Sila is looking great. She’s grown so much and is a happy, brave little girl. She and her parents had travelled from their hometown of Jenin for Sila’s immunology appointment.
Sila has DiGeorge syndrome, a genetic condition that can affect how the body develops and is strongly linked to congenital heart defects. Because children with DiGeorge syndrome can have lower immunity during their first two years, Sila has regular appointments with the immunology team to keep a close eye on her health and development.
The doctor was especially pleased to hear that Sila hasn’t been sick at all since her last visit in May. She asked Mum about how Sila has been eating, her strength and movement, and which vaccinations she has received, including whether she had any side eff
Sila isn’t eating much solid food yet. She mostly has milk, yoghurt and puréed foods. She isn’t walking yet either, although she can stand while holding onto a chair. Mum says she crawls, although apparently Sila prefers to do it on her back! Thankfully, she didn’t have any side effects from her vaccinations.
The doctor explained that DiGeorge syndrome can present across a wide spectrum, and that Sila has a moderate form. For now, one of the most important things is making sure her vaccinations are giving her the protection she needs. To check this, the doctor has ordered some special blood tests to measure Sila’s antibody response to tetanus, pneumococcus and measles.
Sila absolutely aced the blood test, she lay back and have her arm like a pro. There were only a few tears. We apparently had the best venepuncture nurse in Sheba children’s hospital taking her blood, which certainly helped!
Sila’s next heart check-up is on November 22, and she’ll see this lovely immunology doctor again at the same time. The doctor says there’s no need to make an appointment either. They can just knock on her door.
It was a real pleasure seeing Sila again. God bless her and her wonderful, kind parents. Bless their home, their work, and all their coming and going. But most of all, bless sweet Sila and her little body, and help her to grow, develop, and reach all her milestones.
Our exceptionally beautiful and sweet Sila from the West Bank, came this morning with her father for an ultrasound to Sheba Hospital. The doctor said she is doing well.
She is scheduled to return for a follow-up in six months.
She loved receiving attention from each of us individually. She enjoys warm security and gentle conversation. This allows her to connect well, despite having a rather nasty cold.
Please pray for a full recovery and blessings for this sweet girl. Please also pray for God’s blessing on their family.
I remember the days when Sila was fragile and much smaller and spent days on end laying in her little hospital crib, my coworkers and I visiting her at Sheba Hospital nearly every day.
Today she and her father came back to Sheba for an immunology appointment, and Sila has grown so much since those days! She was asleep when we first met up with her father today, and he wanted us to say hello to her… only she was asleep.
He tried to wake her up by unceasingly calling her name and nudging her.
Finally opened her eyes— but she was clearly not thrilled with being awakened and wore an expression I would as well if I were in her predicament.
I parted ways to accomplish my other tasks, and when I saw them a few hours later, Sila was wide awake and full of smiles. I don’t remember when I last saw a baby this happy! Her father proudly showed her off to the others in the hospital, specifically to those he knew from her long hospitalization prior.
Sila has DiGeorge Syndrome, but she is a beautiful girl nonetheless! She needs to come in for an Echo soon.
This week we got to see little Sila at Sheba Hospital for her immunology visit. She has grown bigger and looks so cute! Her mother is a dear and incredibly sweet.
Sila’s immunology appointment went well praise God, and was finished by the time we got there. Sila has severe B cell deficiency which means she is more suceptable to getting sick and will need to go on IVIG to strengthen her immune system. This will occur at Sheba at least once a month.
Please pray that this situation will be fixed soon, and she will continue to strengthen and grow.
Little Sila from Jenin returned to Sheba Hospital for a customary check-up which today included an ECHO.
The doctor told her father her heart looks good. She will need to come back in two months for another one so they can keep an eye on how she’s doing and growing.
It’s always such a pleasure getting to see the babies after a significant amount of time away and admire how much they’ve grown. Sila was no different. What a blessing! She was definitely bigger since I saw her last and not only did I get to hold her, but I got to bottle feed her as well!
After almost exactly two long months Sila has finally been discharged and is back home!
Looking back on all this little one has been through it is very cool to see what God has done. Almost as soon as Sila got to Sheba Medical center she was put on a ventilator, and through the two months she has been ventilated two different times, had two surgeries and a catheterization. On top of this she also had problems even getting a surgery due to a fungal infection!
Finally Sila had all her procedures, then followed the long road to recovery where she also had to learn how to eat. And finally today she went home. Isn’t God cool! He knew what he was doing and had a plan. I hope he used us to show Sila and her parents the love of Messiah.
Something else he did: for about two or three weeks Sila’s father has been trying to get travel permission for his wife to come to Sheba Medical Center, well late last night Sila’s mother came to see her daughter for the first time in at least a month!
And it was just in time to escort her home which was very sweet. It made my heart so happy to see Sila reconnected with her mom, and to watch her sweet mother take care of her!
Sila is supposed to have a follow up in about a months time. Please pray that all will be well, and that she will continue to grow in strength!
Sila’s super long hospital stay is almost at an end. She’s quite a happy baby now that she is stronger. Today she had two main expressions on her face— either the twinge of a smile….
– or wide eyed, opened-mouth wonder at the fascinating world around her. She experimented with gripping my finger.
Today the doctors increased her nutritional value intake and plan on vaccinating her either today or tomorrow. Which leads me to say that they have another, bigger plan for tomorrow as well… they want to discharge her!
We are grateful that this long road is behind her, and yet a life-long journey still awaits ahead.
For now, we’re excited to see her go home and get to know, and be enjoyed by, the rest of her family. Praise God!
Up on the 9th floor of Sheba Medical Center, I got a very short visit in with Sila. She was lying on her Dad’s lap having play time.
The bond between them is clear. He is “it” for her apart from the Shevet volunteers daily visits and the in and out medical staff. Sila seems very content with the arrangement but I’m sure the rest of her family would love to have her home to get to know her. It’s been a lengthy hospital stay but slowly and surely she is making progress.
Sila remains in hospital to feed and grow for now. Please continue to keep Sila and her Dad in your prayers.
Sila has been stuck in the hospital for a while, slowly trying to gain weight and become stronger. I checked in with her doctor today and there is promising news for her. They do not know when she will be discharged but they suspect it will be more time, as she is still weak, but day by day she is eating more from the bottle and less from the NG tube, and she recently switched away from fat free milk as her body was able to process Lipids again.
Her father is very concerned for her health, especially at the prospect of transferring her to a hospital closer to home, which he is skeptical of. He wants the best for her, and cares for her so tenderly and with such deep love.
We went to Sheba Medical Center’s childrens’ ward to see little Sila. She has graduated from the ICU and is now waiting to be discharged but first to remember how to drink!
Like may babies who have been confined to a hospital bed and machinery for breathing, the reflexive taking of milk from a bottle is forgotten or lost. Sila has forgotten her reflex and needs to learn again how to drink her milk before she goes home.
Some physical therapy is provided at the hospital so we hope this will make the difference for her.
Meanwhile, she is very adorable and inquisitive. She looked long at Jonathan, at me, and at the animal mobile over her head. She studied that quite intently.
Today I found Sila’s ICU room empty and being cleaned. A quick investigation later, I found her and her father resting comfortably in the secondary ICU–a tremendous leap forward! It’s a sign of Sila’s good health and stability that she no longer needs to rest in the primary ICU.
Her father told me that she’s been having some trouble taking milk on her own, so that’s the next hurdle for this sweet little girl to overcome in her treatment. But when she can eat comfortably, and when the doctors feel she’s sufficiently strengthened, she’ll be finally sent on her way back home. Right now, optimistic estimates put that in the next ten or so days, God willing.
We thank our Father for this tremendous restoration in Sila’s life!
Sila is looking amazing. I was quite taken aback on walking into her room this morning at Sheba Hospital, and seeing Dad bent over her bed chatting to her. Sila was looking intently into his eyes, fist wrapped around his finger while I looked on trying not to disturb their moment. It bought tears to my eyes as we have seen her day after day and week after week asleep with a breathing tube insitu.
Now Sila is free of the breathing tube as well as the chest drains and oxygen support. She is stable and the doctors are happy.
Sila’s Dad is also in very good spirits. Praise the Lord. This is real progress! Please continue to pray for this sweet little girl. Bless her Lord with strength and vitality.
I popped in to see Sila this morning and found her wide eyed, looking in the direction of the beeping sounds and mouth working out this tube in her mouth. I thought she might cry but no, she was just calmly observing her environment
I stayed with Sila for a little bit, prayed for her and then continued my visits. On a return visit, a short while later, I saw she was extubated, hallelujah! It was a joy to see her sweet face free of the tube! The doctors also removed her stomach drain which is another excellent sign and all steps in the right direction. Praise God, this precious little girl is on the up.
Thank you Jesus. Please continue praying for a speedy recovery in Jesus mighty name. Amen
Today Sila, in addition to two other children in the PICU at Sheba Medical Center, had her chest successfully closed today. So far she’s doing well. Please pray that her chest will be able to remain closed.
Her dad was very sweet today and sat with another of our father‘s whose daughter’s chest was also being closed. It was very sweet as Sila’s dad was comforting this other father and I could see that they had gotten close. As they’ve both been here for about the same amount of time.
Please pray for Sila and her father, as Sila still has a long road to recovery, and pray that her father will have stamina to outlast it.
Late this morning, Sila was taken in for a new interventional catheterization. Her doctors aimed to balloon the pulmonary arteries in order to improve her blood pressure, which would in turn permit her chest closure.
Praise God, the catheterization, lengthier than normal, was a success, and Sila emerged looking to be in good condition. She needs to recover from the procedure, but if all goes well, she will have her chest closed again in the next couple days.
We continue to lift her up in our prayers, asking for our Father to restore her after such a long wait.
Sila was to have her chest closed today but it was unsuccessful due to a drop in blood pressure indicating her heart is still too weak. So her chest remains open with the hope of trying to close it again either tomorrow or on Sunday.
Back at in her room the doctor did an echo which was good. They plan to do a catheterisation next week to expand the pulmonary artery, God willing!
Please keep lifting this wee girl up in prayer. Father, we speak life, peace and Your healing glory over Sila in Jesus name. Amen.
This was the first time seeing Sila since her surgery. As you can see in the photo there are many infusions and almost as many outgoing. Her chest is still open but they are hoping to take her to surgery tomorrow to close it.
I managed to get a nurse’s report after two nurses and a doctor came in to take blood from three different sites, change infusions and do other cares: although her heart is still very weak she is making slow progress. There are three concerns the team are dealing with: a low glucose level, low platelets and blood in the urine.
Platelets were given this morning so hopefully her level has gone up and will stay up! There is obviously a reason for these problems, but at the moment they don’t have the answers. Let’s pray that the doctors get answers soon.
…Father give them wisdom and insight in Jesus name and Lord be with little Sila, give her strength and stamina to get through these hiccups and be with her father also. Fill her room with your presence and the shalom of Heaven… Amen
At Sheba Hospital today, Sila underwent major Truncus surgery.
She has been waiting for the surgery because of different infections and finally today she was ready to have the surgery.
We came into her room this morning and prayed over her little body. Coworker Beth was even able to hold her for a moment while the nurse prepared her bed.
After seven long hours of waiting, her father impatiently waiting to hear news of his daughter, we received word that Sila was out of surgery and that everything had gone well.
Her chest is still open as her body adjusts to the big changes, but the surgeon said that everything went well. We pray for Sila that this would be a successful procedure and would lead to health and life for this little girl.
We praise God for holding her safely through surgery.
Finally baby Sila is well enough for surgery, praise the Lord!
It has been three weeks since she arrived and her poor little body has certainly been through some battles, but despite all of this, she has grown a lovely crop of hair and she is responding well to her father.
I spoke briefly with her father today. He seemed very tired and anxious but relieved that surgery day has finally come. Please pray for a stable and peaceful night for this dear little girl and a successful surgery tomorrow.
Coworker Max and I walked into Sila’s room at Sheba Hospital today to see a nurse washing Sila’s bed as Sila’s father held his daughter for the first time since she arrived to hospital around a month ago. This was a wonderful sight as Sila was off all oxygen support, most medicines, and doing extremely well!
It was also beautiful to see the love and devotion of Sila’s father for his daughter as he tenderly held her, and then at one point when she started to cry and he gently patted her head. Sila also looked very cute in her very first Sheba Hospital outfit. The whole time I’ve known her she hasn’t been able to be clothed for some reason or other.
I praise God for the healing he has done so far in our little truncus patient, Sila.
Max was able to talk to the doctors today who confirmed the good news that Sila is doing well! They were able to do a white blood cell test, which showed that the infection was on its way out! Praise God as this means they can go ahead and plan her long-awaited surgery for hopefully Wednesday this week or Sunday next week.
Please pray for Sila’s strength to get through this next surgery, and for extra wisdom for the surgical staff.
Today at Sheba Medical Center, we learned that Sila has another infection, and this time it is a bacterial one in her blood. One of the doctors told us that they cannot move ahead with her surgery until they know it hasn’t grown at all for three days. Today it hasn’t even been one day.
My visit with her and her father was brief, but he seemed to be in good spirits and full of smiles.
Please pray that Sila’s infection clears so the doctors can move forward with her treatment sooner rather than later.
Today, we came to Sheba Hospital to see Sila and found that the doctors were in the process of extubating her. We waited for a little while, and then we were able to say hello to the little girl. She is absolutely adorable, and it was a blessing to see her and pray over her.
After our visit, we met with the doctor to get an update on her condition. It turns out that what they initially thought were convulsions was actually her reaction to the medication she’s on. We were relieved to hear that, and even more encouraged to learn that they believe she might be ready for surgery next week.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get the chance to meet Sila’s parents, as they were home for ‘Eid al-Fitr’ the holiday at the end of Ramadan. However, one of our community will visit again tomorrow. So tomorrow will be a good day for connecting with them.
Sila is still struggling. Today at Sheba Medical, we learned that she is having convulsions, and the radiologists took her for a CT scan in order to find out why. The scan didn’t show anything that might be the root of this new issue, so the doctors wondered if the cause is too small to show up on a CT.
They decided to use a lumbar puncture to draw fluids to test. There’s a possibility this is infection related, and Sila cannot have surgery until we get the results.
I met Sila and her parents today for the first time at Sheba Hospital during Sila‘s surgery. When I got there at 8 o’clock, she had gone back 20 minutes previously and her parents were in the sitting room. What followed was a four hour roller coaster of emotions. Her parents were obviously distressed over their child’s first surgery, which is very normal. But what wasn’t normal, was that due to Sila’s fungal infection, doctors were unable to do what they had wanted to do in this surgery attempt and instead stanched some of the blood flow and decided to do a surgery next week. This obviously distressed Sila’s parents who first got news that the surgery will be next year, but thank God we found out this was a miss-speak, and in reality, she will be having surgery in a week, which while better, obviously was not easier for her parents to absorb.
I found Sila’s parents to be very kind and was able to bond with her father over a shared profession. I was a contractor in the United States and he is a contractor in Jenin, so we got to talk a little bit about that and I found out that he helps stabilize walls and also builds them, which is something I’ve done a little bit of. Sila‘s mom is very, very quiet, but also seems to be very sweet. We were not able to talk very much though during the day, but I look forward to getting to know both of them better as we spend time while their daughter is in the hospital.
Please pray for Sila that the setback will actually be a gift from God and that her body will be able to handle the surgery better because of it and pray for her parents that they will have the stamina to endure another long hospital wait.
We received great news! Sila is strong enough to have her surgery, and it’s set for tomorrow. Coworker Bethany and I went to Sheba Hospital to visit her and her parents before the big day. Sila seems to be doing well, as well as one can expect in these situations, but her mother looked exhausted. I asked if she slept well, and she said no. The parents of these heart patients always receive such a strain during their time in the hospital.
Please pray for Sila’s mother and father, because I’m sure they’re very nervous as tomorrow morning quickly approaches! Also help us lift up Sila, praying that her small body will endure the procedure and have a swift recovery.
We were disappointed and worried to hear late last week that, after testing, Sila’s doctors at Sheba Hospital found that she is battling a fungal infection in her blood. They are not quite sure how she obtained this, but her surgery had to be postponed until this could be cleared up and properly treated.
We were pleased today to arrive at her bedside and hear that her doctors are pleased with how she has been responding to her treatment for this infection. Her physician today was even hopeful that she may go in to surgery this week, depending on how things progress in the next few days.
Please continue to pray over her and for this. She urgently needs this surgery for her Truncus condition as soon as she is safely able to undergo it.
Sila, our newest emergency transfer from the West Bank, is officially settled in her “new home”- the ICU of Sheba Medical Center, where she’ll be staying for the next unknown amount of time.
I was there to greet her mother when they first arrived a couple days ago, and today I got to meet her father as well. They’re a gentle, sweet couple who care dearly about their daughter.
Today we learned that Sila presently has a fungal infection. Because of this, her surgery, set for Sunday, is postponed. The doctor said this is not good because her surgery needed to be done ASAP. Also, we’re not sure why she’s infected.
Please pray that the infection gets quickly treated so they can move forward with the surgery.
Today at Sheba Hospital, I was able to meet and spend time with our newest arrival, a beautiful little girl named Sila from the town of Jenin in the West Bank. She is beautiful, and has a full head of dark hair. I walked into her room in the Cardiac ICU and found her settled into her bed with a breathing tube in place. Both her mother and father were at her bedside.
We spent time getting acquainted. Sila’s parents showed me pictures of their four other children. I stood by Sila’s bed for quite some time, just touching her hair and enjoying the moments with her parents. It is often not easy to communicate with many of our families, given the extreme language barrier that exisists, but today as I stood by them, I realized that kindness and caring are easily conveyed without words, and sometimes moments of silence are also something to be treasured. These times are some of my favorites that I have with our families, and I have grown to embrace them.
Sila will be undergoing a CT today which will help her doctors determine the next best steps to take in her plan of care. We also foud out that she may be having her Truncus repair surgery as soon as Sunday.
Please continue to pray for her over all of this, asking our Father to guide her doctors as they continue planning these next several days ahead for her.
Baby Sila, a one-month-old girl with a truncus diagnosis, reached Sheba Hospital at around 2PM. She was hustled out of her ambulance and into her hospital room, and for the next hours she was surrounded by doctors and nurses as test after test after test was performed on her tiny frame.
Sila was diagnosed in the womb with her condition, but her health didn’t deteriorate until after her first couple weeks. We were put in touch with her family shortly after her first trip to a hospital, when she was about twenty days old. It took around ten days to work out the details of her transfer; but particularly for children with this condition, time is of the essence. As her doctor performed her first echo at Sheba, he lamented to me that she couldn’t have gotten there earlier: “each day makes a difference.”
Sila’s mother, despite her evident fears for the safety of her child, conducted herself with quiet dignity and determination, trusting what we had to say and waiting patiently as Sila was examined. Afterwards, she went to stand by her daughter’s side. Her husband, delayed due to crossing the border in non-emergency transportation, joined them later, though I haven’t met him yet.
Sila will have a difficult road ahead with her. In the coming days she’ll have a CT scan performed, which, God willing, will pave the way for surgery next week. Please pray for her! She’s so new to the earth and to life; we want her to be healed and to taste the fullness of what God has prepared for her.
Please pray for this precious girl and her family, that God will be with them and that his Spirit will comfort them even as he brings healing to Sila.
