As we heard again from one of the doctors today, the hospital in Jerusalem is the best place in all of Israel for children like Asmeen, specialising in weaning their patients off ventilators. On the other hand, the lack of time frame is discouraging, and it takes so much strength for Asmeen’s mum to aim her hope into so many unknowns. As she always says, Asmeen is not in her hands, or our hands, or the doctors’ hands, but in the hands of God.
Certainly, when Asmeen’s tracheostomy tube came out of the hole in her neck during our visit this morning, her mother did not act like a lady who had given up on her daughter’s chance of life. She ran out of the room shouting for a doctor or nurse to come, as the alarms on Asmeen’s machines starting ringing out to alert us that Asmeen was in a dangerous situation. The expert care of the nurse ensured that this incident was over in a matter of seconds, but even during this short time, we saw her oxygen level plummet.
Asmeen’s mother agreed that because it is the Jewish holiday of Pesach this week, there are not so many doctors at the hospital. So we will wait until next week before we can really discuss Asmeen’s situation with them. She was hopeful for this discussion to be on Sunday, but I told her that it will then be our Christian holiday, where we are celebrating “new life” (my limited Kurdish skills…!), and I promised that we will hope and pray for this new life for Asmeen.
Please remember this long-suffering and sweet family in prayer; that God will surround and uplift the mother and renew her hope! We are also hoping and praying for healing for Asmeen, to be weaned from the ventilator.