for her mother who was there the whole time rocking Lya to sleep and sitting by her bedside. We pray the Lord will bless both of them in their time in the hospital.
At Lya’s endocrine appointment in Sheba Hospital today, we had a really good time with the cute girl. She made the whole waiting time very funny and even her doctor was surprised at Lya’s curiosity.
The endocrinologist talked to Lya’s mom about all the genetic tests and the results their doctors in Kurdistan already collected and she consulted with her colleagues about further steps. Lya is diagnosed with Williams Syndrome. To know more about her disease, Lya’s endocrinologist ordered a row of tests which Lya has to make in the next weeks. Doctors need to see what exactly is going on and in which way they can treat her. Throughout everything, Lya played with the doctor’s stethoscope and tried to listen to her mother’s heart. She was really happy about being a “doctor” for a few minutes and who knows where the Lord will lead her – maybe one day she will be able to help others.
Please pray for Lya’s treatment here in Israel and that the Lord will hold his mighty hand over her.
That was very quick and good! When coworker Craig and I arrived at Sheba Medical Center this morning, a doctor approached me and said that Lya was ready to leave the hospital. Yesterday she had her catherisation and recovered quickly.
So today she was already enjoying her lunch on her own, as you can see in the picture. She is doing so well that the doctors have even decided to stop giving her medicine.
However, cardiology, genetic, endocrinology and neurology appointments will follow in the coming weeks. May God continue to protect Lya on her way and in all challenges, as he did so faithfully this time.
Lya’s cath at Sheba Hospital today was very successful and she was already out of the procedure when we arrived at the hospital.
When coworker Craig and I visited her in the morning she was still sleeping from the sedation she received. Craig waited with her and her mother for a while. Lya’s nurse told me that she is doing really well and the echo tomorrow will show what kind of follow up treatment she will need.
Later in the afternoon, she already played with one of the other Kurdish children in the waiting area and was really happy.
Thank the Lord for Lya and that her catheterisation went so well. Pray for her further treatment and time here in Israel.
Our cute Lya has her first surgical intervention tomorrow. She is scheduled for a catheterisation to start treating her heart problems. Although it is her first admission ever, Lya was so brave and happy throughout the whole day. Everyone who knows Lya also knows that she wants to know everything there is to know and interacts with everyone she can see.
This was also the case before the echo the doctors had to take, when the doctors were talking about her she stood with them to be part of whatever they said. Her curiosity also made her enjoy almost every test she had to undergo and she smiled through all of them.
In the end, even the nurses had to smile because Lya was so brave and intrigued by everything they did. Right before I left I saw her walking through the ICU inspecting her new environment for the next days and waving at every doctor and nurse she could see. Lya made many people smile today.
Pray for Lya’s cath tomorrow so that she won’t be too nervous and that everything will go well.
This morning we brought Lya and her mom to Sheba Hospital as she was scheduled to have her cath tomorrow. But when we arrived at the hospital and wanted to check her in, we heard the news that because of another emergency cath, Lya’s cath had to be delayed for another week. Her mom was pretty disappointed about that as she waited already so long for this but she was understanding and patient. Lya didn’t mind the trip to the hospital at all.
She loved all the playgrounds there, enjoyed the chocolate she got from her mom and practiced her piano skills until we could bring them back to Ashdod again.
Please pray for Lya and that she and her mom can find blessings wherever they are waiting.
Spending the day with Lya is always something l look forward to. Lya has so much energy and loves attention. She has a bubbly personality and an infectious smile and a checky laugh.
Lya is always up for some adventure and today playing in the window bars was one of those times. Whenever I am repairing things around the house, she loves to help me and always wants to play with any tools I have at hand.
However, today’s activity of painting with her, took a more leisurely twist.
Lya is scheduled for a Cath at Sheba Hospital in a couple of weeks, so please pray that it will go well with no complications. In the meantime, everyday is filled with more adventures to be explored. With her amazing sense of humour and infectious smile and laughter, more fun days with Lya await and I for one, can’t wait.
Sweet Lya had her first evaluation at Sheba hospital. She was eager to explore the clinic waiting room and was reluctant to leave the play area when it was time for her echo.
Lya was born with Williams Syndrome, a developmental disorder that often causes heart defects and deafness, both of which she has. Her pulmonary valve is severely narrowed, but her cardiologist expects that this can be repaired via catheterization and surgery is probably not necessary.
Throughout a long day full of exams, Lya was cheerful and happy to make friends with everyone she met. Even though she does not hear or speak much, she is very expressive and has no problem getting her point across. As she has just arrived from Kurdistan, this is the first time I’ve gotten to spend time with her, and I loved getting to know her sweet, independent personality.
By the end of the day, Lya had an ECG, blood test, x-ray, and two echoes, and was so tired out by the end that she slept right through her second echo and all the way home. The doctors will discuss her case and make a plan of treatment in the coming days.
Today coworker Craig and I picked up little four-year-old Lya and her mother from the airport. Despite the fact that Lya’s travelling partner encountered visa difficulties which forced him to stay back in Kurdistan for a few more days, Lya and her sweet mother have made it safely to Israel.
Lya’s mother speaks very good Arabic, so I was able to communicate pretty well with her. While we were driving to Ashdod from the airport, Lya’s mother exclaimed, “It’s so beautiful here!” Praise God for this little girl’s safe arrival. Please pray that she will have a blessed time here, and that God will use this time to reveal himself to her and her family.
That was a long night! Yesterday we all celebrated together that God has stood by Lya’s side so faithfully over the past few weeks and months and that she can now return home. A few hours later, at 3:30 a.m., we made our way to the airport. Lya and her mother hadn’t slept a minute in the meantime.
All the impressions from the farewell party were still present when coworker Joanne and I sat in the car with them. On the one hand, there is the joy that the they can finally see their family again and that Lya is doing so well. On the other hand, we were all sad to say goodbye to Lya and her mother. During their time in Ashdod, good friendships had formed and we all lived together as one huge family.
At the airport we met another Kurdish boy who had arrived in Israel with Lya a few months ago and who also had a successful surgery. How nice that they can share their joy about going home.
May God bless their arrival in Kurdistan and give them a joyful family reunion. May He continue to stay by Lya’s side and protect her in her future.
