The Sheba Pediatric ICU told us today that they wanted to extubate our little Adel, but it was not possible for them to do this yet. They are planning to give it a go in the next few days.
Thank God that so far, Adel is recovering quite quickly and nicely, but please continue to keep this little boy and his lovely mom in your prayers and that they can extubate cute Adel soon.
For the first hour of our wait, there was another family from Hebron there whose son was having a catheterization later today. They encouraged Adel’s mother not to be fearful, that they treat transposing of the great arteries a lot here, and that the doctors are very good. It was clear that this family from Hebron knew exactly how Adel’s mum was feeling. The question that brought tears to her eyes was when they asked how old her son was. Five days, she said.
Eventually they went back to their room and Adel’s mother and I went outside. The Sheba supermarket we visited two days ago we frequented again today. We ate chocolate biscuits outside under a tree. We considered them breakfast as neither of us had eaten a meal yet.
Adel’s mother is quiet and gentle, which I really love about her. She asked if I had studied at university and said that she hopes to attend school again and study English. I loved her response and told her that yes I studied history and it is very important for women to go to university, so I hope she does attend one someday when her son is a little older. We spent an hour chatting outside before going back into the children’s hospital. Her cousin who lives in Israel, came to the hospital to be with her. This was the first time in seven years that they had seen one another.
Please pray for this sweet, five day old boy as his body adjusts to the operation. May God bring healing and growth to little Adel.
As we sat outside Sheba Hospital together with another mother, Adel’s mum took a few deep breaths of the fresh air. “His surgery is on Thursday,” she said very calmly and evenly, though she had begun to cry. Earlier we had gone to the hospital’s shopping center, and she had been drawn to items that would make good presents for her one and a half year old daughter. She was thinking of them both.
Please pray for their whole family who now find themselves apart; may our God bless Adel’s life and his surgery on Thursday.
Newborn Adel was blue at birth and doctors in Gaza quickly discovered that the great arteries of his heart are switched from the natural position, and therefore pumping blue rather than red blood out to the body.
Our Gaza coordinator Amar, and the team at the Sheba Medical Center, acted immediately to bring Adel to Israel, and he reached the Sheba ICU this evening for stabilization and assessment.
Adel is a days old child from the Gaza Strip diagnosed with transposition of the great arteries.
Adel does not yet have a local leader to advocate for prayer and financial support for his surgery.
As of right now, Adel still needs $6000 toward surgery and related expenses.