When we arrived at Sheba Hospital this morning, we had just missed Anas before he went into surgery. His mother had just sat down in the family waiting area, tears streaming down her cheeks. We were told that Anas’s surgery would take about five hours.
During that time, Elisa and I did our best to connect with his family. We were so blessed that Anas’s aunt and uncle spent the day with us. When we arrived at the hospital, Anas’s mother was being consoled by her sister, and her sister’s husband who helped keep the situation a little lighter by cracking jokes and getting a giggle out of everyone. It was such a blessing to have them both there. The language barrier between us and Anas’s family is incredibly difficult. On top of that, we are two very young girls from America, which may have made it difficult for Anas’s family to connect with us during such a critical time. His parents needed people there to comfort them, but in my spirit, I wasn’t quite sure that we fit the criteria. We still did our best.
Throughout those first five hours, their family continued to offer us snacks and drinks. Coworker Elisa and I even took Anas’s mother and aunt shopping at Sheba’s mall, hoping to give them a small distraction from everything that was happening. We were all sitting together when the five-hour mark approached.
Suddenly, the minutes began to feel like hours. We had heard nothing from the doctors about how the surgery was going or how Anas was doing. At some point, we heard that they had finished what they needed to do and were going to perform an echocardiogram before possibly closing his chest.
But around the ninth hour of surgery, we received devastating news that Anas was losing a significant amount of blood and was in critical condition. The doctors said they were going to do everything they could to stop the bleeding. At that point, the doctor turned to Elisa and me and said, “The parents have enough on their minds. Don’t bother them.”
We were suddenly put in a difficult position. We could feel the weight of Anas’s parents’ grief. It was so heavy that it felt tangible. We were praying and hoping with everything in us that Anas would make it through the surgery, but we also didn’t want to impose on his parents during such an overwhelming moment. We decided it was best to give his parents some space and return to check on them every so often.
When we came back, even more people had gathered. Extended family had arrived to support Anas’s mother and father. The family of his aunt’s husband had joined them as well, bringing food for everyone, including Elisa and me. We sat and ate for a while, still waiting for any news about Anas.
Had they gotten the bleeding under control?
Was he going to be okay?
How critical was his condition?
Finally, the doctor came out and told us that Anas was in a room where they were working to stabilize him. They said they would soon give his parents a report on his condition. Again, we waited. Then we discovered that from the window where we were all sitting, we could actually see into the room where Anas was and where the doctors were working to stabilize him. Together, we desperately watched and waited.
Fourteen hours after Anas had gone into surgery, the doctor finally came and called for his parents. They immediately ran to her. The doctors took them into another family waiting room, right next door to Anas’s room. What a striking picture it was. Through the windows, we could see both rooms. To the right, we watched the medical team fighting to stabilize Anas. To the left, we watched his parents receive the news. The news did not look good. Anas’s mother began to collapse, and her husband tried desperately to keep her on her feet. But both of them could barely stand. We were afraid to even imagine what they had just been told.
Once the doctors left, the crowd of family members surrounding and supporting Anas’s parents gathered around them once again. When we finally left the hospital, we left knowing that Anas was in critical condition. Placing him on ECMO is an option but doctors are trying to avoid this at all costs. This is a crucial and incredibly fragile time for Anas.
We cry out to God on his behalf, praying that He would sustain him, bring healing to his body, and restore him completely.