After a week staying in our Jerusalem Guest House, Mariam had a consultation with the neurologist who read her EEG at Sheba Medical Center today. Her mum was relieved to hear that there was not a problem with her brain. She will have a follow-up visit in four month’s time, and we are excited to see how she will have grown by that time.
I loved seeing Mariam today, because the day she had her heart surgery, was the same day that I traveled to America for my vacation. So to see her 1.5 kilos heavier and as sweet and beautiful as ever, was really wonderful.
Mariam and her mum returned from Gaza to Sheba hospital today for a check-up. Mum described the difficulty in getting though all the security checks today at the Gaza, Erez border crossing; it sounds like a long morning for everyone. They arrived at the hospital in the afternoon, and thankfully the Cardiac Department welcomed them warmly and quickly brought Mariam in for an Echo-cardiogram.
The doctor was very happy with how her heart is looking at the moment, and therefore mum was happy. It was good to see that she has more peace about Mariam’s health than previously. We were all also happy to see that Mariam is growing well; she has increased by 1.5kg over the last month, and mum showed us Mariam’s little double chin.
She also had an EEG test today. Thankfully she fell asleep, as required, despite having had a long sleep on the journey here. The technician will send the results to the neurologist, but indicated that she thought the test looked good.
For now, Mariam, in the arms of delighted co-worker Berith, has traveled to Jerusalem to wait with mum for the neurology appointment next week.
Hopefully they will have a blessed time in Jerusalem.
When I first laid my eyes on Mariam, her intensive, dark eyes captured mine, and she watched me with intense focus. I melted. It’s such a blessing to meet the children coming here, but not only them.
The family members also impact my life. Like Mariam’s mother. She is one of those that immediately found her place in my heart. When I heard that she lost a baby six years ago, I felt her grief. I suggested that we should pay a visit to her grave, and I made a promise that if needed, I would hold her. It was a very brave decision she made to go to the cemetery because it was painful, just as I expected. I held her as promised, and it felt like a huge burden was lifted. I’m so proud of her knowing as I do, that it demands a lot of courage to face your fears.
Mariam and mum returned to Gaza today. They are returning in about two weeks for a follow-up. Thank you for your prayer for her and her family, and please don’t forget to pray for all the marvelous hospital staff. They are doing a great job!
Mariam and her mum have been well-of loved by all us here in The Shevet community in Jaffa. Mum is so full laughter. Last week, she delighted us all by stepping outside of her comfort zone to cook us a feast of maqluba, an Arabic dish with the contents of chicken, vegetables and rice, cooked upside down in a single pot. Everybody loves it!
It was a different mood today, as we prepared in our hearts to be saying a sad goodbye to each other, as today Mariam was due to go to hospital for an echo, before likely returning to Gaza. We waited for some time together before the echo, Mariam is quite a friendly girl and enjoyed especially looking at co-worker Sebastian.
Today’s surprise was that although Mariam’s echo showed her heart to be in a good condition following the surgery, the doctor was still concerned about how often she is crying. Although he doesn’t feel it is a cardiac issue, still he would like her to remain in Israel for another week to see her response to paracetamol, as he feels perhaps she is in some pain.
So, the happy outcome is that Mariam will be staying with us in both Jaffa and Jerusalem for the next week.
Thank God for always knowing what is best, and for the good condition of her heart.
Yesterday Mariam was discharged from Sheba Medical Center. Fortunately, her oxygen level is now stable. We were told she needed a vaccination and we had to be very patient because it took a long time waiting for this. However, the vaccination didn’t take place.
Now she’s with us at our Shevet House on the Jaffa coast, waiting for her next appointment in the following week.
Let‘s pray that she remains in this good health status and that she can have the coming appointments as planned. Thanks so much for your prayers.
Through the grapevine of Shevet mums, who are very good friends, we had heard there might be a possibility of Mariam being discharged soon. She certainly looks alert and beautiful. Her mum asked today what the doctors had decided for her.
The response was that they had observed her oxygen levels to drop quite low, particularly when she is crying. As she has had a surgery, they aren’t understanding why her oxygen saturation is dropping so low, and therefore medically she is not ready to leave the hospital.
They have started to give her an additional medicine to hopefully address this, which will be monitored. If the medicine isn’t successful, then it’s possible the doctors would decide to take her for a catheterisation to best assess the situation.
Her mother received the news gracefully, of course wanting the best for her baby. Please pray for Mariam’s heart.
Sweet Maryam is now in the Secondary Cardiac Care Unit, meaning that her condition is really improving. She no longer has an NG tube and was very alert and interactive when we visited her today at Sheba Medical Center.
She was having a bath when we first arrived and was not happy about it. Considering all the difficult things this little one has experienced in her lifetime, it seems that having a bath was one she liked the least.
Her mum was very welcoming to me and co-worker Sabrina, and it was lovely to meet her. She is hopeful that she will be able to soon return to the rest of her family in Gaza. Thank you for keeping little Maryam in your prayers.
Our update on Mariam is that she is stable and receiving nourishment via naso-gastric tube. She is awake but under medication that helps her heart to function as normal as possible. She will continue in the ICU probably two more days.
Mariam’s mom is so grateful for our companionship. She is so friendly and sweet. We are now using a translation app and have a better time with communication now, although it’s not 100% accurate. As long as we can understand each other, that’s great.
Please continue praying for her and for her mom during this time.
Today at Sheba Hospital, in the early morning, Mariam had her surgery. I found them coming out from the elevator and we took the long walk to the surgery room and even though it isn’t more than twenty meters, I know it was a long walk for this mom.
We came later to the same hallway and this time she recognized the place, having been there several times before for Mariam’s previous Echocardiograms. This morning, however, this was a new place for her. I cannot imagine how hard it is for a mother to do this, but she is brave one and she did it.
As you may know, communication can be an issue with these moms, the medical staff and sometimes with the Shevet volunteers, but today we did greatly thanks Google Translation. We had a long conversation and now I know that she had a loss six years ago, when another child died for a similar reason, at this point she was crying and I gave her a hug.
She thanked me several times for being there with her and you know what? It was nice to know that we are living this experience heart by heart in connection with them, we are there in the waiting room just waiting to see doctors come out through the door with good news about the surgery.
Today, the doctor was so pleased after the surgery even though it was more complicated than expected but he said everything was fixed and put together correctly. We thanked God for that. I prayed earnestly for this mom and for Mariam. Thank all of you for doing the same. Again, thanks for your help and support.
Last night, after the Sabbath, we received a call from the hospital to inform us that little Mariam will have her surgery on Sunday morning.
Before we left the Shevet house this morning, Mariam’s mom was crying, concerned about the outcome of this surgery. I attempted to encourage her with a hug and to tell her everything will be ok.
So please send your hugs too and cover them with your prayers during this time.
At Sheba Hospital, it was discovered that Mariam had a fever so her surgery was canceled for today. They need to check her carefully and make sure everything is as it should be before proceeding with the surgery which has now been scheduled for next Tuesday.
Mariam was discharged from Sheba Hospital today to wait at our coastal home in Jaffa until there is a room available in the Sheba ICU.
Her mother was happy to come back and wait in Jaffa where she is with the other mothers and their children. We pray Mariam will be able to have surgery early next week, even possibly Sunday.
Beautiful Mariam was admitted to Sheba Medical Center this evening for her Arterial Switch operation tomorrow. We had a few hours to wait for her assigned room and in this time another mother from Gaza kindly brought us some food.
Mariam was in and out of sleep for most of the time, and loved to be in her mother’s arms or mine.
Please be in prayer for her as it is a large surgery and also for her mother, who has experienced the loss of a previous child after she had heart surgery.
May the Lord bless the hands of the surgeons and bring the procedure to a successful completion.
Mariam went into an impromptu echo today for the doctors to check her VSD. I think any echo for her is very hard, and today was no different. The only time she smiled was when co-worker Claudia talked rapid-fire Spanish to her; at this, Mariam was mesmerized, and it made her mom laugh as well.
For a four-month-old who has spent her life in and out of hospitals, usually not comprehending what’s going on, the only safe place is in her mother’s arms. Nevertheless, to have even a simple test like an echo becomes stressful for this little one.
God willing, Mariam will go in for surgery this Wednesday. Please be praying for the operation and for Mariam’s precious life.
Mariam is four months old from the Gaza Strip. She is here in Israel with her mother, who has been diligently caring for her day and night. Her diagnosis is Dextro-Transposition of the Great Arteries, which means that the two main arteries carrying blood from the heart are in switched positions. Usually children with these defects are operated on urgently during the first few weeks of life.
Mariam received her first heart surgery when she was just two months old, which involved an Atrial Septectomy and placing a PA Band, all done at another hospital in Jerusalem. She was brought to Sheba Medical Center in search of a surgical procedure.
The hospital would like to operate on her next week, as soon as there is availability for her to stay in the hospital. Please pray for Mariam as she waits for her surgery date, we all hope it is soon.
Mariam has four other siblings, two boys and a girl, all waiting in Gaza for her return. We learned that another sibling in this family passed away after heart surgery. Please pray for Mariam to have peace and for her family to have hope in Christ.
After a week staying in our Jerusalem Guest House, Mariam had a consultation with the neurologist who read her EEG at Sheba Medical Center today. Her mum was relieved to hear that there was not a problem with her brain. She will have a follow-up visit in four month’s time, and we are excited to see how she will have grown by that time.
