Halah arrived at Hadassah Ein Kerem this afternoon. Her bruises and needle marks are evidence that she has had a lot of trauma in her five short days of life. She has a broken clavicle from her birth, which apparently is not uncommon. She was on a ventilator but was extubated before her transfer from Gaza. Her oxygen level is stable with a little help from the concentrator.
When we came into the room we witnessed Hala’s very healthy lungs! She was not happy about all that was being done to her. While we were visiting, an echo was performed and Halah’s mother was able to keep her baby calm by lovingly stroking her hair and cheeks.
The echo revealed a large hole between the ventricles of Halah’s heart. Thankfully, with surgery she will have a two ventricle heart rather than one, which would have been the case if the hole was larger. They also discovered an interrupted or absent aortic arch.
The doctors have decided that the first step in treatment will be to put a band on the pulmonary artery. This will keep the lungs from getting too much blood flow which would cause many problems. She will also have a surgery to reconstruct the aortic arch and eventually a surgery to close the hole between the ventricles.
Please pray that God will protect this baby as she continues her treatment. Also for God to make His presence known to her family with His overwhelming peace, love and comfort. We are so thankful for the doctors and hospital staff and pray they will be filled with wisdom from God.