Salma has been at our community home in Jaffa for the weekend, and it has been lovely to get to know her and her mum. They loved walking out in the park, and Salma has been intrigued with our dog Shevvie.
Today was Salma’s echo and check-up. Despite not enjoying the echo itself, Salma and mum received the good news that they can return today to Gaza. Mum was so happy!
We are excited to see each other again in twomonths’ time when they need to return for a check-up.
Little Salma was discharged from Sheba Medical Center today, after only three days in the hospital. A real supergirl. Praise the Lord. When co-worker Georgia and I were at the hospital today, Salma’s kind mother told us with joy that she and her little daughter can be discharged from the hospital already – today! What a gift from God.
When we went to her room in the Secondary Pediatric ICU, little Supergirl was peacefully sleeping in her little bed. We brought Salma’s loving mother and little Salma along with three other families to our community house in Jaffa. It is always lovely to see how the mothers that had been with us for a while now, are helping the new mothers that are coming to our home. One of our lovely mothers did this for the mother of Salma today as well.
Both, Salma and her lovely mother are very peaceful, and it is nice to have them with us for a few days. Salma needs to take some medication and come back to the hospital on Sunday for a follow-up. Please pray for our little Supergirl and her kind mother as they are in God’s hands.
At 8 o’clock in the morning, it was time for Salma’s cath. When I arrived to Sheba it was to assist Salma’s loving mother in the waiting time, and the doctors had already been in the procedure for two hours. I arrived with co-workers Georgia and Alena, and this kind mother was sitting peacefully in the waiting area and was happy to see us. I spent most of the waiting time alone with her, so we didn’t talk that much because of the language barriers. For a while, Alena joined us and because she speaks some Arabic, the three of us were able to talk a little a bit, and spent a more or less pleasant time together.
The catheterisation lasted about four hours and went well. However, the doctors did not remove Salma’s stent, but widened her arteries. One of the doctors explained what was done in Arabic and then again to me in English, although I didn’t even ask him to do so. Salma’s pulmonary arteries are in good condition and big enough, so not much needed to be done there. Her oxygen is between 70-80 percent. The doctor said that if she stays in this condition for the next two months, then she can be operated on and they will have to decide at that time what kind of surgery they will do.
Thank God that everything went well today and that he provided Salma’s mother with calmness and patience. Little Salma is now in the Secondary Pediatric ICU. When I went to her room after the catheterisation, she was awake and asleep, sort of in an inbetween state, which was probably because she was still tired from the anaesthesia.
Her mother took loving care of her and was very happy to have her little daughter back with her. She immediately called her husband and showed him their Salma. He was also very happy to see his precious daughter, and to learn that the cath had worked out well. She is a very sweet adorable little girl with loving parents.
Your prayers for her and her peaceful mum are very much appreciated. Pray that Salma will continue to be in a good condition and the doctors will make a wise decision as to what to do next.
Today, co-worker Sebastian and I picked up a new baby girl named Salma from Gaza. It was very lovely to meet the cute little girl and her mother. We brought them to Sheba Hospital.
Salma’s mother knows a few English words, but not enough to make everything we wanted to communicate clear enough. So what a blessing it is that some of the medical staff at Sheba speak Arabic.
The doctor appointed to speak with Salma’s mother also spoke in Arabic and was able to both ask and answer some questions. This made Salma’s mother understand and be encouraged by the care that would be put in place for little Salma, her beloved baby.
Cute little Salma didn’t like to be checked by medical staff for her examination. We tried to play with her, to sing, and thankfully somehow diverted her. But this beautiful little girl found comfort only in the arms of her mum.
It took time with our appointment. After her Echo-cardiogram, the doctor told us that Salma’s condition is stable enough to have an Intra-cardiac Catheterization. Their plan is to delete the Stent that was applied formerly.
Salma has a room on floor 5 after some long waiting for it. We hope she and her mother will have a blessed rest before the new day. Please pray with us about the Catheterisation for sweet Salma and for the medical staff who will work at improving and restoring her little heart.
Please pray for God’s protection over Salma and her mother. Yesterday at Sheba Medical Center, they had two Corona tests, one rapid and the other the normal PCR test. The rapid one came back negative, but this morning the results of the PCR showed she was positive for the virus.
For this reason, they went back to Gaza today and will return at the end of January for Salma’s catheterization.
Beautiful Salma came from Gaza for an admission to Sheba today. She was here this past summer and received an Interventional Catheterization, and God willing tomorrow she will have her second Catheterization to help further prepare her for a surgery in the future.
Salma’s mum was so steady and comforting; after an Echocardiogram for Salma and a Corona test, she is happy to be back in her mother’s arms.
Please pray for them both; this morning Salma’s mother was too worried to eat anything before we left, and today was mostly about getting all the tests done. The night before is always challenging for the parents as they await the procedure in the morning, so please pray for Salma’s mother and for God to give her peace and strength.
Salma is a beautiful, serene fifteen-day old girl from Gaza. Her heart is incredibly complex, and I think it was only by God’s provision that Salma was able to receive care in Israel.
She was relying on a medication to keep her Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) open, but by way of a catheterization, doctors were able to place stents in her PDA to keep it open and allow for the circulation of oxygenated blood to her small body. Praise God, she recovered and responded very well to the procedure. She was discharged with medications.
One of the medications which helps prevent blood clots developing in her stent, was not readily available at the major local pharmacy. It was not possible to obtain until a few days later. One of Salma’s relatives drove all the way to the border to deliver this medication for Salma.
Our neighbor Moshe kindly brought Salma and her mother from the hospital to Erez Border Crossing. They navigated many challenges, but praise God that Salma was able to return to Gaza. The doctors would like her to return in a month for a follow-up visit, and possibly later in life, she may need a surgery.
Please pray for their time together in the quarantine house, which is mandatory for all returning to Gaza. We look forward to seeing her soon.
I reached Salma’s hospital room at the same time as the doctor this morning. Her mother gave her consent to today’s procedure which was to place a stent to help her blood flow.
Little Salma is the youngest of four children, only ten days old. She was crying before she was taken to the procedure as she was hungry from fasting. It made her mum sad to see her upset, and with the worry for the catheterisation also, there were a few tears shed.
After she left the baby in the hands of the doctors, Salma’s mum was comforted by some other parents who are with Shevet Achim and also at the hospital today; Mohaned’s sweet grandma, who is from the same city in Gaza, and Khonav’s empathetic mother, who remembers well the worry of having her daughter progress through three catheterisations.
After two and half hours, the doctors brought Salma out, and announced that the cath had been successful and that Salma was doing well. Her mum burst into happy relieved tears.
Salma is now recovering in the Sheba Hospital ICU. Hopefully it will be possible to extubate her later today!
Newborn Salma was resting quietly in the Sheba Hospital ICU when I met her today. Even being only a little over a week old, she resembles her beautiful mother so much.
I got to chat with her for a bit and explain who I was and that I was a volunteer from Shevet. She had so much peace about her even in the midst of the ICU. She’s a lovely woman.
Please pray for Salma’s future, she will have an interventional catheterization in two days, God willing.
Little Salma was discharged from Sheba Medical Center today, after only three days in the hospital. A real supergirl. Praise the Lord. When co-worker Georgia and I were at the hospital today, Salma’s kind mother told us with joy that she and her little daughter can be discharged from the hospital already – today! What a gift from God.
Today, co-worker Sebastian and I picked up a new baby girl named Salma from Gaza. It was very lovely to meet the cute little girl and her mother. We brought them to Sheba Hospital.
Cute little Salma didn’t like to be checked by medical staff for her examination. We tried to play with her, to sing, and thankfully somehow diverted her. But this beautiful little girl found comfort only in the arms of her mum.
It took time with our appointment. After her Echo-cardiogram, the doctor told us that Salma’s condition is stable enough to have an Intra-cardiac Catheterization. Their plan is to delete the Stent that was applied formerly.
Salma is a beautiful, serene fifteen-day old girl from Gaza. Her heart is incredibly complex, and I think it was only by God’s provision that Salma was able to receive care in Israel.
