Today, only ten days after she got discharged from her big open heart surgery, Lewan and her mom already boarded a plane back to Kurdistan.
Lewan is all excited to go back home to her family, her friends and to school. Yesterday evening during her farewell party Lewan’s mom shared with us that Lewan is the best in her class and that she wants to become a doctor later, maybe even a cardiologist.
And truly we could see that in Lewan. She is such a smart girl, always happy to practice her English with us or to learn new games. From the beginning on she told us that she hopes that she can go home soon again because the school in Kurdistan starts in September and she doesn’t want to miss a lot and so we are very glad to send her home healed now.
We will miss our good friend and her mother a lot as they were both becoming like sisters to us, but we are happy to have the possibility to stay in touch with them. Just an hour ago Lewan sent me a beautiful selfie of her at the airport in Amman.
Thank you God for the time that we could spend here together with our sisters! Thank you for the successful surgery that Lewan had and that she is fine to fly home now! Please bless their time back home and keep them safe!
For the last week, Lewan and her mom have been telling me how much they hope they can go home after her echo today. Knowing that usually kids need to stay for at least two echoes after surgery, I always gave them the same answer: “Well, maybe, but probably not.”
I was definitely surprised then at her echo today, when the doctor examined her echo images, turned to Lewan’s mom, and said “Kurdistan!” Both Lewan and her mom were absolutely overjoyed, and so are we.
There is still some regurgitation in the aortic valve, which the doctors expected to see. It is possible that in the future, Lewan may need another surgery to repair this. But for now, she is very well.
Lewan and her mom will stay with us one more week in Ashdod until their flight home. Thank God for such a smooth recovery and pray for safe travels home for them.
Today was a great day for Lewan as she was discharged from Sheba Hospital and was able to come back with us to our community home in Ashdod. She didn’t like staying in hospital and wanted eagerly to come back.
She was still really tired and looked weak, but she tried her best as she still had another x-ray to complete before departing. After checking her temperature again, the nurse could told us Lewan was ready to go. Lewan will have to return to Sheba next Sunday for a follow-up appointment. When we arrived at home, it didn’t take long until she was together with the other children again.
Please continue praying for Lewan’s full recovery and also for the appointments she still has before she can go home to her family. You can also pray for Lewan’s mother, as both of them want to go home to Kurdistan soon.
Today at Sheba Hospital, I met Lewan on her way to an echo. She was in her wheelchair, and it was difficult for her to talk. She raised her hand a little bit to try and wave. Her mother told me that she is eating and drinking a bit, and the doctors say she is continuing to recover well.
Her mom took her for a short walk around the ICU, half-carrying her back and forth. It is very, very hard for her mother to see Lewan so helpless, but she continues to patiently and lovingly care for her every day.
In the afternoon, Lewan didn’t want to eat anything because it hurt her throat, which worried her mom. Co-worker Lena went to Lewan’s mother and was able to comfort her by calling someone to help with translating for the doctors.
Lena also comforted Lewan by showing her pictures on her phone. Please pray for God to restore Lewan and give encouragement to her mother. We pray that Lewan will have less pain, and grow stronger as she is able to do more.
When we came into Lewan’s room today she grabbed my hand and told me that it’s not nice to be in the hospital. I can very much understand and at the same time I was so happy seeing her awake and doing so much better. It was the first time since her surgery that I saw her awake again and could talk to her a little bit.
Her mom told me that Lewan feels a little dizzy and can’t really sleep, but the doctor told me that this probably came from the medication she got. They stopped today all her IV medications and so this problem should be gone soon. She is also still not eating which is very understandable as she is still recovering from her injuries in the throat. All in all her doctor was very happy about her development and told us that she is doing much better than yesterday.
Thank you Lord that Lewan is improving and that she is already doing so much better. Please bless her and help her to continue recovering!
When we met Lewan at Sheba Hospital today, she was straight reaching for our hands. She is in a very good condition! She is awake, doesn’t need any oxygen support, is completely extubated…she even joined our conversation! The only “problem” that’s still left from the surgery, is the wound in her throat, but this is just a matter of time.
We talked a bit about Ashdod and how Lewan and her Mother are looking forward to seeing the other families again. Please pray for beautiful Lewan, that she will recover very soon and can leave the hospital, and that her throat heals up well!
Today Lewan had a surgery at Sheba Hospital to stop her bleeding from her throat, which she had sustained during her heart valve surgery five days ago. Because she kept bleeding after the surgery, the doctors decided to have another surgery today. After several attempts, they succeeded in stopping her bleeding which was emanating from her left tonsil, and they did ablation to stop it. They are going to keep eyes on her since the bleeding could begin again. Also she is going to be intubated at least until tomorrow.
Let’s pray that our good Lord may keep her from further bleeding, and lead her to be extubated soon. We want to see her smile again. Praise our good Lord for being with her, and thank you for your prayers with us.
Today I visited Lewan at Sheba Hospital; it was my first time visiting her after her surgery. When I approached her room in the ICU, her mom met me with a depressed face, and a hospital staff was working on the tubes. So I asked the staff if there was any change from yesterday.
Praise the Lord, her answer was, “kol beseder (everything is okay)” and that she was very stable. She still has some bleeding from her mouth from a slight injury during surgery, but doctors hope it will stop tomorrow and then they can extubate her.
I was glad to hear the confident answer from the hospital staff, but at the same time, the concern of Lewan’s mother is reasonable. Her precious daughter is still lying on the bed with a number of tubes.
Let’s pray that Lewan’s bleeding will stop soon, and that she can be extubated. And also for her mom, that she may have peace and confidence that our good Lord loves Lewan and is taking care of her. Thank you for being with us together in prayer.
We went to Sheba Hospital to see Lewan today. She is still intubated and sedated, but her mother is very optimistic. The doctors told us that the surgery went very well and that Lewan should make a full recovery.
While finishing up at the end of the surgery, the doctors accidentally injured Lewan’s throat so they had to stop the bleeding with some wadding. This has to remain in place for 48 hours. After that, Lewan will be extubated and should wake up.
We praise the Lord for this successful surgery and for beautiful, strong Lewan. Pray for her recovery in the next weeks so she and her mother can finally return home to their family in Kurdistan.
Early this morning, Elise and I met the assisting surgeon at the door of Lewan’s room at Sheba hospital. “Oh good, you’re just in time,” he said with a smile. He’d just arrived to discuss the surgery with Lewan’s mother and have her sign the consent forms.
The surgeon explained to us that Lewan would have a triple valve switch surgery. Because her aortic valve, the largest in the heart, was damaged beyond function, the surgeons planned to replace it with another valve from her heart, and replace the second valve with a mechanical one. Understanding that this would be a big and complex surgery, Lewan’s mother reached for the consent forms with a smile and a shrug. “Xwa gowreya,” she said confidently– “God is great.”
This was her refrain for the next five hours. Together, we walked hand-in-hand with Lewan to the surgery prep room, where the four of us sat and prayed together before Lewan entered the operating room with a brave smile and a kiss blown to us.
Elise and I brought her mom to the waiting room, and together we sat, waited, and prayed for our beautiful girl. Lewan’s mother spent much of the waiting time on the phone with friends and relatives, and we heard one phrase repeated again and again– “xwa gowreya, xwa gowreya.”
After just four and a half hours in surgery, the head surgeon emerged from the operating room with great news. The surgery was almost finished, everything looked good, and in fact, once they began the operation, they found that they could just repair the aortic valve rather than having to do the complicated triple switch procedure.
At this, Lewan’s mother burst into tears of joy, hugged each of us, and fell to her knees in thankful prayer. “She’s okay!” she announced to her family over the phone.
As always, the two days after surgery are critical, but for now Lewan is doing very well. We’re looking forward to visiting her tomorrow, and hoping to see her beautiful eyes open soon.
Before Elise and I left the hospital, Lewan’s mom hugged us again and said, “You’re my sisters now, all of you.” “You’re our sister forever,” I told her. We’re so grateful to know Lewan and her mother and we’re honored to walk this road alongside them.
Our lovely Lewan was admitted to Sheba Hospital today for surgery. Everything went smoothly, though there were a couple of long waits. Lewan and her sweet mother were so patient and kind.
Lewan is understandably a little bit nervous about her surgery tomorrow, but she is very brave, and was practicing her English with the doctors as they did her blood tests. The surgery tomorrow will repair her aortic valve.
Please pray that everything goes well, and that this beautiful girl will soon be fully healed.
Today was a really long day for Lewan. This morning we drove her to Sheba Hospital to have two echos and an ECG. With those results the doctors are trying to make a new treatment plan for Lewan and we can’t wait to hear what it is.
Please pray for wisdom for the doctors to make a perfect plan for this smart girl. We really hope that Lewan’s treatment will start as soon as possible.
Today at Sheba Hospital, Lewan had a CTA, or a Computed Tomography Angiogram. She was a little nervous about the big scanning machine where she had to lay down and be still.
This scan is used to specifically look at the blood vessels within the body; the results would help the doctors to have a better image of her.
Lewan is a lovely, patient and careful person. In the afternoon, having returned back to our community home, Lewan was playing with one of our Kurdish children also at home. It is always a pleasure to be around with her.
On Sunday, the doctors will discuss Lewan’s surgery, the date of it possibly being one day next week. Please pray for wisdom for all her doctors, as well as a restored and healthy life for Lewan.
This morning coworkers Bria, Jakob and I brought smart Lewan and her mother to Sheba hospital to make a last blood test before her CTA-Scan tomorrow. It was my first day in hospital, so I got lost once or twice, but Lewan already knew the way. Luckily we found our way back to the others.
After the test, we just had to wait a bit, so we chatted a little with the other families we met at the hospital. It was great having such a peaceful time. Let’s pray for good scan-results tomorrow and a smooth surgery on Sunday!
Lewan is a smart girl and she is gifted in many ways. When she arrived to Israel and our community, she was a little bit shy, but not anymore!
She is actually becoming a really good Kurdish teacher for me. We taught her how to play UNO and she absolutely loves it. She also enjoys doing puzzles and is caring well for the smaller children in the house. And she loves dancing. We even did some Kurdish dancing while we were stuck in the bomb shelter last weekend.
Today we went to city center of Ashdod with the families. Lewan especially enjoyed the playground that we discovered in a big park.
Beautiful Lewan had her first evaluation at Sheba hospital this morning. The whole process went very smoothly and we were finished within an hour.
Lewan had surgery to patch a VSD when she was four, and two years later, her echoes began showing pressure and regurgitation from one the valves in her heart. Now, at eleven, she needs surgery to repair the valve. The doctors will discuss her case at their meeting tomorrow and decide on the details of her surgery.
Lewan and her mother waited quite some time while Lucia and Laura and I visited all the children in the hospital, but they were so lovely and patient for the whole day. She showed me photos of her sisters and brother at home, as well as of all her best friends. We’re hoping for news from the doctors soon, but in the meantime we’re glad to enjoy our time with this sweet girl at home in Ashdod.
Beautiful Lewan and her mother arrived at Ben Gurion airport early this morning along with two other families from Kurdistan.
Lewan is eleven years old and no stranger to the world of hospitals and medicine, as she had surgery to repair a VSD when she was three. Now she’s having some trouble and needs further intervention to repair the VSD again.
It was a long night and an early morning for Lewan, but she was eager to meet everyone and take selfies with us. Her mother told me proudly that Lewan is very smart, and she’s definitely right. We’re looking forward to getting to know both of these sweet ladies in the coming days as we wait for Lewan’s first echo at Sheba next week.
Lewan is all excited to go back home to her family, her friends and to school. Yesterday evening during her farewell party Lewan’s mom shared with us that Lewan is the best in her class and that she wants to become a doctor later, maybe even a cardiologist. 
And truly we could see that in Lewan. She is such a smart girl, always happy to practice her English with us or to learn new games. From the beginning on she told us that she hopes that she can go home soon again because the school in Kurdistan starts in September and she doesn’t want to miss a lot and so we are very glad to send her home healed now. 
We will miss our good friend and her mother a lot as they were both becoming like sisters to us, but we are happy to have the possibility to stay in touch with them. Just an hour ago Lewan sent me a beautiful selfie of her at the airport in Amman.
Thank you God for the time that we could spend here together with our sisters! Thank you for the successful surgery that Lewan had and that she is fine to fly home now! Please bless their time back home and keep them safe!
