This morning we heard that Yousef went into surgery at Sheba Hospital. Coworker Doro and I went to the hospital to sit with his grandmother during the scary hours of waiting. Even though his grandmother was nervous, she felt the need to give us lots of food and we weren’t allowed to refuse. So we enjoyed eating together. Also during the waiting time, a lot of other Arabic mothers and fathers came to sit with us in the waiting area to support Yousef’s grandmother.
After seven hours, the surgery was done. It was the first big surgery of three that Yousef needs to undergo. This one is called ‘the Norwood procedure.’ It is not the most risky one, but it is the most complicated one. The surgery went well, but Yousef’s body isn’t strong enough to go without ECMO support (a machine that takes over the function of the heart temporarily). He will be on ECMO for at least three days, after which the doctors will try to take him off of it. The next 72 hours are very critical and will decide how his recovery will go. Please pray for Yousef, his grandmother and his parents who have to deal with this from a distance.