Today we visited sweet little Somaia and her aunt at the Pediatric ICU of Sheba Children’s Hospital. She was sleeping at the time we arrived but after a moment she opened her eyes and you can see that she is a little fighter.

The doctor informed us that her time post catheterization has been stable, but also that she most probably will have to stay on a ventilator for a long time.

We will continue to lift our sweet Somaia to the One for whom nothing is impossible!

Somaia is a months-old child from the Gaza Strip, who has been in Sheba Hospital for quite some time now. She’s been stable since her tracheostomy.

When we arrived in her hospital room, the nurse had just taken a blood test. My heart cried out for this tiny little child that needs to gain weight and get her health back.

 Please pray for Somaia and for her health and her family.

Somaia is doing well in her room in the Pediatric ICU of Sheba Hospital. She stared at me, and moved her tiny hand up and down, which was very cute.

There hasn’t been a decision made yet, as to whether Somaia will need to leave the hospital. The doctor mentioned that they wanted to have her here, since she would receive a better treatment here than in a Gaza hospital.

Let’s pray that our good Lord may lead hospital administrators to the best decision for Somaia, and that Somaia’s condition may get better, which is the best solution. Thank you for being with us in prayer.

When coworker Tatiana and I went to Sheba Hospital and entered Somaia’s room in the ICU, her aunt gave us a friendly welcome. She is currently there to stand in for Somaia’s mother who is in Gaza looking after her other children.

When I stroked Somaia’s hand, she tightly held onto my fingers – her aunt smiled. You can see immediately what a good team Somaia and her aunt are. Seeing them together gives hope that Somaia is persevering despite so many setbacks in the last weeks.

A nurse confirmed to us today that a decision has still not been made whether Somaia will have to leave Sheba. Please keep praying for Somaia’s recovery so she can stay for now. This is a very crucial moment because an premature discharge could be dangerous for her.

For the last two months the doctors at Sheba Hospital tried several times to ween Somaia from the ventilator, but it didn’t work at all. Her condition is still the same, so the doctors told us that they will start the process of bringing her back to Gaza with the ventilator.

She and her mom have been now at Sheba Hospital for a long time. Because of her other children at home, Somaia’s Mom had to go back to Gaza today while her sister came to Sheba to look after Somaia. We will surely miss Somaia’s mom and how she cared for us volunteers.

Please pray for Somaia, that God keeps her in his hands and provides the best for her. Even as her mom leaves and goes back home, please  pray for both of them.

Our little Somaia is struggling again. This morning in Sheba Hospital, Somaia had an episode of low oxygen; her heart wasn’t working as it normally has been.

The doctors had to do some chest compressions to stabilize her again. They assume that those problems came because she is fighting against the ventilation. 

For now she is stabilized, and the doctors hope this doesn’t happen again. Somaia’s mother was concerned about her, but she is still in good spirits as always. Please pray for little Somaia that she will improve!

Babysitting little Somaia at Sheba Hospital was a blessing this day, while her mother had her longed-for first visit to Jerusalem. When we first came to the I, Somaia was sleeping. But as we looked after her again later, she was laying awake in her bed.

The Sheba staff kept playing the TV with a kids show on, so that she would hear some voices and music. As coworker Johanna and I were standing beside her bed, she kept looking at us and kept following our every move with her eyes. Please pray for her because she really needs to grow and get stronger to make some progress.

When coworker Lucia and I visited Somaia at Sheba Medical today, she was awake and looking around. At one point, she started crying and this nearly broke my heart. To see this little girl wanting to cry, but there is no sound coming out of her tiny body is so hard to see. She wants to cry, to tell us that she is not okay, but she just can’t because of her tracheostomy. This reminded me so much of the verses in Proverbs 31, 8-9:

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.

All our little kids here don’t have a voice to speak for themselves and so we are called to fight for them. Sometimes this can be challenging, but it is worth it.

Thank you for joining us in fighting for these little ones! Thanks for your prayers for Somaia!

Our Somaia is still not only slowly improving. She is lying in the same ICU room, in the same bed for three months and is still so tiny. So often she improved and failed again and now for several weeks there is no big change.

Today the doctors wanted to give her another chance and tried to disconnect her from the ventilator for a while, but she couldn’t breath on her own. She doesn’t have enough strength for that.

I’m everyday new so amazed by her mother. She is the most welcoming and kindly caring person and makes all our hospital days much better. She has a big smile when she sees us and at the end of the day she walks with us to the car and waves us goodbye. She is such a good example how our joy shouldn’t be dependent on our circumstances but we should have deep joy every day in God. Because of what he did for us and how much he loves us, we can rejoice always.

Let us pray that exactly this Somaia will experience! That even though she has such a hard start in her young life she will smile again and rejoice!

Somaia’s mother was delighted today with the improvement she sees in her daughter’s condition. And her daughter appeared delighted with the presence of her mother, keeping her eyes fixed on her while she was held. Truly Mom is the best medicine!

Please pray that they’ll be able to stay together, despite pressure for the mother to return home to her 14 other children, and concern from Sheba’s financial managers about the costs of this lengthy hospital stay.

Somaia is still having to grow a little bit. The doctors at Sheba Hospital encouraged us to hold her and show her more love. They said that it would be very good for her to have more connection with people.

So today, when coworker Esther and I walked in Somaia’s room, we hugged her and gave her much attention. After that, we asked Somaia’s mother if we could pray for Somaia in the name of ‘Isa,’ which is the name of Jesus in Arabic. So she accepted, and while I was praying, I could not hold back and broke up in tears, which Somaia’s mum promptly dabbed dry with a tissue. I felt a strong connection with her.

We are looking forward to seeing Somaia get stronger. Please pray with us.

An X-ray was ordered for Somaia yesterday at Sheba Hospital. The doctors discovered from the X-ray reading, that Somaia has two fractures in her right leg. A previous test done a month ago, was to understand why Somaia’s bones are weak. Today’s X-ray was to determine Somaia’s progress, if there were any.

All the staff love Somaia and invest much effort in the care of her. They provided a little speaker with classical music and put it in her room.

Somaia’s doctor would like to extubate her, but that could take weeks or even months. For a baby like her to be in the ICU for that length of time could present risks, such as contracting a virus or infection.

Please pray for her protection during the length of her stay in the ICU and for answers concerning bone weakness.

Somaia’s mother has settled in to life at Sheba Hospital with a joyful spirit and is making the most of her time there. She’s always eager to welcome visitors, as well as sit with the mothers of children in surgery to support them and pray for them.

Somaia is still not ready to go into surgery and likely has a long road ahead of her, but her mother believes she is seeing improvement in her overall condition. So that’s hopeful news.

Thank you for your prayers for this little one. She’s struggling to come through this and it seems sometimes like victory is just around the corner.

Doctors today reported little change in Somaia’s condition, saying she is not yet ready to go back for surgery. But we found her newly-arrived mother full of joy and enthusiasm! She feels honored and affirmed to see all the care that has been poured out over the past three months on her beloved daughter by the people of Israel.

We pray for God’s continued work in the hearts of both Somaia and her mother.

Today was a big day for Somaia’s family. A long time prayer was answered, and Somaia’s grandmother was able to leave Sheba Hospital where she has been Somaia’s caregiver and was able to go home to Gaza, and Somaia’s mother was allowed to come in her stead, just in time for Eid this weekend. Somaia’s mother and grandmother were effusive in their joy. The excitement spread to the PICU staff as well, who had become close with Somaia’s grandmother. It is not often that smiles and laugher enter the PICU.

In addition to Somaia getting to be with her mother, she also had a successful catheterization procedure earlier this week that showed promising results for her future surgery. Now Somaia needs to continue to grow, so her surgery can happen safely. We pray that Somaia will sense the joy and love surrounding her and find the strength to keep growing!

I was shocked to see Somaia last time I visited her at Sheba Hospital. She was lying there with her eyes open but still, so lifeless. I was simply scared to come close to her with a sense of overwhelming helplessness, and took the picture and hurried out of the room. I then remembered the words of a sister in the Lord who said we shall be confident in the knowledge that just holding our hand on these little ones and softly whispering to them, can make a huge impact, and these words called to mind, encouraged me tremendously.  I was determined to come closer to Somaia today.

Good thing that I had my coworker Margarita with me; she has powerful words of prayer inside of her. Margarita prayed in Spanish and I in Japanese, while each  of us gently touched Somaia’s little feet. I’ll never forget what happened.  Somaia opened and moved her eyes around, sucked the pacifier in her mouth and slightly moved her arms.  I witnessed life. Lord, you knitted Somaia in her mother’s womb, and you breathed your breath into her nostrils. I pray that you pour out the greatest mercy on Somaia and revive this little life back to strength.

Today, coworker Doro and I went to Sheba Medical Center to visit little Somaia.

The doctor told us the very good news that Somaia is awake right now.

They also were able to take her off the ventilator for fifteen minutes. It’s not that much time, but she is still very weak and for her present condition, it is a huge progress. Doctors have also begun to start feeding her, and hope that there won’t be another build-up of fluid in her body.

Please pray for her, that she will continue progressing.

Today I visited little tiny Somaia in Sheba Children’s Hospital ICU and saw her for the first time with the tracheostomy. The doctors are reducing the medicine for Somaia, so that she will wake up. We will see then how she is doing. For now she is stable.

A physiotherapist trained Somaia’s legs and arms today. She explained to me that because Somaia was so puffy for a long time, she can’t move her very well.
Somaia has already had a very hard path behind her. But also her future will not be much easier. There is still a lot waiting for this little girl.

So, let’s pray for Somaia, that God will strengthen her.

Today I went to Sheba Medical Center to visit little Somaia and her lovely grandmother. The doctor said that Somaia will have a tracheostomy tomorrow; a hole in the base of the neck so the child can take in better oxygen.

The doctors hope Somaia can recover from the ventilation with the tracheostomy. Other than that, she is still very sick. So I want to ask you to pray for her and bless her and her grandmother.

When I visited Somaia this morning for the first time, she was still extubated, her grandmother was quite happy and a nurse told me that she is doing okay.

When I came back to the ICU later, I saw that there are a lot of doctors and nurses in the room with Somaia and her grandmother was standing outside crying. Later a doctor told me that Somaia was failing and they had to intubate her again. For now she is stable again.

Lord I pray that you bless this little girl and her grandmother! Please let her get better soon!

When I entered the ICU today and looked into Somaia’s room I saw surprisingly that she is extubated. So, I talked to a doctor who explained Somaia’s situation to me very frankly.

“Sometimes you have to give a child a chance, just by herself and see how she is doing.” In this, the doctor wasn’t very optimistic, but wanted to give it a chance. To keep Somaia intubated for so long has its costs. Her muscles are very weak and she already failed once after a previous extubation.

Ten minutes after today’s extubation, Somaia seemed to be okay, but we will see how she will improve in the next hours. If she fails again, the doctors will consider a tracheostomy for Somaia. Also, Somaia still has a lot of fluid in her chest. The doctors don’t know why yet.

I stood a while at Somaia’s bed to pray for her and talk with her. I could hear her breathing, trying to get enough air.

Please pray a lot for Somaia. She needs it right now to be able to breathe on her own. For now she still gets help by oxygen support.

Today, coworker Tatiana and I visited Somaia and her grandmother again at Sheba Hospital. Somaia is not stable. After her long balloon catherization to widen an artery yesterday, she isn’t doing much better.

The doctor explained to me that this was the last thing they could do for Somaia. Now it depends on her, if she will improve or not. We can only wait and see what happens. At least Somaia’s leg stopped bleeding.

So, this little girl needs our prayer now especially. Only God can raise her up. Somaia’s grandmother remains patiently at her side and also cried for all Somaia has to suffer.

Little Somaia went today into a long cath at Sheba Hospital to open up an artery which was clogged. This is much better now than before.

When she was back in her room, I saw a lot of doctors and nurses in there because her leg bleeding heavily. One nurse had to push the leg at this place because it wouldn’t stop. When we left the hospital, Somaia was still bleeding.

Today, coworker Frank and I also took measures for trying to get Somaia’s dad to the hospital. Somaia’s grandmother is very tired of all the weeks in the hospital and just wants to go home, so she asked for a replacement.

I really could see this grandmother’s pain. Especially because another child, little Adam, died in the hospital today, and Somaia’s grandmother has come to know these mothers and relatives in hospital and feels their sadness, especially the sadness of Adam’s aunt. In the end, she also hugged me tightly.

Please pray for Somaia’s grandmother. Because of the death of Adam, there is much more tension in the air. Especially because also Somaia is not doing very well. This child and grandmother need our prayers.

Somaia is stable in the ICU at Sheba Medical Center. The doctors found out that she has pleural effusion, which means fluid in the lungs area. This is also the reason why she is still intubated.

Tomorrow Somaia will go into a cath, to see how the pleural effusion can be treated. Please pray for this cath, the doctors and Somaia. She really needs a lot of prayer.

Somaia’s grandmother is very tired and exhausted. So long already, she stand faithfully by Somaia’s side and it didn’t get very much better so far. Please pray for comfort, patience and love for her and that Somaia will finally improve.

Today, I visited little Somaia and her grandmother. When I stand next to Somaia I was really shocked. She didn’t look good or really alive. The doctor said that she is so sick, but also they can’t ween her off ventilation. Soon, they will do a cath for her to find out what could be the reason.

I was standing a while at the bed of Somaia to talk to her and to promise her that there are people who love her and that God loves her so much. This girl doesn’t need only better health but also love! Somaia is in Gods loving hands and we can trust him that he will make it good however.

Please pray for Somaia, her family and grandmother and her doctors. They all need strength, wisdom and love.

Today my Coworker Frank and I visited Somaia at Sheba Medical center. Unfortunately Somaia is very sick. She has an infection and a lot of fluid in her body.The doctors told us that they have to give her time to recover right now, then they can think about further treatment.

Lord, I want to pray for blessing  for Somaia and her lovely grandmother, a very strong and sweet woman. Please also pray that Somaia will come through this somehow, with God’s help.

Somaia is slowly improving and the doctors at Sheba Medical are stabilizing her. Finally the doctors could also change Somaia’s central line, which was a big issue today. She now has a new line in her leg, to get medicine directly to the heart.

Still, she will need some time to recover, and the doctors will wait a week before they try to extubate her again. For now, she is doing okay.

Somaia’s grandmother is very tired, but still stays patiently at her granddaughter’s side. Please pray for Somaia. She needs a lot of prayer.

“Somaia is very, very sick,” was the first sentence the doctor at Sheba Hospital said to coworker Hanna today. Over the weekend Somaia had to be reintubated and now she also has an infection of sepsis. She is receiving antibiotics and needs a lot of medication. Tomorrow the doctors try to set a new centerline.

Last week we thought Somaia was finally getting better and now things are getting worse again. Somaia’s grandmother is so tired of the whole situation and very worried about her grandchild. Please pray for strength and patience for her.

And little Somaia needs also a lot of prayer to get better. God can restore her health.

Today at Sheba Hospital, we heard very good news on Somaia. She is extubated and doing well so far. That’s amazing, if we remember the whole time she’s been already in the hospital with struggles and an open chest for a long time. And now she can breathe on her own.

We can thank God for this. Somaia’s grandmother is thankful, but also very tired of the time in the hospital.

Please pray for Somaia, that she will recover fully! And also for new strength for her grandmother.

Today coworker Frank and I visited little Somaia and her lovely grandmother at Sheba Hospital. Somaia’s grandmother is very patient about everything, especially considering Somaia is still not extubated because she is not waking up enough. Doctors are hoping she will be awake enough in the next few days and they will try extubation again.

Somaia also has been found to have some problems with her liver, but doctors are working to help this. Let’s pray for Somaia, that she wakes sufficiently to enable the next attempt at her extubation.

Today coworker Hanna and I went to Sheba Medical Center and visited Somaia.  The doctors there told us that she is doing ok since she has her pacemaker and they want to try to wake her up in the next few days.

I’m very happy that she is doing better, thank the Lord. Please keep continuing praying for her further treatment and recovery.

Today at Sheba Hospital, we heard good news for Somaia. She was stable over night! She is doing okay and the doctors will watch her for improvement now.

It was also very special for all the grandmothers in the waiting room or thereabouts, that Jonathan visited them today. They were very grateful for this.

Please pray for Somaia, that she can finally recover now fully. Pray also for wisdom for the doctors as they decide how to proceed.

Today coworker Willem and I visited little Somaia in Sheba Hospital’s Pediatric ICU. The doctors finally closed Somaia’s chest. For now she is doing well, but they have to see how it goes. So especially the next hours are important.

We talked a little bit with her grandmother. She said that she has pain in her leg and lower back. Please keep her in your prayers, and for Somaia’s condition to remain stable and for her healing.

This morning the blood pressure of Somaia went down. Doctors at Sheba Hospital gave her medications for  the low blood pressure. During the day, her blood pressure went up again.

Also, Somaia again has fluid in her chest, so the doctors cleared that out today as well.

We ask for your prayer for Somaia. She is not getting worse, but also not better yet. Her grandmother is worried about her. It is nice that there are a lot of other Gaza mothers and grandmothers that she can be with and talk to. It is nice to see how these mothers and grandmothers always support each other and frequently share meals together.

Today I visited little Somaia in the Pediatric ICU of Sheba Medical Center. The doctor told me that she is slowly getting better and might have her surgery to close her chest tomorrow.

I’m very thankful that she is improving and hope that she will keep getting better. Lord I want to ask you for your protection over this little girl and her grandmother.

As I visited Somaia and her grandmother at Sheba Hospital today, one doctor explained to me that Somaia will go into surgery today in the afternoon. She has fluid in her chest, so the surgeons have to clean out the chest area.

We learned that the surgery went well and she is stabilized, thank God.

On Sunday, we will see how she is doing. Until then, we’re thankful that everything went well in the surgery and Somaia is stable.

In Sheba Hospital yesterday,  Somaia was improving. But today she is struggling and the doctors don’t know why. They have to find out in the next days what the problem is.

Somaia’s chest is still open, they might close it on Sunday. Today, Somaia’s grandmother came to me crying, because she saw the nurses working on the open chest. She also feels that something isn’t alright.

Please join in prayer for Somaia, so the doctors may find the problem and can help. And also pray for her grandmother.

Time was running out for newborn Somaia, on a ventilator in the Gaza Strip and requiring emergency heart surgery. Without a specialist ICU doctor to escort her, no ambulance service was willing to bring her to the advanced medical care in Israel.

Thank God that Dr. Ahmed from Haifa’s Rambam Hospital today left his work early, stabilized Somaia at the Gaza crossing point, and safely shepherded her to the Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv. She’s now stable and undergoing assessment in preparation for surgery at the start of next week.