Today our little Anas was finally discharged from Sheba Hospital! When met him today, he was chilling underneath a lot of blankets. The nurse was just talking to Anas’ aunt on the phone to explain all the medication that he is getting and in the meantime I asked his grandmother if I could take him into my arms. She said yes and after almost one month of seeing him laying in an ICU bed, I could finally hold this little boy. This is one of the greatest feelings here at Shevet and I am so thankful for it!
After every medical thing was explained, we just had to wait for the report and make his next follow-up appointment in one month. I’m already looking forward to meet him again! As soon as everything was done, we packed all the bags into the car and finally drove to Erez Border Crossing with Gaza. We had to get some carts there to help with the luggage, and then it was time for us to say goodbye. Our little Anas can finally meet his family again, thank God.
I found Anas today in the Intermediate Pediatric ICU of Sheba Medical Center. A step in the right direction. Anas is doing well, although he is not yet ready to be discharged as his oxygen levels are not yet stable and he is not eating the amount he should be. The nurse said it will take a little bit before they can discharge Anas, but at least the time is coming closer.
Anas’s grandmother is very proud of her grandson. She takes really good care of him. I told her I think he is a beautiful boy. She said she wasn’t surprised because the parents of Anas are also beautiful.
When I said goodbye, this grandmother gave me a big hug. She has a lot of love to give.
When I entered Anas’ room at Sheba Medical Center today, his grandmother immediately wanted me to take a picture of him, since he seems to be in a really good condition. He is very fit, observing everything that surrounds him and getting bigger and bigger every day.
When I asked a doctor about his condition, he told me that Anas’ heart condition is really good, but he had a seizure on the weekend, so they will do a few tests in the next days to find out the cause and how to treat it.
Please pray for our little boy, that everything will go well and for the doctors, that they will find a solution soon. Thank God his heart condition is very good!
When I visited Anas at Sheba Hospital today, his doctor told me that Anas is making good steps forward and improving after his surgery. He got extubated a few days ago and is off oxygen support now.
He is not eating on his own yet but he is slowly learning to drink milk out of his bottle again. He is still such a cute little boy and I was glad to finally meet him for the first time today – and thank God in such a good condition!
Let’s pray that he will continue to get better and soon will be able to go back to his mother in Gaza!
Little Anas is three days after his surgery now and he looks really good. His scar is healing well and his skin tone even looks a bit more pink than before the surgery.
His grandmother, who is spending most of the time in his room in the ICU, is saying “Alhamdulillah” over and over again, which means “Praise the Lord.” Anas’ doctors also want to extubate him soon, but because he still has some fluid in his lungs, they want to wait a bit longer to make sure everything goes well.
We join the prayers of Anas’ grandmother and praise the Lord together with her. He is such a caring and loving God!
When I met Anas’s grandmother in the hallway of Sheba Hospital today, she greeted me with a big hug and a great smile. She asked when I could come to see Anas.
A little while later, I entered Anas’s room. His grandmother told me he is doing very well. The doctors think they can wake him tomorrow and see if he is ready for extubation. Thank God this surgery went well. This was a small surgery. Anas will need two other big surgeries in the early years of his life to complete the heart repair. Please pray for Anas.
Today was the day of Anas’ long awaited surgery. Because Anas has the hypoplastic left heart syndrome, his body is not getting enough oxygen. That’s why the surgeons at Sheba Hospital wanted to place a BT-Shunt today.
Though the surgery was scheduled for 8 am, the surgery nurses picked him up very late in the morning. As a result, the surgery started at 12 noon. And although Anas’ grandmother was already worried about her grandson in the few hours before the surgery, now she couldn’t hold back her tears. And still after some time, she calmed down again and patiently waited for her grandson to come out of surgery. She surely is a very strong woman!
During the waiting time, she told me some things about her family which also showed me what a caring and strong woman she is. I enjoyed every minute of the waiting time with her and I appreciate her a lot. And already after only four hours, Anas came out of the surgery. The doctors asked us to wait outside for a bit longer until they stabilized him. So after fifteen more minutes we were able to see him.
He was looking really good! His surgeons told us that the whole surgery was going as planned. Anas’ grandmother was so much joyous over this and we are also very thankful for that. Thanking God.
After waiting for permission for a long time, little Anas came to Sheba Hospital today with his grandmother. The doctors immediately started stabilizing him and intubating him. They also ran a lot of tests to learn about his heart condition and make a wise decision for the next steps.
Anas has hypoplastic left heart, which is a condition where the chances are low, but every child is worth the fight. Anas could be one of the few children that will have a ‘normal’ life with this condition.
Please pray for him. God can do everything, so we hope and trust in him.