Today was the day we had to say goodbye to Miran and his mother. It was a goodbye with mixed feelings. His mother was so happy to go back to her family, but also sad because Miran is not going back in the condition she hoped for.
He still has severe pulmonary stenosis and this needs to go away through medications or maybe a catheterization or surgery in the future. What the next steps are right now is not sure. Maybe he will come back to us in a few months, maybe in a few years, maybe not at all because it’s not necessary.
It was a hard decision to make for his mother.
We will miss Miran and his mother a lot. They have been with us for four months and his mother has only been kind and patient towards us, even when it was hard for her. And Miran liked to be with his mother, but sometimes we were able to play with him and cuddle him when he let us.
This week Miran’s doctors at Sheba Hospital had a meeting about how to go on with his treatment. He has severe pulmonary stenosis which will probably take quite some time to resolve. His doctor wants to see him again in two to three months to see how much improvement has occurred within that time. Miran’s parents have now a tough decision to make: either he and his mother will stay here with us for the next few months, or they will go back home to Kurdistan and try to be back in time. So together with their parents and Samaritan’s Purse, we’re trying to decide what the best thing for him is right now.
Meanwhile, Miran is still like a little sunshine in our house; he is spreading joy and is always ready to play.Please pray for Miran’s parents, that they will know what to do. They are going through a hard time at the moment, so please ask the Lord to be there for them! But you can also join us in thanksgiving. We are so grateful that this family came here and that they make every day that we are spending with them so much brighter!
Today was finally Miran’s next follow-up Echo at Sheba Hospital. When we picked him up from the family house in Ashdod, he was ready to leave and even seemed to be excited to go on a trip. As soon as we arrived at Sheba and got Miran admitted, we had some waiting time.
He was still very tired, so he was just resting in the arms of his mother until we got called for the Echo. Apparently his doctors already know Miran really well because they immediately prepared a sedative for him. And they were right to do so. As soon as any doctor entered the room and came one step too close to him, Miran started screaming and crying. But after a few minutes the sedative started working. He still cried a bit but it was easy to calm him down with videos or just by talking to him.
After some time the Echo was done and Miran’s cardiologist let us know there will be a meeting on Wednesday, where they will confer with each other about whether he should have surgery for his narrow pulmonary artery. Until then we will have to wait and keep on having some funny days full of joy together with Miran in the Ashdod family house.
After getting those news Miran’s mother seemed to be doing better than I thought. She and Miran are already here for three months now and she is seeing some families leaving to return home, although they arrived here weeks after she and Miran did. But still she is remaining a strong mother, always there for her son. I have a huge respect for her and I am really looking forward to the next time with her.
Please pray for Miran and his mother, that she will continue to be patient and that they will get everything they need to enjoy their time here. We pray for Miran’s doctors, for blessing on their plans for Miran. They are about to make a big decision for our little boy, so God bless them.
Since Miran’s last cath didn’t fix his pulmonary stenosis completely, his doctors at Sheba Medical Center want to make the decision whether they can fix it with medication or whether he needs a surgery. So in February, Miran will have another echo to get all the information they will need to make the best decision for our little boy.
Although he and his lovely mother are already here for over three months and they have some waiting time again, he is spreading lots of joy in our house in Ashdod. When I’m entering the family house, he is usually sitting on the table eating a yoghurt or chips and when he is done, he is running and screaming through the whole ground floor. And just in those simple things, he is smiling all the time and making everyone around him happy. He is making our days brighter and has become a huge part of our community.
Let’s thank the Lord for Miran, that he became so close to this community and loves to spend time with us. Please pray for him and his mother, that our Father will give them patience to get through this long waiting time without any problems!
Our sweet Miran went to the hospital for an echo today. He didn’t really like all the tests, but with his mother on his side, Miran was able to calm down and watch some video’s during the echo.
Miran’s saturation is still the same as before the catheterization and the echo showed that the pulmonary stenosis is still not completely fixed. The doctor told us of two options, a surgery, or some weeks of taking certain medications that will help the problem. We will hear this week what the doctor decided after consulting with other doctors.
Miran’s mother was okay with the news. She already expected it and hopes that the doctors choose what is best for her son, so we’re praying for this and for sweet Miran.
It was really a special day for Miran! Not only that after his successful catheterization he was discharged from the hospital and returned to our family home in Ashdod, but we could also all celebrate his second birthday together. Lord, we want to thank you for Miran’s second year. May you continue to watch over Miran and never leave his side.
When I picked up Miran and his mother from the hospital, a nurse repeated how well the catheterization had gone. The doctors were able to do everything that was planned and there were no abnormalities afterwards. On Monday, however, Miran’s doctor wants to do a check-up again, probably an echo and ECG.
But first we made our way home to Ashdod where the other families were already eagerly waiting for Miran to wish him a happy birthday. In the evening, we all ate cake together and gave Miran a small gift. He was happier about that than about an oversized balloon in the shape of a two – this made him a little uncomfortable.
“Oke.” That’s how little Miran greeted me this morning, this one word he learned from us in his time here. Every time we check his oxygen in our house and we are finished, Miran says with a big grin on his face: oke!
At 10:30 they took him into the surgery preparation room and after another signature from his mom and some questions, his mother was allowed to carry her boy into the Cath lab where she came out crying and hugged me. She went through all of this for the second time and still it was so hard for her. Especially because the doctors told her that if this Cath doesn’t bring enough success, Miran will need a surgery.
The Cath was over after three hours and a little after Miran was back in his room we could go to him and a doctor told us that the Cath went all well. They were able to widen his pulmonary artery but weren’t completely happy with the results. After his heart fought now for nearly two years against the pulmonary stenosis, it’s hard to fix it.
After a week, Miran will get another echo where the doctors will make the decision if he needs surgery, but they didn’t sound very optimistic that the Cath was enough. This is hard news for his mom who will have to celebrate Miran’s second birthday tomorrow away from her family! Please pray for Miran and his mother.S
Miran will have another catheterisation tomorrow. He was called in just today but his mother was really happy that they are treating him now as it brings them closer to going home to Kurdistan. The whole day he was smiling as long as he didn’t have to do tests, then he was crying as probably every child would. After doing a chest X-ray, he was brought to his room in the intermediate ICU to spend the night there. Please pray for his procedure tomorrow, that everything goes according to plan and he will be good afterwards.
Today Miran underwent his echo at Sheba Hospital. His doctor was deciding whether it would be help enough to increase Miran’s meds or if he needs another procedure.
To the disappointment of Miran’s mother however, the echo indicated that the meds were not enough. Miran’s pulmonary valve and the part underneath it, is still too narrow. God willing, the doctors will discuss his case on Wednesday and then decide whether he only needs another Cath or a surgery to fix the problem.
His mom took the news very well even though she is already so long in Israel. It is admirable that she didn’t mind at all that she had to wait today for a couple of hours longer until we could bring her back to our community home in Ashdod. Meanwhile, Miran took advantage of every free moment, enjoyed running around in the hospital and playing with whatever he could find, but clearly he is still not a fan of echoes or ECGs. Please keep praying for this cute boy and a good decision from his doctors.
Our cute Miran went again for an echo today where his mom hoped he would get discharged home to Kurdistan.
Sadly the doctors discovered that he still has pulmonary stenosis and can’t go home like this. For now the doctors increased his medication and want to see in two weeks how he is doing with this, but if he doesn’t improve enough with the medication increase, he will need another cath or maybe even surgery before he can go home.
His mom wasn’t very happy about that, but she took it very well as she only wants the best for her son. Miran enjoyed his day in the hospital, was running around and playing and smiling at everyone. Please keep praying for that cute boy and his family!
Currently Miran and his mother have to be very patient because they are still waiting for Miran’s next ECHO appointment at Sheba Hospital.
Despite this, Miran and I spent the morning playing outside while we took a few selfies. He had a lot of fun.
Please pray for an early ECHO appointment for Miran, but also for continued patience especially for Miran’s mother and for a blessed time for Miran while he is staying with us in Ashdod.
Today I accompanied Miran and his Mother to an Echocardiogram procedure at Sheba Hospital.
After I registered Miran, we used the waiting time to play. Today however, we didn’t have to wait that long when we were called to our appointment.
Since Miran is afraid of an Echo, the doctor gave him something to calm him down. Miran bravely held his mother’s hand and he only cried a little during the whole procedure.
Today’s appointment went very quickly. As soon as we were called, we were out of the treatment room. After the appointment, Miran was still very dazed. First we took a break to eat together, then we continued playing.
Please keep praying for his up-coming treatments and that he may grow into a healthy boy.
After his successful catheterization last week, Miran is now back at our family home in Ashdod.
Coworker Simona and I used the free time to go to the beach with him and other Kurdish children. How nice to see them playing so juyful. Together with the other children, Miran took a few steps into the cool water. He didn’t stay dry, but that wasn’t a problem, because we had enough towels with us.
His mother seemed to be having a good time too. She took some photos with the other Kurdish mothers and had a good conversation. Thank you, Lord, for this time off and the recovery between the catheterization and the following appointments in the hospital.
Please continue to bless Miran as new challenges arise in the coming weeks.
Today was Miran’s discharge from Sheba Medical Center.
He had again an Echo which went well, so that my coworker Joanne and I were able to bring him and his mother back to our community house in Ashdod.
On Monday Miran had a few challenging appointments so I was all the more happy to bring him back to Ashdod. In ten days, he has to go back to the hospital for follow-up appointments.
Please Pray for Miran and his mother, that they have a blessed and restful time here in Ashdod.
After his cath yesterday at Sheba Medical, Miran is already doing really fine. Even so, he looked a bit tired when I visited him, but was happy to eat some of the snacks the children in the ICU get. He was smiling brightly when his mom gave him a pudding which made his mom and me smile even more. For a short time we saw him also playing outside of the ward, playing in the locomotive at the playground. It’s good to see him doing well after his cath.
Hopefully Miran can be discharged tomorrow and will meet his friend, who was already discharged today, in Ashdod again, where both of them will be staying with us until their treatment continues.
Please continue to pray for Miran, that he can grow up like any other child.
Little Miran had his catheterization today and by the time Craig and I arrived at Sheba Hospital, he was already in the middle of it.
We eagerly awaited the results. When I approached the ICU and heard him crying, I was a little concerned at first. However, the nurse was able to calm me down. His catheterisation went well and he can probably return to our family-house in Ashdod tomorrow, together with his Kurdish friend who also had a catheterisation today. Thank the Lord for protecting Miran so well today.
In fact, Miran stopped crying as soon as there was no more doctor in the room and his mother looked relieved. When I wanted to sit down with the two, Miran started to crying again. I guess I looked like a doctor to him with my face mask on. So I quickly left the room again. This is also the reason why Miran is not in the picture. Instead, you can see a photo from a while ago above. After the catherisation, his brown eyes shine just like in the old picture.
Today, I accompanied Miran and his Mother to the Sheba Medical Center and walked with them through all the steps for the admission. First we checked in, Then Miran and I had some play time. We explored the waiting area on floor four. After a while, it was our turn to be seen.
His weight and oxygen levels were measured and an ECG was done. Then we made our way to the X-Ray station, which went quickly.
Afterwards, we went back to the waiting area on floor four. We had a play and food break. After a time of waiting, it was Miran’s turn for his Echo. The Echo was a big challenge for him. He was very insecure and scared, so he cried a lot. His mom and I tried to calm him down and distracted him with the phone.
Finally, I took Miran, very exhausted in his mother’s arms, to the ICU where he was admitted. Miran needed a a blood test which was very painful for him because it was very difficult for the doctor to find a vein. Also a corona test was made and an IV was placed.
After all these procedures, Miran fell very tired in his mother’s arms – asleep. Please pray for Miran’s upcoming treatments. He has a Cath tomorrow. Please also pray for strength for his mother.
Today was a very dark and rainy day here in Ashdod, so we had to spend our ‘Family Care’ day indoors. I unpacked all sorts of pens and colors that I could find and then our creative morning was able to begin.
One picture after the other was painted. Miran was very enthusiastic. He sat on the top of the table. He smiled, squeaked and diligently painted his picture. Miran is waiting at the moment for his Cath scheduled at Sheba Hospital for next week.
Please pray for him and his mother, that they have a wonderful time here in our family house in Ashdod, for strength and also for all the upcoming treatments.
Today marked Mirans first day at Sheba hospital. He had his first echo, a blood test and an X-ray to evaluate his situation. Even though it was a new environment he was very playful and enjoyed the time between the test. For the echo he was a little bit anxious and was moving a lot what made it difficult for his doctors to do the imagery. They had to retry a few times what was really exhausting for little Miran so in the end he fell asleep what made the job much easier for the echo tech. The doctors will meet in a few days to talk about the approach for him but they are considering a cath before his surgery.
“Thank you Lord for precious Miran and his mother. Bless him in the following weeks with strength and endurance so that he will learn to not be afraid of the test at the Hospital.”
After a long trip, Miran and his mother arrived today safely with two other kids and their moms from Kurdistan. When I picked them up at Ben Gurion Airport all of them were really tired and we were all glad when we arrived in Ashdod.
At first Miran didn’t look so happy about seeing so many unfamiliar people, but not too long afterwards, he was walking around the house like he was exploring something unknown and even gave me a smile. We are glad to have them with us and hope that his treatment goes well.
Please pray for him and his family for the time they are staying with us for treatment and even afterwards when they go home, that he can grow up just like any other child.
Today was the day we had to say goodbye to Miran and his mother. It was a goodbye with mixed feelings. His mother was so happy to go back to her family, but also sad because Miran is not going back in the condition she hoped for.
We will miss Miran and his mother a lot. They have been with us for four months and his mother has only been kind and patient towards us, even when it was hard for her. And Miran liked to be with his mother, but sometimes we were able to play with him and cuddle him when he let us.
We will miss Miran and his mother a lot. They have been with us for four months and his mother has only been kind and patient towards us, even when it was hard for her. And Miran liked to be with his mother, but sometimes we were able to play with him and cuddle him when he let us.
