It’s always a joy to see a familiar face at the hospital. Today it was that of 15 year old Nihal from Hebron who had come with her mother to receive an echo, ECG, and blood draw. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting this family a number of times, and each time they prove to be such genuine, kind, and loving people. Every minute spent with them is in happy fellowship as they share about their family and recent ongoings of life.
A big part of Nihal’s life lately has been coming to the hospital every few weeks to receive a variety of different checkups and tests. For example, during a recent CT scan, she had to get an IV and bloodwork done which required her mother and two doctors to hold her still. This time, though she was nervous, she handled it like a champion and bravely held out her arm to the nurse who skillfully, and quickly completed the blood draw.
After that we headed upstairs where she got her echo and ECG. These went smoothly, although she wasn’t very happy with having to receive either of these tests. During her echo she tried to push away the imaging device a number of times as she was uncomfortable. The doctor, though a little frustrated, was patient and kind with Nihal.
Despite Nihal having a bit of an aversion to the hospital at this point, there are still numerous sweet moments and interactions which lighten the mood of each visit. On the bright side of coming to the hospital a lot, it means that you get to know the staff well. There were many doctors and nurses who flocked to Nihal to say hello and ask how she was doing. Each time they did this, Nihal’s face would lighten up with a smile. It is a blessing to see the staff working to make Nihal feel welcomed and noticed. Another highlight of visits is that she gets to see how much she has grown since the last time. When a nurse first took her height, Nihal didn’t get to see the results, and asked if I could take her height again. Upon saying yes, she immediately yanked her shoes off and eagerly stood under the measuring tape to find out. It was good to see her smile when she found out how tall she’s gotten!
After the testing and imaging was completed, Nihal needed to speak with the doctor who reviewed each of these things. Unfortunately, it was a busy day at the hospital, and it took many hours for her blood results to come which delayed being able to speak with the doctor. While we waited, coworker Caroline spent a while getting to know Nihal’s mother, while Nihal and I played lots of games like tic-tac-toe, and rock paper scissors. She also very proudly showed us videos she had made, and pictures of her family. All of this was accompanied by a lovely conversation, when Nihal, who is usually quiet, became very talkative.
Finally, the doctor called Nihal into the room. She became a little more quiet and visibly nervous at this, but the doctor truly did an amazing job making Nihal feel more comfortable. The staff at Sheba are not only excellent at their jobs, but also at reaching out to children who feel a little unsure with so many intimidating things going on around them. Once Nihal was more comfortable, the doctor began to speak in Arabic as she asked a number of questions to mother and daughter. When she finally began to speak about the results of the tests, I could tell that Nihal and her mother became tense at the news that was shared with them. The conversation went on for quite some time, and at the end the doctor kindly shared the report in English.
Nihal is very small and frail for her age. Intervention is definitely needed in order to improve her overall health. The doctor said that she has had at least 18 catheterizations, and will continue to need them if a greater solution isn’t implemented. While she could continue to have these procedures on a regular basis, there is a solution which very potentially might solve this problem once and for all. In the coming months a doctor from America is coming to assist in some operations at Sheba Medical Center. Nihal’s doctor suggested that instead of continuing to get caths, this American doctor could perform one big catheterization to fix a number of problems more permanently. This would be such a blessing for this young girl as she would, Lord willing, be able to lead a more normal and healthy life afterwards. The doctor presented the choice to Nihal, who looked at her mother with an unsure face. Ultimately Nihal and her mother decided to let the doctors at Sheba decide the best course of action and move on from there.
Doctors will be discussing what to do, and will share their decision with Nihal and her mother soon. Please pray that they have wisdom as this decision is made. As Nihal was leaving, it was clear that she was nervous about this big decision. Please also be praying that she has peace with whatever the doctors discern to be best.