Our precious Reem is still against all odds clinging to life in the Gaza Strip, six months after her discharge from Israel. Here is a message today from her mother (translation below):
Thank you, thank you so much for your question and for your interest.
Reem loves you so so much. And O Lord, God will hear you and she will have a beautiful future and also excellent health.
The doctors say there is nothing new. Her condition is the same as it was in the Tel HaShomer [Sheba] hospital. Sometimes she gets very tired, and other times she will stop taking milk (she doesn’t digest food well).
They even tried to remove her from the breathing device but she still needed it.
If God wills it will be good, O Lord of the worlds.
After Reem and her mum went back to Gaza via ambulance transfer tonight, I found that there was not a void of hopelessness inside me, even though her outcome is still unknown (if not negative) and we know she isn’t going to another hospital that is on par with Sheba; none of the hospitals in Gaza are.
Medical equipment helps save lives, in the same way that numbers help in a battle, but likewise numbers do not win a battle, and neither does all the medical expertise and equipment in the world have the ultimate power over life and death. Recently one of the doctors, not a religious man himself, even encouraged us to keep praying because he’s seen it work.
The time Georgia, Jonathan and I spent with Reem and her mum before the ambulance arrived was blessed, not because it was the picture of serenity–actually at moments it was quite chaotic–but because the love we share is genuine.
Earlier today Georgia had suggested we bring a gift for Reem, so we went to look at some of the new donated clothes and literally sitting on top of the piles were two articles of a clothing, a onesie and a pair of pants, which both had deer on them. Now the significance is that Reem’s name means “deer eyes,” which befits the wide, doe-like eyes that she has. God was so faithful in this seemingly small thing, we wanted to give a gift that meant something, that was special, and to find two items with deer on them lying on top of shelves worth of clothes five minutes before we had to leave, was certainly divinely orchestrated. Her mum was so excited when she realized that a deer was on the clothes:
Along with Reem’s present, we gave her mum an Arabic bible, and Yousef packed an MP3 of the new covenant. She also got to speak with Lucy, who, along with her husband are local leaders for Reem in England. Lucy vowed that they would keep praying for life over Reem.
The ambulance arrived and in a whirlwind it seemed that Reem was transferred to the vehicle and Reem’s mum seated in the passenger seat (and her bags, which almost did not make it because of the tight squeeze were safely stowed behind the front seat, thank you God). We hugged goodbye through the window.
“Until we meet again,” I said. Whether we meet again in six months if Reem comes back for a checkup or if we meet on the other side of eternity, worshipping the risen saviour. I don’t know, but I have the unmistakable inkling of a mysterious third party, who is liable to intervene in ways we never thought possible. Like taking the form of a servant and submitting to death on a cross.
This isn’t the end for Reem, whether she is at Sheba or in Gaza, Jesus has her in His arms, and however much we love her, His love is greater still.
Reem has been in the Sheba hospital for almost three months now. When you enter the ICU you know exactly where to find her. Same room, same bed, same beautiful, smart and strong mum and sadly same condition since a long time.
Today was a little different. I always knew that Reem is a specifically beautiful baby. Yet seeing her for the first time without this tube in her mouth was just amazing. I had only seen her like this because of the videos her mum had proudly showed to me before. Much to my regret Reem hasn’t been extubated because her condition has improved, but because the doctors decided to send her back to the hospital in Gaza. Therefore she needs a tracheostomy tube which she got yesterday. It helps her to breath.
When Moshe and I stepped nearer to Reem‘s bed, he realized that the beautiful girl was constantly rolling her eyes back. It was so sad to see that her eyes were opened and yet she wasn’t able to look. I bent over, called her name a few times and fondled her hair so she tried to turn her head and focused on my face for a few seconds before fading back into her own world. Her mum showed us that her whole body was in some sort of numbness. It was almost impossible to move Reem‘s tiny legs and arms.
Because of the jelly in Reem‘s hair we figured out that the nurses had done an ultrasound. The result was that the fluid within her brain (hydrocephalus) had increased a little bit. While I was standing next to Reem‘s bed I realized that I didn’t know how to pray for her anymore. I just couldn’t find the right words. The stuffed animals on the end of her bed caught my eyes and I heard her mum’s voice in my head: “She has many toys but she doesn’t play with them.”
I know that God is faithful, even if I don’t understand. I know that he is in control, even if I’m not. I know that however Reem’s story will end: God has won the victory!
“There’s power in the mighty name of Jesus Every war he wages He will win I’m not backing down from any giant ‘Cause, I know how this story ends Yes, I know how this story ends I’m gonna see a victory For the battle belongs to you Lord”
I promised Reem’s mum to not publish any pictures of her daughter anymore. That’s why this blog doesn’t have one.
The last thing I expected to see when I walked into Reem’s room was her big, brown eyes gazing up from under her blankets. For most of the time she’s been here she’s been sedated, but as they were switching her sedation medicines, and they hadn’t fully kicked in yet, she was placid, albeit not fully awake. Maybe for the first time I really looked into her eyes; some part of me, knowing her chance of survival looks dismal, wanted to leave because I hated to think that this beautiful girl might not be with us, and still at the same time, that thought compelled me to stay just a little bit longer.
Written on the white board in her room was the abbreviation PHTN, which stands for pulmonary hypertension, which is her diagnosis. The head doctor of the ICU kindly met with Colin, Georgia, and me to explain the full picture for Reem. This particular type of pulmonary hypertension exists without cause; there is no surgery that can help her, the problem has to do with her lungs. They even tried a new treatment recently and it has come to no avail. They are now considering transferring her back to a Gaza hospital because they have reached the end of treatment options here. Reem’s going back to Gaza depends on whether the hospital there says that they can provide the equipment and medication needed to sustain her life.
What remains is that she may die either here or there, but if she lives it will take months to recover, waiting on a ventilator, and even then the prognosis is unknown, what kind of quality of life she’ll have is unknown; she could live maybe until she is nine or ten, we do not know. Please, in this, pray for wisdom for everyone involved in making these decisions, and that only God’s best would be done in Reem’s life and the life of her beloved mother.
As the magnitude of uncertainty looms large for Reem and for her mum, the story of Jairus’ daughter comes to mind but not for the reason you may think: the reason Jesus was delayed in coming to her house to heal her while she was still alive was because a woman with a discharge of blood had touched the hem of his garment and had consequently been healed. He wanted to know who had touched him, for her perceived that power had gone out from him. When the woman comes forward, he tells her, “Daughter your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.” Her faith was not that she would be healed, but rather in the one who healed her. And so I ask you to stand with us in prayer, fixing our eyes solely on the one who can heal. Don’t look to the right or to the left, don’t fixate on what might happen, because so much is unknown.
We can have all the faith in the world, but it won’t matter if the object of our faith is not Jesus. We believe in miracles, but what’s more is we believe in the God who can do them.
We’re expanding our current 24-hour prayer for Shakar to also include Reem; please click here if you’re able to talk a half hour shift.
Today we visited our beautiful Reem in the hospital. As we entered the room she was peacefully asleep so we could talk to her strong mother for a while. We asked if we could pray for little Reem and her mother really appreciated it. Both of them need prayers. They have been a long time in hospital and sadly there hasn’t been much change in Reems health for a long time. Mom is very tired and is thinking about changing guardianship with Reem’s grandma. But she loves Reem so much and doesn’t want to leave her so it’s a very difficult situation.
Later on, Reem opened her eyes and woke up. Even though she is surrounded by machines, all I could see was her beautiful eyes. Her mother told us that Reem means “beautiful eyes” and that is so true! So please keep praying for this special girl and her powerful mom!
When Diana and I arrived at the hospital today, it was around 9:30 and we found Reem’s mum sitting alone in the waiting area outside the ICU. She told us that Reem was in the catheterization. It was so hard to see her sadness; this woman who we love so much carries so much weight on her shoulders. Diana and I then prayed with her, and showed her a song called “Angel Armies” that her one of her local leaders, Lucy, sent to me for her. She really liked the song, and the timing of the song was perfect as we sat together waiting for Reem to come out of the cath listening to the lyrics which say:
“I know who goes before me
I know who stands behind
The God of angel armies
Is always by my side
The one who reigns forever
He is a friend of mine
The God of angel armies
Is always by my side.”
After about two hours Reem came out of the cath; they had wanted to keep her PDA open enough to relieve her lung pressure, so they put a stint in place. Please pray for God to give her a miracle of life, and please pray for us to continually minister to her beautiful mum.
There’s not much more to say about Reem since last week, our lovely one is still in ICU, still not improving. Instead, her condition has even become worse. The ventilator that she has been on had to be exchanged several times according to mum’s explanation, which was confirmed by a nurse later on. The reason was, that the machine was so highly adjusted (of course because Reem really needed a lot of support in her breathing) that instead it interrupted all that was left of her natural breathing rhythm.
It was really horrible to hear mum telling us how she woke up sometimes in the middle of the night because there was a bunch of nurses in the room around Reem and she didn’t know what was going on. Mum also said many times that everything that happens is from God and she will take it from His hands. But we could also see how hard it was on her to see her beloved daughter in this state, waiting for improvement for so long now and it just hasn’t come. Please continue praying for these two lovely ones, our Lord has everything in His hands, praise God!
For Reem life hasn’t been very easy these days. After already been moved to the secondary ICU, she is now back in first ICU due to a heart issue that has come back. No one really knows why it actually became worse again, and seeing Reem’s Mom today was heartbreaking. Being close to tears, she was fighting them back, being really strong when we visited her.
Also tonight our volunteer Alena visited them again, to encourage Mom and to spend some time together as friends. By then, Reem was intubated again, which was of course a sad occasion, but it was a joyful time with some coffee and good talks. And although nothing seems to be easy right now, Mom was “her usually amazing self”.
I was really excited to see Reem and her mum today, as I had heard that good news of Reem’s extubation, but hadn’t been to the hospital to see her until today. So, it was sad for me to see Reem’s mum who is usually so joyful, feeling very stressed and upset.
She explained to me that’s yesterday Reem’s heart had a muscle spasm and caused her heart rate to rocket up to over 200 bpm. Her oxygen saturation dropped and mum recalled how all the doctors and nurses had rushed into the room, like a scene from a horrible film, she says. Thank God that today Reem was stable again, but still not quite back to how well she was doing before this incident.
Mum explained her worries, which she believes, that as Reem has gone better and people have seen photographs of her looking beautiful now, they have not prayed for God to protect her. Mum is convinced that this is the reason why her baby has had this very upsetting episode. I agreed with her, that we always need to be praying that God will protect Reem, so please join us to pray God’s protection over her life. Praise Him that He has made her to be beautiful, and that we can continue to be able to joyfully share the news of her recovery.
Around 1am last Saturday I was just leaving the hospital after having Ali admitted in the secondary ICU. I was really tired only thinking about how much I wanted to go home and sleep when I saw Reem’s mother with a beautiful smile saying to me, “Reem was extubated!” That took my thought away and also my tiredness. Immediately I left all of my stuff on the floor and went to visit Reem. Woah! I was really happy and thankful to God, many people around the world have been praying for Reem to improve and recover and here she was with her eyes open and extubated. This is really a miracle after around one month and 5 days with sedation! THIS IS A MIRACLE!
My strength was recovered again; God is answering our prayers! He is never late. He always arrives on time, in His perfect time. Before I left the room I prayed for them and I also gave thanks to God for this precious gift that he gave me: seeing a big miracle after a long and tiring day. Please keep Reem and her beautiful mom in your prayers. I’m looking forward to seeing Reem smiling and with completely healing.
Reem our little one is still in the ICU and her condition is the same. They started to give her antibiotics and in seven days they will see how she does and decide what to do next. Her mum is full of hope that this is helping her. Please continue praying for her.
Today there were not any new developments with Reem, save that a blood test showed she has bacteria in her blood, but not what kind, and she is currently on antibiotics. Her mother is eager for news, but is enduring the waiting with hope. Today she and the one of the amazing nurses in the ICU at Sheba, had an exchange about Reem’s temperament. “I want her to wake up!” Mom said. “Me too, said the nurse, just not right now!” Of course it would not be good if the sleeping medicine wore off it and Reem became conscious, but her mother wants to see her awake again, and I think I speak for all of us when I say we eagerly await seeing Reem’s personality, though I daresay we have already known much of it through this time. She’s a fighter, her mum said. And the nurse replied, “Yes, that’s a good thing.” We see Reem cling to life in the same way her mother clings to hope. And Psalm 25 tells us that, “No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame.” We’re trusting Jesus with her life; whatever He does, we know the hope of the resurrection is not a hope like an ember, easily stamped out by a traversing wanderer or extinguished by the slightest breeze, but a tested and tried hope. We see the nail marks in our resurrected King’s hands to show us this is real.
Before I left, Reem’s mum beckoned for me to come to the end of her bed: she had written encouragements to her daughters: terms of endearment and her hope that Reem will have the best in her life. Perhaps what is so striking about this is that Reem’s mum took what was in the deepest depths of her heart and wrote them down as declaration of hope.
My heart sank as I arrived in the ICU this morning to see so many doctors and nurses rushing around Reem’s room. I saw Reem’s mother leaning against the wall at the other side of the ICU and she looked so scared.
I know that she said to me before that on the day of Reem’s catheterization she had been grateful to have had few distractions from people so that she could pray and so after we greeted one another we stood beside one another both in a time of prayer.
I soon found out that Reem had crashed this morning and had required resuscitation. Her lungs were really struggling and the doctors couldn’t really pinpoint why this is happening. In the afternoon the medical team met to discuss her case but as of now there is no planned intervention instead the team feel it is best to wait and watch how she responds to her current medications.
Later in the day I was able to visit Reem. She looked so beautiful and delicate. I prayed Psalm 23 over her. This little baby is fighting hard for her life. I know that Jesus loves her so much and we place the battle and Reems destiny into His safe hands.
Two days ago, the news was grim… increased medical intervention as her condition seemed to worsen. Our praying community rallied in fervent prayer, claiming spiritual victory in the life of this child. Today, I found that Reem was still peacefully sedated and sleeping, but requiring less medications for her lung pressures. It’s a long and slow process— but progress nonetheless!
Mom reports that yesterday’s echocardiogram showed that Reem’s heart was fully developed— a huge concern previously— and doctors believe that it will function well, once the high lung pressures normalize. Mom was encouraged today by a message from Lucy, her sponsor, and by listening to a prayerful song that Lucy sent.
Today, I feel that Isaiah 52 is real and applicable:
How lovely on the mountain are the feet of them that bring good news— good news! Announcing peace, proclaiming news of happiness: Our God reigns, our God reigns!
This was my second visit to see Reem in the past week, still critically ill in the ICU at Sheba hospital. I had hoped to find her improved after the addition of another special medication four days ago. Reem continues to have extremely high pressure in her lungs, despite being given high concentrations of oxygen, a special gas called Nitric Oxide, and two other medicines specifically designed to reduce lung pressures. She remains on the ventilator, and requires continuous sedation as well as three medications to help her heart and support her blood pressure.
In short, Reem’s body is struggling. Despite her peaceful appearance— the product of necessary heavy sedation— a war is waging inside this fragile little one. And since she had been unstable during an attempt last week to perform a diagnostic MRI, causing that attempt to be canceled, the doctors still call her “a great mystery”.
Reem’s mother is young, beautiful, vivacious, and so very hopeful. She calls her first and only child, Reem, her “sleeping beauty”. She read the Psalms given to her from sponsor Lucy, and openly and readily receives prayer. Today, for the first time, her unfailingly positive speech seemed to falter when she confessed, “I need good news about Reem… it has been nearly a month since our arrival”. She speaks of Jesus, yet not yet as one that knows Him personally.
Reem needs a supernatural touch from God. Her condition is grave, but our God not only cares— He hears, He heals, He comforts. Please, friends, pray fervently for Reem and her family!
These Scriptures come to mind as I pray for Reem and her sweet mama:
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1
We don’t see the healing currently, yet we cling to the Healer and plead for His great work in her body,mind, and spirit. And especially for Reem’s mother:
“The Lord is my strength and my song— He has become my salvation.” Psalm 118:14
What a privilege we have to stand beside Reem’s family during this time of need, bolstering and encouraging them, showing them the Healer.
We were surprised to learn today that Reem had been taken for a catheterization. The doctors decided this was necessary to further investigate her heart. Due to high pressure on her lungs each catheterization poses a significant risk to Reem and her life. Please pray with us for Reem that she will be strong and stable following this procedure.
Reem’s mother shared that she had spent as much time as possible praying whilst Reem was in theatre. We talked a little bit about how we both believe in a loving God who surpasses all understanding, who knows and loves Reem more than we can fathom and the healing power of Jesus.
Reems mum was encouraged to receive a drawing from local leaders Dan and Lucy’s son praying for Reem to get better. It is beautiful to see that Reem’s mother now has a growing number of friends from all around the world who are praying for Reem.
It was such a blessing to see Reem and her mother again today following the weekend. Reem’s mother is so confident around the hospital and multiple times today she was a huge support to our Kurdish mums who were waiting to hear news about their children. She even was quick to go and gain more information from the doctor for Lana’s mum after her surgery and ensured that this message was then translated into Kurdish. It is really such a treat to be able to speak with her in English and this has meant we have been able to extend our conversation past formalities and the context around us to cover topics like food, faith and haircare!
Reem is much the same as she was last week. She remains intubated and sedated. Her eyes are covered to prevent them from becoming dry and she has a heat lamp over her body. She is very delicate. It was a joy to link up with Local Leaders Dan and Lucy today in the hospital room and learn more about their brave actions in faith they are making to cover Reem in prayer and provide for Reem financially.
Reem’s mum was really encouraged by a scripture Lucy and Dan shared with her today from Matthew 9: 24-25 He said to them, “Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him. It was Reem’s own people who told her mother to just pray that God would take her quickly and her mum was made to feel silly to hope and yet she did and she still does. Please pray this scripture over Reem, that she may soon stop sleeping for Jesus is with her.
It was such a delight to meet Reem and her mother today at Sheba. Following a stable night in the ICU the doctors were talking about extubating her soon and reducing her sedation. What an awesome God we serve. Just a few days ago this baby had death spoken over her by many professionals, today we see our Father moving the mountains before our eyes.
Reem’s mother was beaming with gladness as the hope for Reem’s life is being restored. The doctors even feel that her initial diagnosis given to mum, which would have left Reem with a palliative treatment plan and life expectancy of around 9 years is incorrect. Reem has the potential to have life and have it to its fulness. If Reem’s circulation increases on her left side it is also likely she will not require an invasive surgical treatment at all! Please pray for that this good work comes to completion.
We were able to link up with Reem’s Local Leader, Lucy, via video chat today. It was lovely to just see a chat between 2 mothers who are strangers, have a conversation loaded with and connected by love. As we talked the word we all had in common was “miracle.” Reem’s life is a miracle. As is the fact that Reem has people praying for her all over the world. This one baby’s life may seem so little but Our God wants the world to know just how precious she is to Him.
It was a pleasure today to have the opportunity to visit with the mother of Reem. When we arrived, we found her waiting outside the cath department as her daughter had been taken in about an hour before. When I went to introduce myself to her, I was surprised to find she spoke very good English.
We began discussing how thankful we were that Reem was able to arrive just in time and we shared with her how so many people across the world were praying for her precious daughter.
As we shared and talked together, I could see how God’s hand has been on this little girl’s life. For the first two months of her life, Reem’s mother thought she was completely normal. She was at home and would eat and play and develop like other babies. The only thing she noticed is when she would cry profusely during a bath, she would start to turn blue. But when she went for her daughter’s two month vaccinations, by God’s grace, the doctor noticed there might be something wrong and told her to get her heart checked. And thank God she did.
But that wasn’t the end, the doctors were all telling her to give up, there was no way she could be healed, it was too complicated. They told not to even try to get help from elsewhere. But she knew she needed to fight for her daughter. And thank God she did. Because shortly after, and again by God’s grace, her report made it in our desk and we were able to intervene.
It amazes me to see how God works these things out. By all means this little girl shouldn’t even be alive, but our understanding of time is so limited, because He’s always on time. We just need to trust and obey. This mother trusted that there was something more for her daughter. And as I sat there holding my own daughter in my hands I couldn’t help but praise God for His grace on Reem’s life.
Praise the Lord, her cath was successful and the doctors were able to close an artery that was providing blood to the lungs and making her heart work overtime. Now the doctors will wait to see how it responds and if they see that the heart is growing and getting stronger Reem should not need an open heart surgery. How amazing is our God that He turns the hopeless into hopeful and takes the downtrodden and lifts them up. What a beautiful God we serve!
Thank you for your prayers for Reem and her mother. May God’s Grace continue to be over this precious girl.
Reem reached the Sheba Medical Center in Israel late Thursday night, after some delays in getting security clearance for her young mother to accompany her. The mother says that Reem stopped breathing on the way in the ambulance, and doctors at Sheba immediately put her on mechanical ventilation in the ICU on arrival.
Cardiologist Uri Katz at Sheba says this afternoon (on the eve of the Sabbath) they are still trying to assess the fundamental cause of Reem’s distress, as she has complex congenital heart defects. The assessments will continue over the next few days. “It’s good she’s here,” says Dr. Katz. “She wouldn’t have made it much further.”
We are Lucy and Daniel and we have taken the leap of faith to step forward to raise the money for Reem’s surgery! We always read the Sunday email updates and empathise with the children and families written about and pray for them, but Reem really grabbed our hearts and we felt called to do something specifically for her. Our own daughter, who is now a healthy 11 year old, had a lot of health problems when she was younger (although nothing as serious as heart failure) and I know the terror of seeing your child on oxygen and being rushed to hospital. We are very blessed in this country to have the NHS and therefore don’t pay for our medical care, and we wanted to ‘pay forward’ the blessings we have received over the years for our own children by raising the money for Reem.
The day that we were really battling over whether we were the right people to do so (having never attempted to raise this kind of money before and not wanting to let anyone down) I came across a quote by Mother Theresa which I think was God’s way of telling us to just trust in Him and go for it:
“Do you want to do something beautiful for God?
There is a person who needs you. This is your chance.”
Two-month-old Reem should be having emergency surgery to repair the narrowed aorta which has limited the oxygen levels in her body to 60% of normal. But instead she was sent home to her family in Gaza today, because the government there won’t cover the cost of treatment in Israel.
The Sheba Medical Center in Israel will partner with us to step in and save Reem, if we can cover just 20% of her costs.
Reem is a two month old child from an Arab family in the Gaza Strip diagnosed with congenital heart defects.
Lucy and Dan Kidd are Shevet Achim local leaders in Suffolk, England who have stepped forward in faith and are trusting God to provide the funds for Reem's surgery.
As of right now, Reem still needs $-20 toward surgery and related expenses.
