The day of discharge came for Samer. Open-heart surgery and home in less than a week, amazing! Elisa and I met Samer and his carer Anne in Sheba’s cardiac step-down unit, where he had spent the holiday weekend free of drips and drains, able to move around and amuse himself.
I asked Anne, his carer, whether they had been bored over the weekend, but no way José! Anne told me that members of the charity organisation had been visiting Samer every day from 10am until 8pm. He was taken for walks and drives around the hospital grounds, played games, chatted with friends on the phone, and when he wanted some quiet time, he played on the iPad or looked through photos of his friends at the Crèche.
Samer hated the hospital food, so it was just as well the charity organisation was there to spoil him! They asked him what he wanted and brought it in for him. Yesterday, he chose KFC. He was definitely spoilt during his time at Sheba, and rightly so. He was made to feel like the very special boy he is.
Samer left for The Crèche in Bethlehem at 2pm today, although I can’t say he looked particularly happy about going home! He takes all his new toys with him, which he now has to share with the other children at The Crèche, along with all his Sheba experiences and stories to tell. And, of course, he has a nice scar down his chest to show off after his open-heart surgery.
Samer will return to Sheba for a follow-up appointment in one week.
Father, we bless Samer and pray for continued healing and strength in his heart. Lord, we ask that You continue to work wonders in Samer’s life. We thank You for the wonderful doctors, nurses and volunteers who poured out so much love and care over him throughout his time at Sheba.
What a blessing they have been to this very special boy.
Samer is only two days post-op and has made an excellent recovery!
Co-worker Elisa and I visited him at Sheba Medical Center at 8:20 this morning and found him sitting up in a chair, playing with one of his many presents, a remote controlled car that he was zipping around his room. I thought he might get told off by one of the nurses, but no! He was free to be a cheeky boy!
He wasn’t smiling, though, so I asked what was wrong. Anne, his carer, explained that he was nervous because in half an hour the nurse was going to remove his two drains and two IV lines. The nurse was giving him some extra pain relief to get him ready.
We left the hospital before the drains and lines were removed, but later Anne sent us a photo of a very happy Samer, now free of all his surgical and medical devices.
He’ll soon move from PICU to the step-down unit, and from there it’s all downhill in the best possible way! Perhaps he’ll even be discharged on Monday, after Rosh Hashanah. Praise the Lord! Bless Samer and his amazing carer, Anne.
This morning at Sheba Medical Center, it was a delight to find that Samer from Bethlehem is making more than little skips and jumps in his recovery— he is making leaps and bounds! It was a little bit shocking, but absolutely wonderful, to see him sitting on a couch, dressed in his own clothes, eating, talking, and playing games on his iPad. It had not even been 24 hours after he had his open-heart surgery. We praise the Lord for his recovery which is happening exceedingly fast.
As long as this upwards trend continues over the weekend, it is hopeful he can be discharged within three to four days. This would not only be wonderful for him, but also for the kindhearted Anne from France who is acting as his caretaker during his hospital stay. She is faithfully by his side and pouring out so much love on him. May the Lord bless her willing hands richly.
All the glory be to the Lord! Please continue to cover Samer in prayer through his recovery process.
Samer was wheeled out of his PICU room bright and early today, ready for surgery, with his wonderful French carer and nurse Anne by his side.
Elisa got on with our other hospital jobs before later joining Anne and another volunteer from a charity organisation to wait for the surgery to finish. We enjoyed learning about the wonderful work their organisations do for children in the West Bank, as well as hearing about Anne’s many adventurous nurse volunteer jobs around the world.
The surgery lasted about 4 hours and went very smoothly. The surgeon performed a DSS procedure, or discrete subaortic stenosis repair, removing the fibrous membrane below the aortic valve that was obstructing blood flow from his heart.
Samer looked remarkably well afterwards, with excellent vital signs, and the doctors were able to extubate him just 1.5 hours post surgery. Such a great result, praise God.
We pray for a fast recovery for sweet Samer and that he and Anne have a peaceful night’s sleep. Lord comfort and surround this dear little boy with your love and heal his heart.
“As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people, from this time forth and forevermore.” Psalm 125:2
Samer is surrounded. He is surrounded by love, compassion, and a great deal of care from many people. This young orphan boy from Bethlehem came to Sheba Medical Center today to be admitted for a big open heart surgery that will take place tomorrow morning, Lord willing. He was accompanied by a sweet French woman named Anne, a volunteer, who will be his companion at the hospital over his coming recovery. Though he is very shy, Anne does a fabulous job helping him feel safe and loved. Samer clearly trusts this sweet woman who is putting her all into helping him.
As we were getting him checked in, which included receiving an EKG, blood draw, and x-ray, we were also joined by another volunteer program based here in Israel who brought him toys and treats galore. They too will be sharing the load of visiting him on a daily basis. Within an hour of arriving at the hospital, Samer was surrounded by five people, and that number quickly grew. The story of his life spread rapidly among the staff at Sheba, and everyone who heard it reacted with so much love.
Some women at the cardiology desk immediately offered him some candy, and once he was admitted to the ICU, all the doctors and nurses flocked to say hello and make him feel comfortable. The support didn’t stop there as three children’s therapists also came to help care for, and evaluate him. As a cherry on top to all of this, our kind Dr. Evy, upon hearing of his situation, asked the owner of a hospital therapy dog to pop in for a visit. Samer absolutely loved the dog, although he was a little bit unsure at first.
To say the least, this young boy has unknowingly captured the hearts of everyone he met today. While he sadly does not have the presence of a father or mother, there is no lack in the love that is being poured out upon him. His cup is indeed overflowing! We praise the Lord for the support He has stirred up among so many. But, we also must be praying for him to have courage and peace. He was so brave today as he came to the hospital— I can hardly imagine how terrifying it would be to come to a new place, surrounded by a bunch of beeping machines, with a huge group of people who don’t speak your language, and then to be poked and prodded without end. For example, when he got his IV line put in, it took about five attempts, an artery finding machine, and five nurses to hold him down so they could put it in. But soon after, he was happy and relaxed as love continued to flow from many.
There are big and hard days ahead for Samer. But today the Lord tangibly displayed how He is surrounding this sweet little boy with an abundance of care. Please pray for sweet Samer, Anne, his caretaker, and the staff at Sheba Medical Center in the coming days. We commit him into the hands of our most wonderful Lord!
Today Elisa, Jonathan, and I met 6-year-old Samer, an orphan from the West Bank, when he arrived for his CT scan. He is such a sweet and adorable little boy. He came with his case worker, Sabrine, and it was immediately clear how much they care for one another. The bond between them is beautiful to see.
At first, Samer was very shy around Elisa and me, but he slowly began to warm up after we discovered we had something important in common—we both think Spider-Man is pretty cool! Letting him take a few pictures also helped bring out his smile.
We waited for about two hours before his CT scan, which gave us time to get to know Sabrine better. When it was finally time for the scan, Samer did an incredible job. He listened carefully to every instruction and cooperated with the medical staff. Although you could tell he was nervous, he remained calm throughout the process. What a brave little boy.
Samer was placed under anesthesia for the CT scan. When he woke up, he was very groggy and struggled to keep his head up. He also became sick and vomited several times, but after a while he regained his strength and was eventually cleared to leave the hospital.
The next step in Samer’s journey is surgery, which is scheduled for next Sunday. Please join us in praying that he will be able to enter Israel safely for his procedure, that his surgery will go smoothly, and that in the meantime he will remain healthy and happy.
I met Samer from Bethlehem for the first time today. He came to Sheba Medical Center with his mother‘s friend. He is a nice little guy that gave an enthusiastic thumbs up for the photo. Samer had an echo and a doctor examination today and he seemed to be doing well. Please pray for Samer to continue to be strong and healthy.
I finally got to meet five year-old Samer. I had heard about him a couple of months ago, that he was a little orphan boy from Bethlehem. He is a very cute, rambunctious boy.
While waiting to talk to the doctor, someone said Samer would probably need surgery and from what I heard, it sounded to my ears like it was urgent. Praise God when we talked to his doctor he basically said, “He does not need a surgery. He’s fine. We will see him in six months.”
Please pray for this little one, that he will continue to grow big and strong.
The day of discharge came for Samer. Open-heart surgery and home in less than a week, amazing! Elisa and I met Samer and his carer Anne in Sheba’s cardiac step-down unit, where he had spent the holiday weekend free of drips and drains, able to move around and amuse himself.
Samer left for The Crèche in Bethlehem at 2pm today, although I can’t say he looked particularly happy about going home! He takes all his new toys with him, which he now has to share with the other children at The Crèche, along with all his Sheba experiences and stories to tell. And, of course, he has a nice scar down his chest to show off after his open-heart surgery.
