Dressed in bedazzled baggy jeans, a bright pink shirt, and two uneven buns perched on the top of her head— it was hard to miss spunky Revan as she passed coworker Caroline and I in the halls of Sheba Medical Center today. She had come for an echo, and blood draw which she had already received by the time we had found her. But, her mother was still waiting to speak with the doctor to discuss the results of those tests. We waited with them in the cardiology play room and quickly came to see what past coworkers had described about young Revan.

This four year old, though small in stature, has a huge personality. This quickly became evident within the first few minutes of waiting with them. For example, when I asked if I could take a photo of her holding a balloon animal given to her by a hospital clown, she gave me a look and said matter of factly, “La,” or “No.” It was only with the coaxing of her mother that she finally, but not too willingly, agreed to a photo. Not too long after that, her mother went to get some medicine for Revan to take. Upon returning with a syringe of it, Revan insistently refused to let her mother give it to her. This grown up four year old took it from her mother with a look of “I can do this on my own,” and asked for a bottle of water as she knew it wouldn’t taste too great. Then, she took a big gulp of water, plunged the syringe into her mouth, and chased that down with yet more water. By the end of this dramatic medicine taking moment, her face became twisted with displeasure at the aftertaste of medicine. Needless to say, her face is exceptionally expressive. While one could tell the medicine tasted nasty, a proud look of independence filled her smile afterwards.

Unfortunately, while Revan maintains an exuberant personality, she is struggling with her health in a number of ways. Just before we went in to speak with the doctor, Revan had a terrible coughing fit followed by throwing up. Her mother gently took care of her and helped her through this unpleasant event. Once the doctor called us into her room, she shared both good and bad news. Revan’s blood results look good, and her heart is functioning alright after her Fontan surgery. Praise the Lord for these good things! But unfortunately, she is struggling with seizures, a constant sickness, keeping food in her stomach, and a number of other issues. The doctor shared that Revan needs a lot of medical attention in the coming months. She will remain under the close watch of her mother and a number of doctors at upcoming appointments. After answering some of the mother’s questions, the conversation was finished and Revan and her mother prepared to leave the hospital.

As they were getting on the elevator, I heard Revan shouting over and over, “Bye bye!” It was good to see that she still has all of her spunkiness despite not feeling the greatest. We look forward to seeing Revan over the coming weeks and months as answers are hopefully found as to why she is not feeling well.

Please be praying for this sweet girl to have healing in her life. May Jehovah Rapha, God our healer, bring life and health to all her body.

I caught up with spunky little Revan and her mom at the lung and respiratory clinic at Sheba Medical Center this morning.

Revan, a fun five-year-old girl from Bethlehem, is very active and a bit mischievous at times, but I always have fun with her and her mom. The respiratory doctor was so helpful as she spoke Arabic and prescribed some new medicines to help Revan with her breathing. Her mother shared that Revan’s breathing has been more labored since her Fontan surgery, which is concerning.

While we were there in the doctor’s office, Revan poured out a toy bin over the desk of the doctor and sat on the top playing with the many plastic toys such as dolls and Smurfs. It was wonderful to see a doctor that would allow Revan to play and be herself, and at the same time not be fazed by distractions.

One funny moment in the waiting room was when Revan walked over to an older gentleman and started to pat his big round belly as if he was an expectant mother. It was quite funny and awkward, I didn’t catch it on video because I thought the old man might be embarrassed. He was so taken by the cuteness of little Revan. He called her “Hamoudah” or “cutie.”

Please pray for Revan’s respiratory function to improve and match her energetic personality.

I always have a fun time with Revan. Revan is a spunky 4-year-old from Bethlehem who can be a bit mischievous, but in a fun, lighthearted way. Her mom is a great lady, very caring, and loves her little girl. We waited together for her neurological appointment for almost an hour. Revan played on some stairs, played games on my phone, and climbed on tables.  We did all that we could to keep Revan entertained.

Pray for Revan that her breathing and oxygen levels would be better.

Four-and-a-half year old Revan from Bethlehem and her sweet mother returned to Sheba Medical Center this week for Revan’s echocardiogram.

We always have a fun time with Revan, she is cute, spunky, and sometimes a bit obstinate. This time was no different. When we went into the echocardiogram room, the echocardiographer said she would return in a few minutes. Revan jumped right into the office chair like a boss!

We called her “Doctor Revan,” and “Boss,” her boldness was quite amusing.

Earlier in the morning her mom was able to share Revan’s story of coming to Sheba when she was just a week old as she was born with half a heart. Her testimony was comforting to a young father who is going through exactly the same situation today. His young son had his first surgery and is in the difficult recovery phase immediately following the operation, but how comforting to know there is a future for children born with these congenital heart defects, and what a blessing to have access to the world class doctors, nurses, and medical facility that can provide this life-saving treatment.

Please pray for Revan, she has persistent breathing difficulties, and will need to see a specialist soon.

It has been a difficult week for Revan and her mom. They came to Sheba Hospital on Wednesday for an echocardiogram. Unfortunately, Revan has been sick with a cough and fever since then and her breathing and oxygen levels have been low. We brought her to the Pediatric ER per the request of the doctor and Revan has been staying overnight at the hospital since then, the past four nights.

Today, I talked to her doctor and he said she might be able to go home, but he needs to assess her condition further before he makes that decision. Revan’s oxygen saturation has still been low, in the seventies, but at night her oxygen level is even lower. This has her using an oxygen machine.

Please pray for Revan, that her breathing would improve and oxygen level would increase and that she would be healed of this sickness. Also pray that her heart function would improve and the cardiologist would understand the best possible course of action for her.

Revan from Bethlehem came to Sheba Hospital for an echocardiogram yesterday, but she had trouble breathing and was sick. We transferred her to the war-time underground emergency room per the request of the cardiologist that examined her.

I found her and her mom in the basement floor of the children’s hospital today. The basement floor is now being used because it is safe from the missile attacks that we have several times a day for the last few weeks. Praise God, Revan was doing much better today. She had her beloved balloon with her.

Revan’s oxygen level was higher and I didn’t hear her wheezing when she breathed. We are hoping she is discharged today or tomorrow. Please pray for her to be able to breathe clearly, that the antibiotics administered will do their work to clear her sickness, and that the doctors would decide the best course of action for her congenital heart defects.

I was happy to see Revan and her mom who came early in the morning to Sheba Hospital from their home in Bethlehem. I found them in the waiting area and Revan was snacking on chips. Her mom was very generous and gave me a chocolate bar.

While we waited in the lobby, a nice group of girls handed Revan a helium balloon. Revan loved her new balloon, she carried it with her to her appointment.

Revan came for an echocardiogram, and electrocardiogram today. She was uncomfortable during the echocardiogram and wiggled around, and had a coughing fit.

Unfortunately, Revan was sick and was having trouble breathing, and should not have come today, the doctor was upset that she had.

The doctor recommended that Revan go to the emergency room. We were taken to a second emergency department that had been moved underground during the war. There Revan had an X-ray, and the emergency room doctors requested that Revan and her mom stay in the hospital for observation. Revan’s oxygen level was low.

She was put on antibiotics and they attached an IV. After this Revan fell asleep and was able to rest.

Please pray for Revan so that she is able to breath well, that her oxygen level increases, that she is healed from this sickness, and able to receive care for her heart.

Coworker Ben and I arrived early to Sheba Medical Center and met up with four-year-old Revan and her mother for her gastroenterology and dietician appointments.

Little Revan has had trouble keeping her food down and has been experiencing regular bouts of vomiting after eating or refusing to eat at times. Ben and I had a lot of fun with spunky little Revan during the wait time – bopping around a balloon in one waiting room and engaging in some imaginative play in the toy kitchen in another waiting room.

Here you can see Revan pretending to do the ritual washing before prayer:

Revan’s gastroenterologist was attentive and friendly, letting Revan play with an assortment of little toys on his desk while simultaneously hearing all of her mother’s concerns.

After another appointment with the dietician, Revan’s doctors are taking a wait-and-see approach as they aren’t keen on giving her more medication and didn’t detect anything wrong with her. Everyone is in agreement that it’s impossible to force a four-year-old to eat and so they will keep a close eye on her for any other changes.

Revan and her mom left the hospital the same time as we did and after so much activity and such an early morning, little Revan was tuckered out and fell asleep waiting for their ride home.

It was a pleasure to spend time with Revan and her mom today and we hope you’ll join us in praying for good health for this precious little girl.

Revan had a hematology appointment today, but ended up making a stop in the Children’s ED at Sheba Hospital.

She was having trouble breathing, so the doctors gave her an X-ray and blood draw. We were unable to go into the emergency ward, so we waited outside in the lobby for a considerable amount of time.

Finally, after a little investigation, I found Revan and her mother in the cardiac department. Revan was smiling and playing with her toy. It was such a blessing to see her in such good spirits, even though she wasn’t feeling her best.

Lovely four-year-old Revan from Bethlehem was admitted today for an interventional catheterization at the Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv.

She was born with basically half a heart, and doctors have been working since she was a newborn to help her survive and thrive. The Palestinian Authority until now sponsored her treatment in Israel, but due to the cut-off of customs revenue from Israel is no longer able to continue. We’re grateful to be here to keep her lifeline intact.