Montaser and his parents remain at Sheba Medical Center in the pediatric ICU as his oxygen levels keep decreasing each day. Today his oxygen was consistently between 47 and 60. This is not a good thing by any means, and Montaser, who is already so small and frail, is in very serious trouble. Even so, he and his parents always have smiles on their faces. His parents are so strong as they remain by his side and tend to all his needs with the utmost love. They are constantly encouraging him as they keep watchful eyes over him. Their love for their precious son is evident, and alongside this, so is their worry for their son, though they do not show it to him.
After spending many days observing and discussing Montaser’s condition, doctors finally shared with his parents that there are only two options for him. The first is that he can go home and live with an oxygen tube for the rest of his life. The second choice is for him to undergo an exceedingly risky surgery where the doctors would attempt to create a bypass between the left side of his heart and his left lung so that oxygen can be better utilized. If they were to choose the first option, Montaser’s quality of life would be very poor and he’d constantly have an oxygen tank with him. The second option, if successful, would allow him to live a robust life— but the risk of the operation is profound.
Montaser’s parents have been wrestling with this difficult decision. Today, they shared with us that they are choosing to move ahead with the surgery. I can hardly imagine how difficult it is for parents to have to make such a decision— yet the strength of the Lord has surrounded them. They are treasuring each moment the Lord has given them with their son now, in hopes that after the surgery they may share many more lively and beautiful memories together in the future.
The situation is difficult, but Montaser’s family is taking one step at a time. The beauty in all of this is Messiah is the one who is ordering those steps. He is the One who formed Montaser in his mother’s womb, and He is the One who breathed life into him. There is no better surgeon, and no better doctor than the One who formed every intricate detail of human life, of insects, of plants, and of the very foundations of this world. We trust this most wonderful and loving Creator with Montaser’s precious life.
The surgery is scheduled for tomorrow morning. We commit Montaser into the hands of the One who created him. May Montaser be healed, may his parents have peace, and may the hands of the doctors who operate on him tomorrow be led by the Lord!