Six weeks have passed by since our little girl had her first of two planned surgeries. Six weeks full of suffering, hope, doubts, and the never-ending love of her father. After doctors started the dialysis at the end of last week, Hazhin lost more than one kilogram of fluids which was a good and hopeful step, but at the same time, her other organs started to fail.
Her loving dad reached the end of his strength this week, so he came for a little break from the hospital on Tuesday evening to our house in Ashdod to get some rest. Thursday morning we took him to Jerusalem where he hoped to spend the day praying, when we suddenly received a phone call from Sheba Hospital’s ICU telling us Hazhin was deteriorating, and doctors expected her to leave this world in the next hours.
Jonathan drove straight to the hospital with Hazhin’s dad. There, he and Jakob spent the next hours praying at Hazhin’s side. Hazhin kept fighting and hanging on to life and so last evening the doctors told us that they can’t tell whether she will fight for some more hours or days. Her father decided he wanted to come with us to Ashdod and return in case something happened and the ICU called us.
That call came at 4:15 tonight.
A few minutes later, Jakob, Hazhin’s dad and I were in the car traveling to the hospital again. The following hours were spent in her room, watching the numbers of her heart rate going up and down until shortly after eight o’clock, the numbers dropped further and further and Hazhin went – her earthly father holding her tiny hand – home to her heavenly Father.
Hazhin’s suffering has come to an end, and while we are grieving here on earth with her family, we want to trust that God never lets us go and He didn’t let Hazhin go – He just brought her home into his loving arms.
One of the things we loved the most about their relationship was Hazhin’s dad calling out his daughter’s name in his sweet and kind voice: “Hazhin!” He did this while she was still in our house, all the weeks she was in the ICU, and also in her last hours. There was so much love in only saying her name, that we were always so much touched by it, sometimes it brought tears to our eyes. Imagine how much her heavenly father must love her then.
But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. Isaiah 43.1
This afternoon we buried our girl in Jerusalem right across from the Garden of Gethsemane in a tomb with a beautiful view of the Mount of Olives. There, so close to the the place where our Messiah conquered death, Hazhin is waiting for the voice that called her into existence, to call her back to life.
“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” 1 Corinthians 15:55
For Hazhin’s family, a long period of grief and pain has now begun. We don’t know why God decided to heal Hazhin in eternity instead of here.
But we know that He is here with us, will restore us and is all we need. And in this trust, we will rest. And be still.
We heard yesterday that over the weekend at Sheba Hospital, Hazhin lost almost 1 kg of fluids that were in her body because her kidneys are not working properly. This huge improvement surprised me very much because the dialysis wasn’t working as the doctors hoped it would the days before. When I asked them today, they were still waiting for the results, but later we heard that Hazhin still needs to lose more fluid before she can get be removed from dialysis.
At noon when I visited her for the first time, she had her eyes open not because she’s actually awake, but more because the sedation medication she’s getting makes her open her eyes unintentionally. Her kidney failure causes her skin to have red spots and look kind of yellow. For the second time I visited her later on in the afternoon, Hazhin’s eyes were closed with medical tape to prevent them from becoming dry.
It is really hard to see her like this knowing how beautiful her big brown eyes looked just a few weeks ago before she went to the hospital. Her father is really worried and not doing so good right now, so we should all pray for him as well as for Hazhin. We pray for improvement in her kidney treatment, improvement in health in general and for all the staff treating her. We pray for Hazhin’s family as this time is really difficult, especially for her mother.
I was really surprised to see Hazhin today as I didn’t expect her to open her eyes and blink with all heavy sedation medication she is getting. She was under many blankets with all possible supporting devices around her. Two heaters make sure that she’s not too cold, the dialysis machine helps supporting her weak kidneys, the ventilator helps her breathe and the many medications are suspended by dispensers. In between this much noisy technology, lies our beautiful Hazhin always with her caring father by her side. I got to hold her tiny hand and spend some time with her today. Every time her father said her name I could feel her little fingers clenching like she wanted to show us that she’s still fighting so hard for her life. One time it even looked like she was smiling but maybe that was just our imagination tricking us. A nurse later told us that there’s actually not really any improvement from the last days because her kidneys are very weak and the dialysis doesn’t help enough with reducing the liquid in her body.
Although Hazhin is in a very critical state we can still trust in the Lord that he has a good plan and knows what is going to happen. Hazhin isn’t interacting so much with us right now but she is so loved by many people that even the thought of her beautiful smile brings me some hope.
Siblings in Christ come together in prayer for our precious Hazhin and her family. We pray that our God protects her and gives strength to her family, especially her father. Pray for healing and wisdom for the doctors treating her. We can thank the Lord that we are able to come together as a community to bless this wonderful girl and give to her at least a little bit of the love our father in heaven has for her.
Today coworker Luisa and I visited Hazhin in the Pediatric ICU of Sheba Children’s Hospital. I haven’t seen her since she first came into the hospital, and it’s absolutely horrible to see her like this. There are sores all over her skin because of her continuing sepsis, and her tiny body is still swollen – the doctors told us that she still isn’t losing fluid, and that she has far too much in her body. She desperately needs her next surgery, but every part of her little body is too sick to handle it yet.
I stood by her and stroked her hair, but then some nurses came in and told me it isn’t good to touch her head. I really wanted to pray for her, but somehow at first the words wouldn’t come. All that came into my mind were the opening words of the Lord’s prayer which Jesus taught his disciples.
“Our Father, who is in Heaven, hallowed be Your name…”
Hazhin’s earthly father, standing by her side every day and unable to do anything about her condition, loves her so, so well. But we know that her Heavenly Father loves her even better than anyone here on earth can love her. It is very, very hard to stand by the side of her bed unable to do anything to heal beautiful Hazhin, but we know that no matter how helpless we are, we serve a good, good Father who is all-powerful and loves her very much. Even if there doesn’t seem to be any hope for her, we can always hope in God, who can do the impossible. Her father is also holding on to that hope. Today he said, “Inshallah (if God wills), she will be well.” He was even able to laugh a little bit when he mixed up the words ‘will’ and ‘well.’ It is good to see that he has a little bit of hope for her. We pray that he can hold onto that, trusting God that He loves Hazhin and that His plans are best.
Lord God, our good, good Father, please work a miracle in little Hazhin, please heal her and let her grow up to be a testament of Your healing power. Lord, do not let death win in her life! Show Your power to conquer sickness and evil through this little girl’s healing! In the name of Jesus Christ, who conquered death once and for all, Amen.
When I visited Hazhin at Sheba Hospital today together with her father, two doctors entered her room to check on her and thankfully one of them took his time and explained how Hazhin’s situation is right now and how she has been since yesterday. Her surgery yesterday, where they had put her back on dialysis, went well, but unfortunately it’s not helping her like the doctors want it to. The dialysis should help Hazhin to loose fluids in her body, but until now she lost almost no fluids at all.
As if that wasn’t enough, she also still suffers from the sepsis and multiple other organs which are not working well. The doctor explained it to me with the example of a snowball. The further the snowball rolls down a hill the bigger it gets. And it’s similar to Hazhin, they want to help her with one problem she has, but during that treatment another problem occurs. And since her last surgery, she has been dealing with a lot of things like her kidneys, her lungs, then the sepsis and now too much fluid in her body. Because of all this, a surgery would be too dangerous for her now even though she really needs it.
We all know that Hazhin is not in a good condition right now, but the best thing we can do now is to pray for her. Also her father isn’t doing well for several days now as he knows and also sees what’s going on with his daughter. A translator explained to me today that Hazhin’s father has lost all hope and is just waiting for the bad news that she couldn’t make it.
But let’s not give up on praying for this little girl and her desperate father. God can do miracles. We don’t know what is going to happen in the next days, weeks or months, but we can be sure that God will do the right thing even if we don’t understand.
As they promised us yesterday, today a doctor at Sheba Hospital took the time to explain to Hazhin’s dad that his daughter’s whole condition is critical. He told us very seriously but kindly, that Hazhin’s situation is very serious and that the chances are very low that she will even make it to the big switch surgery she still needs.
As she is still just building up more fluids every day the doctors plan to start a kind of dialysis today. For this they want to do a little surgery this evening where they place a little tube in Hazhin’s neck. Her doctor told us that if that succeeds, they hope that through this they will be able to reduce the fluid in her body. He told us very honest that they don’t know if they will have success with it but that it is the only thing they can do for her right now. Hazhin’s dad stayed strong during the whole conversation but he started shaking in the middle of it, and we could tell that he is very worried and at the end of his strength.
To distract him a little bit, Bria and I took him to eat ice cream at the hospital after our lunch and we sat outside for a while.
God I pray that you bless Hazhin and her dad. Please don’t let our little girl suffer! God we trust you that you have perfect plans even if we don’t understand.
It already became a habit and a normal part of every hospital day that we meet Hazhin’s dad wherever we are with other kids and he spends some time with us.
But when he came to meet us today he had tears in his eyes and I could tell that Hazhin is most likely not doing well. He, and later also a doctor, confirmed to me what I already thought. Hazhin is getting worse in the last days since her stomach surgery. She is not wetting her diaper anymore and she builds up more and more fluid in her whole body. Every part of her is swollen and also her skin looks very yellow with red spots from the sepsis she had.
They also had to connect her to a stronger ventilator and so it’s a uniquely difficult experience to be in her room with the sounds from all machines that keep Hazhin alive and seeing her in this bad condition. It was very hard to find a doctor today who had enough time to explain all the details to Hazhin’s dad, but in the end they promised him that the head of the ICU will sit down with him tomorrow and will explain everything to him with the help of a translator.
Hazhin’s dad is so strong and I’m so amazed every time I see him, but it’s also very hard for him especially as he has still all the memories of another Kurdish baby that arrived in Israel together with him and Hazhin and that child died three weeks ago.
Please continue praying for Hazhin and his dad. The situation seems so difficult that we nearly want to lose hope, but God can still heal Hazhin and we trust Him.
Hazhin went into an unexpected surgery at Sheba Hospital today. Her belly was swollen because of an obstruction in her intestine. Before Hazhin went into surgery, her father spent time with his daughter, hugging her and praying.
Praise the Lord everything went well. After three hours, the surgery was finished and it was successful! We thank the Lord for watching over this child and answering our prayers. Please keep praying for little Hazhin. This is a step in the right direction, but she is still in critical condition.
While visiting other children in the ICU I saw from afar that Hazhin’s room was really busy the whole afternoon. Her doctors took an X-ray, did an echo, made the daily blood tests and a neurologist came to see her.
After all those tests I waited with her father for her cardiologist to come to talk to us. Her father was told in Arabic what is going on and even though I couldn’t understand what they said, I instantly knew that they were worried. A kind nurse summarized for me that Hazhin is in a critical condition from a cardiological, neurological and nephrological point of view. They want to to a catheterisation and want to continue the many tests she has to undergo frequently.
Shevet Family: let’s come together in prayer for our beautiful Hazhin. We pray for healing and blessings for her. Lord we come to you and ask you to protect and strengthen her in this difficult time.
A CT scan was scheduled for little Hazhin today to determine her condition. Doctors were still looking for a suitable date to do her next surgery. When I spoke to a doctor afterwards, he explained that they had done a CT scan of the head and one of the stomach.They could find out that the lungs were ok.
However, they could also observe an abnormality in the brain. Therefore, a neurologist will come tomorrow and do more detailed examinations. The surgery will not be able to take place during the next days.
Lord, please help Hazhin and also give her father the strength to face setbacks. He has been fighting so faithfully at his daughter’s side for weeks.
When I met Hazhin’s dad today somewhere in the hospital he happily told me that his cute girls is improving. He told me that the medication that she gets against her sepsis is helping and she is slowly getting better. He especially told me that he thinks she looks today so much better than yesterday. The doctors also told him that if she continues improving the next days she will maybe have her big surgery on Wednesday. When I saw Hazhin later I was a little bit shocked how bad she looks and how she has red spots all over her body. It is really hard to see our poor girl lying there in this condition but we want to trust God that he can heal her! Please continue praying that she will improve and that whenever she will have her big surgery it will go well!
When I met Hazhin’s father today in a hallway of Sheba Hospital, he already told me that Hazhin isn’t doing so well. Later, her doctor then explained to me that Hazhin has a sepsis and isn’t in a good condition right now because of that. The doctors would like to extubate her at some point, but for that she first has to get better. Her heart is very weak right now.
When I visited her, I held her hand for a few minutes and just watched her quietly while thinking how precious she is. Her tiny little hand hanging around my finger was so heartwarming but at the same time heartbreaking. As her father was bending down to comfort her, I realized he is really worried about his daughter. Usually he smiles every time he sees us and is in a bright mood, but not today.
Please pray for her and for her recovery to gradually change to good. She has a long way to go and still needs another surgery. But for now it’s more important that she recovers from the sepsis.
When we arrived to Sheba Hospital early this morning, Hazhin’s father was already by her side. He is Hazhin’s constant companion, continuously watching over her, talking to her and holding her tiny hand. It was a beautiful picture of devotion.
We were hoping to find out a surgery date today, but as of now there are a few things that require time and care before proceeding. Her doctor explained that there is an infection in her center line, so it must be removed and a new one placed in her neck. Additionally, she has quite a bit of fluid in her abdomen which needs to decrease before proceeding. The echo was completed this morning and we are still awaiting the results from the cardiologist. This will ultimately determine the surgery date.
We thank God for her physicians‘ skillful hands and discernment. He has placed Hazhin in the hands of nurses who care for her as a precious gift from above. Join us in prayers of thanksgiving for His provision and protection over Hazhin. Also, let us petition in one accord for the elimination of her abdominal fluid as well as a positive echo report so the surgery may proceed quickly.
Hazhin’s dad was very excited today to go with me into the room of his daughter, proudly telling me that today is her three months birthday. She is so big already! A very kind nurse came to us and directly asked if she should tell us how Hazhin is doing. It was very nice for his dad because he felt a little bit lonely in the hospital the last days as it is hard for the doctors to communicate with him.
Hazhin is slowly getting better thank God. They could stop the dialysis and she is peeing again which is a very good step towards her next surgery. The doctors also started to lessen her medication and she is slowly waking up so that they can, God willing, extubate her soon.
After her next echo, they will decide if her heart is already strong enough to have the next surgery. She is also sometimes opening her eyes now and her dad was very excited to tell me that and also to show me. Let us thank God for all the improvement that Hazhin has already made and how far he has brought her!
Hazhin is held fast asleep. It is touching to see her father gently calling her name to connect with her. The doctor said the surgery was necessary to improve the situation.
Hazhin is better than yesterday, but very sick. Tomorrow they will try to wake her up slowly. For the next operation, Hazhin’s general condition should be better – that takes time. Hazhin’s father is very concerned, but says it’s in God’s hand. The conversation with the doctor was good for him. Glad the doctor took the time.
This morning, Lena and I arrived in the ICU at Sheba to find Hazhin’s nurses preparing her and all her equipment for transport. Her dad met us at the door and told us she was going first to a CT scan and then to surgery. While we waited for the doctors to take Hazhin to the CT, the surgeon arrived to speak with her father.
During the first surgery a couple of weeks ago, the doctors placed a shunt between her aorta and pulmonary artery as well as a band around the pulmonary artery. However, in the days since, Hazhin has not shown the improvement that they had hoped.
This week, they determined that there is too much blood flowing through the shunt to her lungs and not enough flowing to the lower half of her body. They believe the lack of circulation is causing the kidney failure Hazhin is experiencing. Thus, the doctors decided to take her into a second surgery today in preparation for her arterial switch operation.
An hour after returning from her CT, Hazhin’s doctors began preparing to move her again, this time to the operating room. Her dad held her hand and stroked her hair, and then walked with her to the doors of the OR.
Soon, Jakob arrived to keep him company for the waiting time. Together, we enjoyed the afternoon outside. Hazhin’s dad showed us photos of his twin daughters back home and videos of Hazhin from the past few weeks. All three of his girls are so beautiful!
After three hours, Hazhin was back in her room with a good report from the doctors. The surgery went without complications and the surgeons were able to reduce the amount of blood flow to the lungs and increase the flow to the lower half of her body. They hope that this will resolve the challenges she’s been facing and stabilize her enough for the arterial switch operation next week.
It’s beautiful to see the gentle love Hazhin’s dad has for his baby girl. You can see it in the way he holds her little hands and strokes her face, or leans over her bed with a smile and says, “Hey Hazhin!” She’s one blessed little girl to have a dad who loves her so very much. Please continue in prayer for both Hazhin and her dad while they wait for her next surgery.
The news of Lawik’s passing away this morning also were hard on Hazhin’s father. Together with Lawik’s mother, he has faithfully spent the last few weeks in the hospital. As the fight for Lawik came to an end and the Lord brought him home to his kingdom, Hazhin’s father continues fighting for his daughter. The strength of the parents deserves great respect.
Especially against the background of her upcoming surgery, Hazhin’s father is worried. Today a doctor informed us that this surgery is expected to take place on Wednesday or Thursday. The prerequisite for this is that the kidneys are functioning well and the water in the body decreases.
Today’s events are a cause of sadness and concern for many parents, especially Hazhin’s father. May the Lord show all parents that He takes care for their children. He has a plan that we can trust. May God protect Hazhin in the coming days and during her surgery.
Today I visited precious Hazhin. I was so grateful to see her stable. Hazhin had over the weekend again some problems with her blood pressure. However she is stable now and also the doctors were able to reduce some of her drugs. This morning the doctors made the decision that she will go in to her next surgery this week, but they don’t have a date yet. Let us pray for strength, patience and trust in God for Hazhin’s Dad, but also for wisdom for all the doctors and nurses. God we want to put Hazhin especially in her upcoming surgery in your protective and loving Hands.
Our little Hazhin is not really making progress, but she is stable in the ICU. Her left ventricle is still too weak for her next surgery since it will be a big change in the circulation of her heart. For her dad this is a very hard and stressful time in the hospital, so coworker Jakob spent a few hours with him walking around the hospital and talking to cheer him up a little.
Please pray for Hazhin’s dad, and that she will soon be strong enough to have her surgery next week!
Our beautiful tiny Hazhin is improving a bit after the problems she had following her surgery. She is still on peritoneal dialysis. The doctor says that this was necessary because she was not urinating. She hasn’t had any more episodes of stopped breathing today, though she is still intubated and on ventilator. Her father continues to take good care of her, sitting by her bedside for long periods of time. It is hard for us volunteers to see her so helpless, sedated in her hospital bed with tubes all over her – I can’t even imagine how difficult it is for her loving father to see her like this. Please be praying that she will continue to improve, and that she will be able to have a successful artery switch surgery soon. Please pray that God will give encouragement to her father, and wisdom to the doctors as they take care of her.
After Hazhin’s surgery was finished last Wednesday, the doctors had been very optimistic. Everything looked like Hazhin could recover quickly.
In the past few days, however, her situation had deteriorated. Now she is struggling with low blood pressure and her breathing has stopped again and again. Although she is better for now, she is still not stable. As a reaction, this morning the doctors started a peritoneal dialysis to help her. But the doctors are still discussing how to proceed further and what the causes of the development over the past few days are.
Lord, please give the doctors wisdom in their decisions and put your hand protectively over the little girl. Bless her father too, who has not been able to sleep and has always stood faithfully by his daughter’s side. Let us trust in your goodness even in such a difficult situation!
Although Hazhin’s surgery was just yesterday, today she looked very good. The doctors at Sheba Medical also agreed and confirmed that everything is fine. Hazhin is still on the ventilator but they will try to extubate her tomorrow if she is in the right condition.
When I entered her room, Hazhin was so lively and kept moving her legs although she wasn’t awake. I felt so happy for her and her father who also seems to be very relieved about how everything turned out after his daughter’s surgery yesterday.
Thank God for His grace for beautiful Hazhin. It is great and wonderful to see him working day by day in the lives of these children.
Finally, the time has come! When Coworker Tineke and I arrived at Sheba Medical Center this morning, Hazhin’s father told us that the surgery which had been postponed last week, started a few minutes ago.
Five hours later we had the certainty that everything had gone well – what a gladness! You could see how all the pressure of the last few days eased off from Hazhin’s father.
A little later, the doctor could explain us the details of the surgery. Everything went exactly as planned and there was no bleeding or anything like that. Thank God! The doctors placed a band around the pulmonary artery, and also did a shunt from two vessels, as planned. Afterwards they could close the chest.
Not only that all plans could be implemented, but Hazhin’s body is also in a good condition. Although she is still on medication and mechanical ventilation, the body responds well to stimuli. The next few days will show how Hazhin’s condition develops further. At a later date, there will be a second surgery to switch the two arteries. We thank God for faithfully caring for Hazhin today. We pray that God blesses her and her following recovery.
After some restful days over the weekend and the holiday in Ashdod, we brought little Hazhin and her dad back to Sheba Hospital today.
After a long waiting time and an ECG, she got finally admitted in the ICU for her surgery tomorrow morning. The doctors plan to place a band around her pulmonary artery as the first step to fix her heart defect.
Hazhin’s dad together with another mom from Gaza prepared some nice food early this morning in Ashdod and so we had a big lunch in the hospital together with other parents. Hazhin’s dad stayed happy all day long and was joking with us until the very end when we waved him goodbye in the car.
God please bless Hazhin and her dad and give the doctors success tomorrow in the surgery! Keep her safe and heal her!
Yesterday was a stressful day for Hazhin and her father. They were preparing for surgery for Hazhin at Sheba Hospital; it was emotionally hard for her father to be waiting the whole day. Also for Hazhin it was physically hard and she cried a lot as she couldn’t understand why she didn’t get any food. The plan was to have both another child and Hazhin to be operated back to back. But since that child’s surgery took so much longer than expected, and had complications, the doctor finally, in the late afternoon, had to postpone the operation for Hazhin. Because she already had been medicated and prepared for the operation and not been eating until late afternoon, the doctors decided to keep her overnight.
Today it was so great to see the family again, and they were so ready to get home to Ashdod! Hazhin’s father didn’t sleep many hours during the night at the hospital. He knows that the operation Hazhin needs to save her life is late and should have been done earlier. But there was some good news: Hazhin’s oxygen levels were much better and well above the crucial limit which is good.
Safely back home, one our moms at the house had prepared dinner for all of us. You could see the relief on Hazhin’s father to be back in the environment that now has become a safe haven for him during this challenging time.
Please pray that Hazhin will be stable while here in the house. We pray the surgery will be successful next Wednesday as planned.
Little Hazhin was scheduled for a surgery at Sheba Hospital to place a band around her pulmonary artery today, but as she was the second one for today and the first surgery took too long, Hazhin’s surgery is postponed until next week.
Our cute girl still had a tough day as she wasn’t allowed to eat for the whole day so she was very hungry. Her loving dad stayed with her and waited patiently, then was obviously a little sad when he heard they will have to wait another week.
Please pray for Hazhin and her dad for patience while they wait.
This morning, we brought our sweet Hazhin and her dad to Sheba Hospital so she could be admitted for surgery. She slept contentedly in the waiting room right up until it was time for her echo.
After two previous echo appointments, her dad knew the drill, and had her milk all ready to go by the time the exam started. Hazhin still wasn’t a big fan of the process, but she agreed to settle down long enough to let the technician get some good images. As soon as the echo was finished,
she went right back to sleep.
After her exam, Hazhin was admitted to the intermediate ICU for surgery planned for tomorrow. It will be the first of two surgeries planned to correct her transposed great arteries. Please be in prayer for Hazhin and her dad.
Today was one step closer to sweet little Hazhin’s surgery day.
But before that, she had to have an ultrasound at Sheba Hospital of her brain and kidneys.
Little Hazhin was not too happy about the procedure with the cold gel on her head and body, and she made sure the rest of us were aware of that! It was with great relief that Hazhin’s dad received the good report from the doctor that all looks well, and our precious girl is now cleared for surgery.
Please continue to pray for sweet Hazhin and her dad, that she will continue to be stable up until surgery day. Our good Father in heaven is faithful and loving towards all his children.
Due to car logistics this morning, we had to leave earlier with Hazhin and her dad to the hospital, even though the appointment wasn’t until the afternoon. So coworker Lisa came up with the great idea to walk to the food court at the hospital, and have some ice cream at Golda cafe. When we sat there at the table, a Jewish elderly couple stopped to admire Hazhin. The man told us that he had had a life-saving heart surgery three years ago. His wife told us that it was a hard time with the recovery that took three months. But they were so happy that God had saved his life.
Before they left, the man blessed Hazhin’s dad. When I translated that to him, he was so overwhelmed that a Jewish man wanted to bless him and pray for God’s help over his situation. You could tell that this was nothing Hazhin’s dad had expected, and he got really visibly moved.
These divine appointments are so special, and to me this is the core mission of Shevet Achim – to be a bridge between Jews, Muslims and gentiles.
Our sweet Hazhin had another echo today at Sheba. She slept peacefully before and after,
but let us know in no uncertain terms that she was not pleased with the echo process. Eventually she agreed to settle down as long as she was allowed to snuggle in her dad’s arms.
After the echo, the doctor sat with us and explained the problem in Hazhin’s heart and the surgical plan. Because she is now nearly two months old, it is best to do a two-stage surgical repair. Next week, she is scheduled for a surgery to place a band on her pulmonary artery, which will help strengthen her left ventricle. After a couple of weeks then, she will have the big surgery to switch her transposed aorta and pulmonary artery.
For now, Hazhin and her dad are back in our community home in Ashdod.The doctor has explained that it’s very important that Hazhin avoid contracting any viruses or infections before the surgery. Please pray that she will stay healthy and stable until her surgery next week.
First thing this morning, we buckled sweet Hazhin into her carseat for her first trip to Sheba hospital. She wasn’t quite sure what to think at first, but cheered up when her dad climbed into the car beside her.
It was a busy day for Hazhin at Sheba, as she had a blood test, ECG, two echoes, and an x-ray. In between, she was content to snuggle cozily in my arms or her dad’s. Every doctor and nurse who passed by was eager to meet her.
“Who’s this little one? She’s so cute!”
Hazhin’s cardiologist will discuss her case with the other doctors and decide on a surgical plan for her. In the meantime, she and her dad are getting some rest in Ashdod. Please pray for our sweet girl as she begins treatment at Sheba.
This evening after bringing three other families to Ben Gurion Airport for departure back to Kurdistan, coworker Bria and I received our two new babies coming in from Kurdistan, Lawik and Hazhin!
Our baby girl Hazhin is only one and a half months old, and already travelling so far together with her kind dad. They were both very tired after this long travel, so they were happy when we arrived in our community house in Ashdod and another Kurdish dad welcomed them with some food.
Hazhin’s great arteries are switched and so she will need surgery soon to switch them. Please pray for Hazhin and her dad that they feel as comfortable as possible here with us, and for help and support in walking through everything that lays before them!
Six weeks have passed by since our little girl had her first of two planned surgeries. Six weeks full of suffering, hope, doubts, and the never-ending love of her father. After doctors started the dialysis at the end of last week, Hazhin lost more than one kilogram of fluids which was a good and hopeful step, but at the same time, her other organs started to fail.
Jonathan drove straight to the hospital with Hazhin’s dad. There, he and Jakob spent the next hours praying at Hazhin’s side. Hazhin kept fighting and hanging on to life and so last evening the doctors told us that they can’t tell whether she will fight for some more hours or days. Her father decided he wanted to come with us to Ashdod and return in case something happened and the ICU called us.
A few minutes later, Jakob, Hazhin’s dad and I were in the car traveling to the hospital again. The following hours were spent in her room, watching the numbers of her heart rate going up and down until shortly after eight o’clock, the numbers dropped further and further and Hazhin went – her earthly father holding her tiny hand – home to her heavenly Father.
One of the things we loved the most about their relationship was Hazhin’s dad calling out his daughter’s name in his sweet and kind voice: “Hazhin!” He did this while she was still in our house, all the weeks she was in the ICU, and also in her last hours. There was so much love in only saying her name, that we were always so much touched by it, sometimes it brought tears to our eyes. Imagine how much her heavenly father must love her then.
But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. Isaiah 43.1
This afternoon we buried our girl in Jerusalem right across from the Garden of Gethsemane in a tomb with a beautiful view of the Mount of Olives. There, so close to the the place where our Messiah conquered death, Hazhin is waiting for the voice that called her into existence, to call her back to life.
“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” 1 Corinthians 15:55
For Hazhin’s family, a long period of grief and pain has now begun. We don’t know why God decided to heal Hazhin in eternity instead of here.
But we know that He is here with us, will restore us and is all we need. And in this trust, we will rest. And be still.
