This past Thursday night, co-worker Sabrina and I brought Dalal and her mother to Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv (above right).
After her successful catherization, she stayed for some days and was then cleared to go back to Kurdistan. All the time living with us in Jaffa, Dalal had an unexplainable fear of me. Every time I came near to her or tried to pick her up, she would start crying.
But just a few days before leaving, she overcame her fear of me, and we became very good friends. So also I could really enjoy the last days with her before they went back home. As a crawler, Dalal was busy with exploring our community house, especially the drawers in the kitchen.
But we love her and are thankful for her active, energetic and joyful behavior, as this means she’s a healthy little girl now. We are also thankful to have had the opportunity to be with her and her mother for this time. Please continue to pray for our Father’s blessing on them and their family!
It was a happy day today for Dalal and also for the Sheba hospital staff as you can see in the above photo, because little Dalal was discharged this day to our community home in Jaffa.
The hospital staff is always lovely and they love to treat these children and they are happy for the chance to know all these lovely people. It is really nice to see this in action.
Thank God that the catheterization was successful, and that Dalal and her mother were ready and happy to come back to Jaffa today. They will return to hospital in one week for an echo. Dalal is still on one medicine. We are very happy to be able to spend more time with them now, but at the same time we hope for them to return home to Kurdistan soon, as they miss their family.
So please pray for a nice time for them with us in Jaffa and that they are able to go home soon.
I arrived at Sheba hospital this morning at around eight o’clock this morning. I found Dalal’s mom and informed her that Dalal would be having her catheterization today. She was very happy to hear this news.
We waited around three hours until Dalal was called in. Her mom was almost not sure it would happen today as it has been delayed before. The whole procedure took around three hours and was successful. Dalal’s mom and I spent the waiting time sitting together and talking to each other and we were also joined by other families for some time.
After three hours, a nurse came out to tell us that it is finished and that we should come inside to see Dalal.
The hospital staff is always very helpful and patient with these families as they don’t speak English most of the time. One of the friendly doctors took time today to explain everything to Dalal’s mother with the help of a translator. Dalal’s mother is very thankful for the hospital staff and for the doctor. She wanted to take a picture with them afterwards to show to her family.
Thank God Dalal is already doing very well. You can see this is true in the picture below.
She might be discharged tomorrow already if everything is going well for her. Please pray for this lovely girl and her mother.
Dalal’s cath is scheduled for tomorrow and was admitted to Sheba hospital today. They waited for over a month, but Dalal’s lovely mother is has kept a beautiful behavior towards the situation and never complained about it.
Both Dalal and her mom enjoyed their time in our Jaffa community home together with us and the other families. We frequently went out to the park or to the beach and spent a lovely time together. We really enjoyed having them with us for this whole time to see the beautiful relationship between cute Dalal and her mother.
However, we know that they have waited for the cath to happen for a long time now. Therefore we are thankful that they finally were admitted today and we hope and pray that the cath will happen tomorrow as they want to be reunited with their family back in Kurdistan soon. Please join us in prayer for this.
Dalal’s mother held her sensitive little girl solidly throughout the echo. Dalal was very upset, and the echo was detailed and took a long time.
The outcome is that Dalal will need to have a catheterization because of her narrow pulmonary artery. This news is not a surprise for her mother, as it was after the last echo, the doctor told her it was a possibility.
The catheterization is scheduled for next week and they will use a balloon to dilate the arteries, and maybe need to place a stent to keep them open. Either way, it should improve the blood flow for now, but require intervention again in the future.
Dalal is back at our community home in Jaffa for now with her mum, who is able to comfort her so beautifully, in a way no one else can!
Our cute “Dalalusch” had to come back to Sheba hospital today for another echo during which she was not calm. Everytime she enters the echo examination rooms, she gets very upset.
However, the nurses were very friendly as each of us tried to distract little Dalal from her small procedure. In the end, the only thing that calmed her down was to be back in the loving, familiar arms of her mother. The echo took a while, but afterwards Dalal was returned to her mother’s arms, felt comfortable immediately, and stopped her crying.
The echo’s outcome is that it could be possible Dalal will need a cath in the near future. The doctor said he wouldn’t feel comfortable discharging her home to Kurdistan because he doesn’t know what is going to happen there with her, nor how they will continue with her treatment. Even though Dalal’s mother wasn’t very happy to hear this news, as it means she has to wait longer, she was happy to know that the hospital is taking such good care of her beloved daughter. These doctors want to help Dalal as much as they can. They still have to discuss a plan of action for Dalal and to see if there aren’t any changes to be made in her medicine.
After much crying, our cute “Dalalusch” fell almost immediately asleep in her stroller. It must be quite exhausting to cry so much. Thank you for your prayers for this cute girl, and her mother who is always taking loving care of her.
After our “Dalalusch” and her lovely mother enjoyed the last week in Jerusalem, they had to come back to Sheba Hospital today for Dalal’s Echo.
She was crying a lot during the echo and it was very difficult calming her down. We tried everything we could, videos, her dummy, milk, everything. Nothing worked very well. “Dalalusch” just stopped for a few seconds in between. Despite this, Dalal’s mother took loving care of Dalal when the Echo was done, clothed her again and took her in her arms. Then Dalal stopped crying immediately. This showed me again how close and lovely their relationship is.
The doctor said that Dalal is doing well, and for now there aren’t any changes in her medicine. They want to see her again in one week. Thank you for your prayers for our cute “Dalalusch” and her lovely mother.
Our sweet “Dalalusch,” as she is affectionately called by us, has recovered well after her surgery. Last weekend she was transferred to a normal ward at Sheba hospital and has continued to recover well there. Praise the Lord for this good recovery. Today she was discharged from the hospital. I had the opportunity to take Dalal and her loving mom out of the hospital.
Before “Dalalush” was in the hospital, she was very shy and it was rather difficult for to come to one of us without her crying and wanting to go back to her mommy. But the hospital has changed her and she is not so shy anymore. When we arrived at our Jerusalem guest house, the other mothers staying there greeted Dalal and her mom very lovingly and with joy. It is every time beautiful to be a witness to how much the mothers are happy for each other and support each other in everything.
One of the mothers speaks a bit of English which is very helpful. I needed translation support today as I had to explain to Dalal’s mother how to take the medicine and prepare the milk for Dalal. It is very important that she understands everything. Thank you for your prayers for this cute girl and her mother.
Dalal is still on medicine and needs to come back to the hospital in one week for another echo and follow-up appointments.
The cute little Dalal is doing well after her surgery yesterday. She is still intubated, and was sleeping peacefully with her eyes open when I went to visit her and her lovely mother in the Sheba hospital ICU today. Her mother was in a good mood when I asked her how she is, although it seems Dalal just needs some more time. Extubation is very important next step so please pray that Dalal will be ready for it in the next few days.
My favorite moment at Sheba hospital today was after Dalal had come out of her surgery. Her mother was speaking to a relative in Kurdistan saying, “Kena, na gri!” In Kurdish this means “smile, don’t cry.” She was lovingly encouraging her family to smile and not cry over Dalal. In fact, I think they were crying happy tears at the news that Dalal had come through a successful switch operation. One thing we did as we waited those six hours together, was to look at pictures from last year when Dalal was first born.
She was and is so thin; among the pictures were videos documenting her irregular breathing patterns. We see these children for months of treatment, but looking through these pictures of history and what was, I am reminded of the full picture which begins with two parents receiving the devastating news that their hoped-for and cherished child has a diagnosis akin to a death sentence. But today for Dalal, there was the reversal of that sentence.
Now there’s a hope. Dalal’s mother showed me the many messages of family and friends back in Kurdistan who were praying for Dalal particularly on this day. So while there were happy tears, there were also smiles to match, hugs from close friends and of course answered prayers.
I went into the secondary ICU at Sheba Medical Center today to see Dalal. She was peacefully sleeping in her bed and so was her mother. It was quite early, so I asked a nurse if Dalal is going into her surgery today. In friendly manner, the nurse told me that due to Dalal’s fever last night after her cath, they would not go through with surgery today. They want to wait and see how she is doing still. So for now, her surgery is postponed. When I went into their room again, our little Dalal was wide awake and crying a little bit, but her lovely mom took loving care of her and managed to calm her down. Dalal is doing better today, praise the Lord. Due to her mother’ language barriers at the hospital, the nurse told me it is difficult to communicate with Dalal’s mother. Please pray for peace around this situation, and for the surgery to be soon. Thank you.
This morning little Dalal’s mother gave her into the hands of the medical team for two and a half hours for her diagnostic catheterisation. It’s also an important day for Dalal because it’s her first birthday! It is clear to see that she is deeply loved, and her mother treasures every minute with her.
Her phone is full of pictures and videos of every moment of Dalal’s little life, from the ordinary to the novel! Bathtime is recorded, sitting watching the television is recorded, the journey to Israel, hundreds of images captured of sweet glances and moments together. Dalal is dearly, dearly loved, and despite her mother’s quiet cheeriness to date, when fellow worker Sabrina and I met her this morning, she squeaked and sobbed as she fell into a hug with us. It was good to sit together with her and to lend some comfort and encouragement.She shared the good news that Dalal had been scheduled for surgery tomorrow morning, so please be praying and interceding on behalf of this little one.
Tomorrow is Dalal’s catheterization day and also her first birthday as well. She was admitted today in preparation for the procedure tomorrow. She and her lovely mum are sharing a room in Sheba hospital with another Kurdish family which is wonderful, because Dalal’s mother speaks only Kurdish, so it will be helpful to be together with a family who speaks both Arabic and Kurdish.
With the help of two other Kurdish mothers, the doctor was able to explain everything about the catheterization tomorrow so that Dalal’s mum knows everything that will go on. She wasn’t phased by the radical novelty of the hospital, but was calm and steady throughout it all. Please pray for this wonderful family, as we hope the cath tomorrow will help plan for her future surgery.
Dalal came to the hospital today for her first assessment. We went into the echo right away, where I tried to keep her calm for the echo- technician and cardiologist. They needed a good look at her complex heart. All things considered, Dalal did very well; her blanket, her pacifier, milk, YouTube, and some Hebrew songs passed the duration of the exam.
At the end, the other Kurdish baby we came with was brought into the room to start her echo, as both children share the same cardiologist.
It was a slightly chaotic but enjoyable ‘double echo.’ Every new child needs a blood test and an X-ray in addition to their first echo, so after finishing the echo and the blood test, we went downstairs for the X-ray. However, there was a party going on outside the hospital, hosted by the children’s hospital, complete with a D.J., lots of balloons, and most importantly, free ice cream.
So we took a short detour to this event; ice cream is, after all, a good remedy for a blood test. When all appointments were finished, we went back to Jaffa.
Dalal is a wonderful little girl, likewise her mother. She is really great and intuitively understanding. Please pray for both of them. Before they can plan a surgery, the cardiologist ordered a CT scan for Dalal.
Dalal and her mother have traveled from Kurdistan, having stayed overnight in Jordan, and arrived at the Jordan River crossing today. It was a lot of traveling, but thankfully they have made it safely with the other new Kurdish families. We met them quite easily, with help from the very friendly staff at the crossing.
Dalal is almost one year old, with a diagnosis of Dextro-Transposition of the Great Arteries.
Please pray for her and her mum as they settle into their our community home in Jaffa. They must quarantine for two weeks, but they still can attend hospital appointments, which will begin next week.
This past Thursday night, co-worker Sabrina and I brought Dalal and her mother to Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv (above right).
