After spending one more day with us here in Ashdod yesterday, we had a beautiful farewell party last night for Nozhdar. There we were spoiled one last time with good Kurdish food from Nozhdar’s mother. It wasn’t an easy goodbye as we all learned to love Nozhdar and his mother so much. His mother shared with us all her thankfulness for everything we did for her and how we have been her family in the time she was here.
Nozhdar is probably the funniest one year old I have ever known, with his cute little walk, his smile and his attempts to say our names, he made everyday so much better.
And his mother just cared for everyone here as a mother of all. She took care of all the kids in the house, the other mothers, and the new families that came to our house, and she cooked for everyone and made sure we were all doing okay. We will miss them both so much here, the family house won’t be the same without them.
Early this morning, coworker Joanne and I brought them to the airport. Nozhdar’s mother had collected a lot of stuff in her time here and wanted to bring it all back home, so she had so many big bags that we doubted that they would allow her to bring it all.
But God provides and we could witness that once again. After the first security questioning, the security guard helped Nozhdar’s mom to take care of everything and made sure all her things will make it safely to Kurdistan even though this was not his job. He spoke Arabic and was the perfect help in the moment. He brought her through to the last security control where we were not allowed to enter anymore and so we had to finally say goodbye.
We will never forget the time we got to spend with Nozhdar and his mother and even though it was a goodbye under tears, we are so thankful and joyful for the healing God brought in Nozhdar’s life. Please keep praying for him and his family! God please move in this family and allow them to get to know you! Please keep them safe and bless them!
This morning started with Nozhdar’s mom knocking on our door just as we were finishing our morning meeting and bringing Nozhdar over to our side. He wanted to see us and our community dog Shevie. Nozhdar was all dressed up for his echo at Sheba Hospital.
We arrived a little bit late for his echo but once the secretaries saw Nozhdar in his cure outfit, they all had only smiles for him. While waiting for his echo Nozhdar was running around and walking into every room he could possibly find.
After his echo was done, we just waited a little while until his doctor showed up in the waiting area and told his mother that he has looked at the pictures and there is no reason why Nozhdar couldn’t get discharged to Kurdistan!
Nozhdar’s mom was full of joy, hugged me directly and told me how excited she is to see her other son again! We still had to wait a while until Nozhdar’s report was finished and we enjoyed the waiting time playing with Nozhdar and just watching him.
Thank you God for healing this cute boy and for allowing him and his mom to go home finally! Please bless the last days they still have here with us and help us to be a blessing to them!
Our little friend Nozhdar is still waiting for what we hope is his last echo at Sheba Hospital next week.
In the meantime we very much enjoy him and his mother in our house in Ashdod.
Nozhdar is spending more and more time with us, hangs out with us in our staff house and he especially loves going with us to the park.
He is always full of energy and keeps us and his mom busy. He is also making good friends with Maryana, our other Kurdish child, who is nearly the same age.
Nozhdar’s mother still spoils us with good Kurdish food and takes good care of us volunteers and all the other parents and kids in our house. She wants everyone to feel welcome, comfortable and loved here and it’s a blessing to have her here!
Please keep praying that Nozhdar’s echo next week will bring good results and he will be able to go home even though we will miss him so much!
Nozhdar had his tenth post-operative echo this morning at Sheba. He was extra cheerful after getting face paint and a lollipop from a Purim party at the hospital.
He tried to share his lollipop with baby Jamal from Gaza, and was eager to show off his best leopard impression.
The doctor’s report was pretty short today — the fluid around Nozhdar’s heart is decreasing and if it continues to decrease over the next two weeks, he’ll be discharged to Kurdistan at his next check-up. This is great news for his mom, who is very excited to take him home to their family. Please pray for good echo results in two weeks.
Today our little Nozhdar had his next Echo at Sheba Hospital to check whether the medicine he takes is reducing the fluids around his heart. After we arrived at the hospital and checked him in, we waited to get called in.
When the Echo technician called us and when we put Nozhdar on the Echo table, he didn’t cry as usual. He was even smiling and so ready to play with his mother. So the Echo went really fast and relaxed, as did the ECG and we only had to wait to talk to Nozhdar’s doctor.
In the waiting time we played a lot with Nozhdar. He found a bouncy ball and was throwing it to his mother over and over again. But once he accidentally hit a doctor with it. His mother felt really sorry but the doctor took the ball and was teasing Nozhdar with it for a short while. It was so cute to see them playing!
After a long time of waiting, Nozhdar’s cardiologist called us into his office. It was a fun little meeting, since he was fooling around with Nozhdar all the time. It was like the two of them had their own conversation. The doctor let us know that the fluids around Nozhdar’s heart reduced a lot since his last Echo appointment. But he still wants to give another medication to help it disappear. The next Echo will be in a week to see how it is going. If everything works out well, it could be Nozhdar’s last Echo.
When we left Nozhdar’s doctor gave him a big bear as a gift, which Nozhdar loves a lot! The connection they both have is so sweet!
Please pray for our little boy and his mother. They are so patient all the time but miss their home a lot.
This morning we brought our cute boy back to Sheba Hospital for his eighth post surgery echo. Already in the elevator we met one of his former ICU doctors who was very happy to see him and told us how cute Nozhdar is. That’s what continued through the whole day – everyone who saw this cute boy was directly filled with joy and smiled at him.
Nozhdar still doesn’t like echoes very much but his mother was very good in distracting him so that he was barely crying. His doctor had the good news for us that the fluids around his heart decreased a lot so they can reduce his meds again, but he still is some steps away from getting discharged home. He needs another echo on Wednesday, but still his doctor doesn’t expect that Nozhdar can go home after that. Thia was a little bit disappointing for his mother. She took it very well though as she only wants the best for Nozhdar.
We still had to wait a while until another child was finished in the hospital.
So we went with Nozhdar to a playground outside which he enjoyed a lot.
He is full of energy and dragged us everywhere and gave us his beautiful smile so often.
Thank you God for this amazing boy! Please allow him to go back to his family soon!
Today Nozhdar had his follow-up Echo at Sheba Hospital to see whether his new medication is reducing the fluids around his heart. We picked him and his lovely mother up this morning, he was still sleeping in my arms, and drove to the hospital. After some waiting time at the hospital, Nozhdar was called in.
In the beginning, Nozhdar didn’t really like what was going on, but when coworker Zech started playing with the cars, Nozhdar got curious and even happy. When the Echo was done, Nozhdar’s doctor entered the room.
As soon as the doctor saw the echo pictures, he was really relieved and told us that the fluids reduced. So we should keep on giving Nozhdar that medication and on Sunday he has his next Echo appointment.
When Nozhdar’s mother heard this news, she was happy but at the same time, she was still a bit sad. Before every Echo she is hoping it could he the last one, but still she is here in Israel. Please pray for patience and strength for this wonderful woman and her adorable son. Please also ask the Lord for a soon return to Kurdistan for them!
Today Nozhdar had an Echo again, we hoped it would be his last. We were heading to Sheba Hospital in the morning full of hope and joy that this is maybe his last trip to the hospital. After some waiting time, the Echo technician called us in and to my surprise, Nozhdar wasn’t scared at all. He didn’t like the feeling of the Echo machine on his chest, so he cried a bit, but it was easy to distract him and make him laugh again. After the Echo was done we had to wait a bit more for his ECG and after that was the time to talk to his doctor.
He explained that Nozhdar still has too much fluid in his body, so he changed the medication a bit. We will give that to Nozhdar in the next two days and then the next Echo will take place. Hopefully – finally – his last one.
Nozhdar’s mother was very disappointed when she heard that, so on our way back to Ashdod we stopped in a mall, cheered Nozhdar up with a stuffed animal, and his mother with some food. We also had a really fun time in the car and enjoyed the time we could spend with them. I thank God for the great day we had and for the close relationship to this family that we’ve cultivated. Please keep praying for Nozhdar, that the fluids will reduce and he and his mother can go home soon!
We packed up early this morning and got to Sheba Hospital right on time for Nozhdar’s echo appointment today. Nozhdar slept through most of the transit. He cried when the doctor began his examination, but his mother rested her head on his and comforted him until he settled.
The doctor found that a bit of fluid—not enough to be concerned over, but enough to warrant continued watching—remained accumulated around Nozhdar’s heart. He stressed that there was nothing to worry about and asked that we keep Nozhdar on his current medications and bring him back next week for another follow-up echo.
Nozhdar, back to his bright and beaming self, laughed and smiled on the examination table, and then more as he ran around playing in the hospital waiting room.
His mother was discouraged at yet another delay in her return home, but she soon regained her spirits. We pray that next week’s results will be entirely clear so that she and her son can be reunited with their family at home after months away.
While Bria and I visited the ICU, a clown employed by the hospital visited the children in the waiting room.
Nozhdar got a few stickers out of the visit, which he insisted on keeping on his face.
Here is a young man who rejoices in life—praise God! We look and wait for his completed healing!
Today was the follow up Echo at Sheba Hospital for precious little Nozhdar. It was an early start for them both but to my amazement, the Echo was over even before I was able to park the car and get back to them. I found Nozhdar busy chasing his balloon and hanging out with mum to fill the time until we could head back home.
Good news is the fluid around Nozhdar’s heart is gone and everything looks good. Please pray the follow up Echo in a week is still good so they are one step closer to going home. We’re thankful for this awesome news and progress, and we pray blessing over Nozhdar, this lovely lively little man.
Today at Sheba Hospital, Nozhdar had his third echo within a week and his doctor had the great news that Nozhdar looks so much better now! The fluid around his heart decreased significantly so the doctor was able to reduce one of his medications from three times a day to only one time a day.
He wants to see him again on Sunday when he hopes to decrease another medication. This is all really great news and Nozhdar’s mother was very thankful even though she was a little bit disappointed as she hopes with every echo that Nozhdar will be allowed to go back home to Kurdistan.
Nozhdar showed a lot of patience during his echo, cuddled with his mom and especially enjoyed the cars in the waiting area afterwards. Thank you God for all the progress he is making!
Nozhdar’s echo last week showed that he had a significant amount of pericardial effusion (fluid accumulated around his heart), which is common after open heart surgery but needs to be treated. His doctor prescribed some extra medications to help,
and Nozhdar had another check-up this morning to see how well the medicine is working.
We’re happy to find that the fluid around Nozhdar’s heart is already decreasing. It’s not gone just yet but better than a couple of days ago. He needs to continue his medications and come back for another echo on Wednesday. Please pray that the fluid will continue to decrease so Nozhdar can go home.
Nozhdar is a sweet little guy with a big grin and an infectious laugh and we had a lot of fun in the waiting room before his echo.
Today was a little disappointing for Nozhdar and his mother. Nozhdar had his echo and ECG and then we waited for the doctor. It took a long time and we asked at the desk if the doctor would see him. After some hours of waiting the doctor left the hospital without seeing Nozhdar.
Nozhdar’s mother was disappointed about it. She had hoped that this echo would be a step closer to going home. During the day Nozhdar had a lot of fun in the hospital. We also love to have him in the house with us. He is very cute. Please pray for Nozhdar.
Finally the day had come for Nozhdar to return to our community home in Ashdod. Discharged at last, Nozhdar’s mother was so relieved to finally journey back to Ashdod and to the other Kurdish mother’s staying there with their children.
Nozhdar was ready and waiting to leave as soon as they heard the news. It seems the occasion called for a new outfit, so mum was off to the mall to find her lovely smiley son some new clothes and a soft toy to celebrate. The sweet taste of freedom beckoned.
Nozhdar will need to return for some more genetics tests to determine what syndrome it is that is causing his hands to have five fingers, but that is a question for another day.
We are just going to savor the sweet taste of freedom on our way home. Lord we thank you for a good outcome from Nozhdar’s procedures and look forward to spending more time with this gorgeous little man.
Nozhdar is doing very well after his surgery at Sheba Hospital. His mother is very happy about this outcome.
Since he woke up, he wanted to get rid of all the tubes gave the mother a lot of work during the day and night. Luckily Nozhdar doesn’t need most tubes anymore, so slowly the doctors remove them all.
Thank you for all your prayers. Nozhdar is recovering so well and fast. God is good!
This day started early for Nozhdar and his mother as he was going into surgery at Sheba Hospital this morning at eight and the nurses already started preparing him for it much earlier. I arrived in his room at 7 and his mom directly hugged me tightly. She kept herself together to be strong for her boy, but I could feel that she was very nervous.
At eight in the morning, his mom was allowed to bring Nozhdar in his stroller to the preparation room, as this was the only way he calmed down and accepted the situation. He was fighting against his IV and everything that looked like any medical device. When we arrived in the preparation room and the anesthesiologist talked to his mother, Nozhdar didn’t cry anymore, but looked very skeptical. A little bit later his mother was allowed to carry him to the OR and wait until he fell asleep before she came out again. At this point, all her emotions came out too. She hugged me and didn’t stop crying. Her little boy was just at the beginning of his open heart surgery and she was worried. What if he will not do well or will never come out again?
After some time, mother calmed down again, could sleep a while, talked to a few other mothers, and ate with me. The doctors had told her that the surgery will take around four hours, but after only three hours, the surgeon exited the OR and told us the surgery is finished and they are just closing his chest now.
They successfully closed his ASD with a patch and Nozhdar is doing well.
And again his mom hugged me directly – this time relieved, happy and thankful! ‘Spas bo xwa,’ thank God!
After another hour, Nozhdar was back in his room. When we went to him two hours later, he was slowly waking up and fighting against his ventilator – so the doctors extubated him and we found him breathing on his own and getting more and more alert. Later when his mother left his room for a while to buy Nozhdar a few little things, he was crying so the nurses played some YouTube videos on the screens next to his bed. This evening his mother sent me a couple of pictures of Nozhdar recovering more and more. He just arrived last week in Israel and now his heart is already repaired – such a miracle!
Thank you God for being with Nozhdar and his mother today. And thank you for this amazing surgery. Please let him stay stable in the next critical hours!
Today I received a great phone call from Sheba Hospital to bring Nozhdar for surgery tomorrow. It is a big surprise that he will go into surgery so soon. His mother was happy about the news.
In the hospital Nozhdar did a good job during the echo, ECG and virus tests.
Nozhdar has an unusual hand. He has five fingers, but his thumb is just like a normal finger. The cardiologist linked this hand formation together with the kind of heart defect Nozhdar has to a syndrome. They probably will do more research on that.
For now Nozhdar is with his mother waiting for the big day tomorrow. When I gave his mother a hug to say goodbye, her emotions came out. She is nervous.
This night shortly after midnight, Nozhdar’s mom called me to the family house because Nozhdar was hot and didn’t stop crying. When I checked his temperature, I saw that he had a fever and as he already developed a cough and a running nose the day before, we decided to bring him to the Sheba Hospital Pediatric ER.
After long hours there, he got his blood test and an x-ray and then we waited a couple of hours for his first echo which was scheduled for this morning. His cardiologist found out that he only has an ASD and not also multiple VSDs which was diagnosed in Kurdistan. He also said that Nozhdar is cleared to go back to Ashdod from a cardiac view. Therefore, we went back to the ER. There they did again a blood test and started some antibiotics for him as they suspect that he is developing pneumonia. With the pictures from the echo today, the doctors will decide in the next days about Nozhdar’s surgery.
For Nozhdar and his mother, this was a very exhausting and difficult start here in Israel as we spent nearly 13 hours in the hospital, starting in the middle of the night until the early afternoon. Please pray that they will get some rest now and for wisdom for the doctors as they make the decisions about Nozhdar’s treatment plan.
Early this morning I picked up Nozhdar from the airport. We arrived with his mom to our community home in Ashdod. They were very tired when they arrived to the house, so they first wanted to sleep of course.
Nozhdar is a cute little guy. When he gives you his smile, it will make every day better. Tomorrow morning Nozhdar will already have his first echo at Sheba Hospital and we pray for him and his mom and all their time waiting in front of them.
After spending one more day with us here in Ashdod yesterday, we had a beautiful farewell party last night for Nozhdar. There we were spoiled one last time with good Kurdish food from Nozhdar’s mother. It wasn’t an easy goodbye as we all learned to love Nozhdar and his mother so much. His mother shared with us all her thankfulness for everything we did for her and how we have been her family in the time she was here.
Nozhdar is probably the funniest one year old I have ever known, with his cute little walk, his smile and his attempts to say our names, he made everyday so much better. 
And his mother just cared for everyone here as a mother of all. She took care of all the kids in the house, the other mothers, and the new families that came to our house, and she cooked for everyone and made sure we were all doing okay. We will miss them both so much here, the family house won’t be the same without them.
Early this morning, coworker Joanne and I brought them to the airport. Nozhdar’s mother had collected a lot of stuff in her time here and wanted to bring it all back home, so she had so many big bags that we doubted that they would allow her to bring it all. 
But God provides and we could witness that once again. After the first security questioning, the security guard helped Nozhdar’s mom to take care of everything and made sure all her things will make it safely to Kurdistan even though this was not his job. He spoke Arabic and was the perfect help in the moment. He brought her through to the last security control where we were not allowed to enter anymore and so we had to finally say goodbye. 
We will never forget the time we got to spend with Nozhdar and his mother and even though it was a goodbye under tears, we are so thankful and joyful for the healing God brought in Nozhdar’s life. Please keep praying for him and his family! God please move in this family and allow them to get to know you! Please keep them safe and bless them!
