Majd came to Sheba Medical Center today for a check-up echocardiogram. He is much bigger, much more mischievous, and much more high-energy than the last time I saw him last year. He has so much personality!
This kid doesn’t slow down at all. The entire time we were together, he was always doing something. He was running around the echo clinic, blowing bubbles, throwing paper airplanes, and running away from Elisa and me.
When it came time for his echocardiogram, though, he suddenly became very nervous and quiet. This was his first time back at Sheba in six months, and I imagine this place holds a lot of difficult and scary memories for him.
But praise God, he has such a loving and caring father by his side who clearly loves him deeply. The crazy boy who had been running around everywhere suddenly became quiet, held his father’s hand, and was comforted by him throughout the entire appointment.
Of course, as soon as his shirt was back on, he was back to his crazy business–running around, knocking on closed doors and racing away! He, his father, and I even had a bottle-flipping competition. I was very impressed by how close Majd came to making a successful flip!
Afterwards, Elisa, Majd, and I played outside for a few minutes.
You certainly have to keep an eye on this young man, especially with cars around! We had so much fun with him.
And we’re happy to report that his doctor said his heart looks good! He will need another echocardiogram in six months. We pray that this young boy continues to remain healthy and that the Lord will continue to do beautiful work in his life. We are so grateful for all He has done.
Today I met Majd and his father at Sheba Hospital after he had his ECHO and ECG. His father told me everything went well, but they had to leave shortly after we arrived.
I didn’t have a lot of time to talk to Majd’s father, but in the short time we spent, I could tell that he was a very involved parent that loves his son and likes to have fun with him. He wasn’t afraid to take a silly photo flexing his muscles. He even got his son Majd to flex.
This is a great photo. It shows us that Majd is going to be a strong boy and will overcome these heart-health challenges, and his dad is going to be strong for him too, right by his side, through it all.
It was so fun to come to Sheba Hospital today and get to meet up with Majd and his dad once again, as they were here for an updated echo and cardiology visit.
Majd is a handsome young man with a cheerful disposition. He was so calm during his echo test that he actually fell asleep—an amazing thing for a busy four year old like himself! His doctor reported that they were pleased with his echo and that his heart was doing well enough that no interventions were needed at this time.
After his visit, we took him and his dad downstairs to a new coffee shop and had fun sitting with them and hanging out for a bit. Majd pulled out some bubbles a had fun showing off his bubble-making skills!
We are thrilled he is doing so well. Please continue praying for him that his heart would remain stable and without need for any interventions.
Today coworker Max and I arrived at the hospital after little Majd had already gone through his echo. We arrived and Majd had already made friends with the other children there in the clinic! He was racing up and down the hall with them, it was quite cute.
We got to color together for a few minutes, and then threw around a paper airplane for some time. He is such an adorable boy, very bright and cheerful.
Today during his echo, they discovered his heart is in great shape since his surgery. However, there is a very small hole in his heart. It is so small that the cardiologist who did his echo isn’t worried about it at all, and he will not need any further treatment for it.
Majd is home now in the West Bank and will return to Sheba Hospital for another echo three months from now.
Majd returned to the hospital for a follow-up echo. He’s in good shape, and his heart is holding steady after surgery. His meds have been reduced and he’ll be back in another two months for his next follow-up.
It’s always a treat to see this friendly little boy and his genial father, and I was glad to meet with them both. We hope they’ll remain well and strong until we see them next.
After just under a week in Sheba Hospital, little Majd has been discharged home with a clean bill of health. He’s a bit thinner and grumpier than he was before, but otherwise he has no complaints.
We drove him and his kind father to the West Bank checkpoint, where we were met by his mother, who was overjoyed to be reunited with her husband and son.
We praise God for Majd’s healing! Now we pray that, when he returns for follow-up in one month, that he’ll be stable and steady, with no need of future work.
Majd is doing ok following his surgery last Thursday at Sheba Hospital, but with some complications and issues. He currently is suffering from Hemothorax, so his medical team is currently running tests and making a plan on how to drain it and reduce the fluid.
Outside of the strictly medical sense of things, he is rather bored stuck in that room all day, but he absolutely loved a magic trick I showed him, he would perk up and smile whenever I brought it out. We then played around some more, just to give him a break from the boredom of a hospital.
We are simply waiting and watching his recovery, and praising God for what has already come.
Today at Sheba Medical Center, I found Majd already extubated and awake–wonderful forward progress! By all accounts of his doctors and his father, he’s been doing great after his surgery, and his heart is looking good. If all continues to hold well, he may not need further treatment in the future. We praise God for this!
However Majd is still very weak and in some pain, and he’s easily distressed as well. This is understandable given his circumstances, but his cries and his anxiety weigh heavily on his father. We pray that our Father will send a spirit of peace and rest to little Majd, so that he will quickly be healed and returned to his family; and we pray for his father, that he will be encouraged as he continues to wait at the bedside of his son.
Today, little Majd had his big surgery at Sheba Medical Center. He went in at about 8:00 am for both a mitral valve and left aortic valve repair. Majd was very quiet before his surgery began, anticipating with some apprehension the events to come; but he was very brave, and he didn’t cry as he was taken away.
It was a long and heavy time for his father, who loves his son very much. Majd’s father has a large heart that I witnessed much of during the surgery, fast to generate powerful emotion. He was also fast to serve, insisting on making me coffee with his skills accrued from a lifetime of varied work, not to mention great familiarity with hospital kitchenettes, freeze-dried coffee products and microwave ovens.
Praise God, the surgery turned out very well for little Majd, and everything the doctors aimed for was a complete success. He was wheeled out about six hours after he went in, to his father’s intense joy and relief.
At the end of the surgery, his father tried to describe for me the state of his heart at this moment; he told me no one can understand the pain and love that he felt unless they also had such a child. I agreed with him. Then he asked me: why did Jonathan start this? Why does Shevet do this work?
I thought for a moment about how to answer the question with the vocabulary I have available to me. Then I said this: my father started the work because God called him to it, and we continue in it for the same reason. And we do the work because when we see Majd, or children like him, we see children made in the image of God, and they are worth more than all the money in the world.
We pray and wait now for Majd’s continued recovery. Heal him quickly, Father!
Today Majd returned to Sheba Hospital for a CT exam and to be prepped for surgery admission.
This brave, strong little boy had a big day with lots of tests, games, and walking, and he was tuckered out by the end of it! But he and I have become better friends. We shared a meal altogether courtesy of his father as well. It was a good time.
He’ll have surgery early tomorrow morning. We pray for him.
Today cheery little Majd returned to Sheba Hospital for his dental clinic. Majd is a cooperative and good natured boy, and the examining dentists were big fans of his.
The whole examination went very painlessly. We also had a pleasant surprise with him: he doesn’t need any dental work before his operation! This is extremely rare news these days, so we praise God for it.
I took Majd and his father back to the West Bank border later that day; they were both very tired after getting up early and traveling all day, and they slept in the car.
Majd will be back next for a CT scan, which will hopefully lead straight into his hospitalization for surgery.
Today I met little Majd, a charming three-and-a-half year old boy from Ramallah.
Before the war, Majd had surgery and was treated at Wolfson Hospital but has not been seen since before October. Now he’s come to Sheba Medical Center where we hope to see him further healed.
Majd has two difficulties: a regurgitating motion in the top left chamber of the heart, and a severe narrowing right before the aortic valve. His doctor was confident, however, that both these conditions can be treated in a single surgery.
Majd is a very nice and friendly boy who didn’t cry or complain at all during his echo and was even willing to play with his examining doctor–a rarity in the children we work with! His father, a man who has spent much time working in Israel, was a very friendly and open man who I was glad to meet.
On Wednesday, the doctors will meet to discuss the optimal date and course of action for Majd’s surgery.
We pray for their wisdom in this and that this sweet boy will quickly be healed.
Majd came to Sheba Medical Center today for a check-up echocardiogram. He is much bigger, much more mischievous, and much more high-energy than the last time I saw him last year. He has so much personality!
When it came time for his echocardiogram, though, he suddenly became very nervous and quiet. This was his first time back at Sheba in six months, and I imagine this place holds a lot of difficult and scary memories for him.
But praise God, he has such a loving and caring father by his side who clearly loves him deeply. The crazy boy who had been running around everywhere suddenly became quiet, held his father’s hand, and was comforted by him throughout the entire appointment.
Afterwards, Elisa, Majd, and I played outside for a few minutes.
You certainly have to keep an eye on this young man, especially with cars around! We had so much fun with him.
And we’re happy to report that his doctor said his heart looks good! He will need another echocardiogram in six months. We pray that this young boy continues to remain healthy and that the Lord will continue to do beautiful work in his life. We are so grateful for all He has done.
