The long anticipated catheterization for Lalo was today, and it was truly a day of joy. Doctors placed a stent in his left pulmonary artery to widen it; the procedure only took about an hour. It was a joy as always to be with Lalo’s mum who was keeping in touch with her husband throughout, as well as old friends like the mother of one of the Kurdish children who recently returned home. This particular mum said to Lalo’s mother, “My heart is with you, my sister.” We kept laughing at our joke about dubbing the stent “stent khan,” which, by the way, is only 6mm to fit into Lalo’s tiny heart.
When one of the staff told us that the cath was done his mum jumped out of her seat and started to jump up and down in excitement. She said ana murtaha which means “I am relieved,” and she noticeably exhaled a sigh of relief when the news washed over her. When Lalo was brought out she ran over to him and to the doctors. She hugged one of the cath doctors whom she knew and said, “Thank you, I love you!” to her.
Her joy was contagious and for good reason. The doctors were very happy with how the cath went, and so a homecoming to Kurdistan is on the horizon for Lalo and his mum.