It’s been three months and two days since Revand and his mother arrived in Israel. In the time between then and now, he’s had a surgery and a cath and lots of waiting time in between. It’s been quite a challenging time for his mother, and she’s been nervously awaiting his echo appointment today in the hopes that it would be his last.
The echo was not a very enjoyable process for Revand, and he cried his way through most of it. But he cheered up when the echo finished up and he got to cruise the hallways of Sheba in his stroller as his mom passed the time chatting with another Kurdish mother.
When the cardiologist called us in for his consultation, Revand’s mother was visibly nervous as we took our seats. But the first thing out of the doctor’s mouth was, “His echo looks a lot better today, and he can go home.” At this news, Revand’s mother burst into tears, hugged me, and thanked the doctor over and over.
Revand’s surgical result looks great, and his pulmonary arteries are allowing much better blood flow since his catheterization. His cardiologist expects that he may need another catheterization in the future, maybe even multiple times, but time will tell. For now, he’s doing great without the need for any medications.
Revand’s mom has been quite nervous at the possibility of having to travel home alone. So we’re all very grateful that the timing worked out just right for her and Revand to come back to Ashdod for a farewell party this afternoon, then head straight to the airport to travel accompanied by Jonathan, Joanne, and Berith.
At this moment they’re on the first of two flights that will take them to Kurdistan, and Revand’s eagerly awaiting family. Our prayers go with them.
I went to see how Revand is doing at Sheba Medical today as this was the day for his catheterization.
I fouind Revand out of his cath and doing well! The doctors were able to dilate his pulmonary arteries and they expect this is all the treatment he needs for now.
Thank you so much for your prayers, they are greatly appreciated.
Our cute Revand is admitted to Sheba Hospital for a catheterization tomorrow. Revand’s mother waited long and patiently for this appointment, and today is the day! The catheterization is necessary for Revand’s heart-function to improve. If everything goes well, this is the last thing he needs before going back home.
Revand changed so much over the past weeks. He went from a shy, underweight boy, to a happy, chunky baby. Praise the Lord! Please pray for the procedure.
After a month-long wait to let his pulmonary arteries grow, Revand had an echo today at Sheba hospital. His mom was very hopeful that he could be cleared to return home.
However, Revand’s echo showed that his arteries are still very narrow. He’ll need an interventional catheterization to widen them before he’s able to go home to Kurdistan.
This was disappointing news for his mother, who is eager to go home. But the doctor is confident that this is the right decision for Revand so he can go home safe and well.
Revand had another echo at Sheba Hospital this morning. As usual, he wasn’t too pleased about it, and it took multiple echo techs, lots of YouTube videos, and even a visit from a hospital clown to calm him down enough for the echo.
The cardiologist says Revand’s heart function is good and the fluid around his heart is decreasing. However, there doesn’t seem to be any growth in his pulmonary arteries yet. The doctor doesn’t want to do a catheterization unless he’s absolutely certain it’s necessary, so he wants to give Revand another month to grow before the next echo.
Revand’s mom was a little disappointed by this news, but as always, she’s taking it in stride with lots of patience and grace. Please pray that Revand’s arteries will grow in the next month so he and his mom can go home soon.
This morning, little Revand had his first follow-up echo at Sheba Hospital since being discharged last week. He was pretty relaxed during all the waiting time, but not so much during the echo itself.
We’re glad to hear that Revand’s surgical result looks good. He has some fluid around his heart but it’s shown up long enough after surgery that his cardiologist is not concerned and is just treating him with some diuretics.
However, as is the case with many kids with Tetralogy of Fallot, Revand’s pulmonary arteries are very small. The cardiologist couldn’t see them very well in this echo, so he wants to see Revand again in a week. If the arteries are bigger than before surgery, he can likely return home to Kurdistan. If not, he’ll need an interventional cath to dilate them first.
Revand’s mom took this news well and confidently said, “It’s okay, God knows.” Please pray for good results from next week’s echo.
Revand is discharged from Sheba Hospital to our house in Ashdod! I am so surprised he is already discharged. He went into surgery only five days ago. When Revand was admitted to the hospital, his oxygen level was in the 40’s. And now his heart looks perfect. He only has some fluid around his heart, which is treated with medication.
But we will like getting to know Revand now that he is in our house!
When I arrived in the cardiac ICU at Sheba today, I was surprised to be greeted by Revand’s mom smiling and waving from their new room in the intermediate ICU! Revand is already moved into the less intensive wing after making a great recovery after surgery on Thursday. He’s breathing completely on his own without any oxygen support, and by early afternoon, the assisting surgeon was arriving to remove his remaining chest drains.
After Revand’s intense first days at Sheba, it’s good to see him so healthy and happy now. Please pray for continued recovery for him.
Revand had his surgery at Sheba Hospital yesterday, starting at eight in the morning. His mother was calm and collected–nothing seems to faze or stress this strong woman, even when she’s surrounded by people who can’t speak her language.
The surgery lasted for just under six hours, and the doctors successfully performed a complete heart repair, praise God! His mother was joyful and overflowing with thankfulness. In the midst of a busy and complicated day, it was welcome news.
Now we wait for the next day or so to see how Revand holds up. Please pray with us that he will stay strong and have a complete recovery!
This morning, one-year-old Revand and his mother arrived at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv along with two other kids from Kurdistan. Because Revand’s oxygen saturation is often low, the ICU at Sheba Hospital was all ready to hospitalize him right away.
When Revand arrived, his oxygen saturation was in the upper 70s, and the cardiologist and head nurse in the cardiac clinic were wondering if maybe he didn’t need to be admitted. They decided to do an echo anyway to make a decision.
However, during the echo, Revand’s oxygen level dropped rapidly. Within minutes, it was only 50%, and he was hurried into the PICU. There, he started receiving oxygen support through a mask, and the head Cardiologist arrived to perform an echo with sedation. During this echo, another doctor spoke with Revand’s mother about his medical history and current condition.
For now, Revand is resting in the PICU while the doctors review the results of his echoes today and his CT scan brought from Kurdistan. If his oxygen saturations remain low, they may intubate him today or tomorrow. His mother is very tired from the flight, and it’s difficult for her at the hospital where no one speaks Kurdish.
Please pray for Revand and his mother in the coming days.
It’s been three months and two days since Revand and his mother arrived in Israel. In the time between then and now, he’s had a surgery and a cath and lots of waiting time in between. It’s been quite a challenging time for his mother, and she’s been nervously awaiting his echo appointment today in the hopes that it would be his last.
The echo was not a very enjoyable process for Revand, and he cried his way through most of it. But he cheered up when the echo finished up and he got to cruise the hallways of Sheba in his stroller as his mom passed the time chatting with another Kurdish mother.
Revand’s mom has been quite nervous at the possibility of having to travel home alone. So we’re all very grateful that the timing worked out just right for her and Revand to come back to Ashdod for a farewell party this afternoon, then head straight to the airport to travel accompanied by Jonathan, Joanne, and Berith.
Revand’s mom has been quite nervous at the possibility of having to travel home alone. So we’re all very grateful that the timing worked out just right for her and Revand to come back to Ashdod for a farewell party this afternoon, then head straight to the airport to travel accompanied by Jonathan, Joanne, and Berith.
