When the secretary of the cardiac clinic at Sheba Hospital was printing papers for Mohammed, we both realized this is his first time at the outpatient clinic. For the majority of his time in Israel, Mohammed has been hospitalized, and ye,s he has had many echoes! But they were done when he was inpatient.
Mohammed had another echo today and the doctor came for the consult. He confirmed what was a group decision with different departments involved, but the team at Sheba decided it would be best to wait to operate on Mohammed’s heart because coupled with an existing genetic disorder, the risk of the surgery goes way down after the age of two years. Therefore, doctors concluded it is better for Mohammed, whose heart defect needs to be corrected but not urgently, to go back to Kurdistan and return in another year when he will be two years old.
He was discharged to Kurdistan and because he has been doing well without oxygen support, his doctor does not think it medically necessary to fly with a medical escort to Kurdistan. Please keep lovely Mohammed in prayer as he heads back home.
This isn’t the outcome his mum had hoped for, but it was a decision made with very careful consideration and in the very best interest of Mohammed.
This evening Mohammed was discharged from Sheba hospital, back to our community house in Jaffa. We are thankful that we have the capability to give him oxygen so they can spend the time they have left in Israel in comfort and community.
Mohammed was very excited and gave smiles to every person who passed by. His mother is also ready to be returning home after the disappointment of not receiving surgery.
Lord willing, the time before their return to Kurdistan will be a time of thankfulness and peace.
Hopefully Mohammed will come to our community home in Jaffa tomorrow. He and his mother are waiting for a medical escort to bring them to the hospital in Kurdistan.
First the plan was to do this directly from Sheba hospital, but because we have the supplies to take care of Mohammed in Jaffa, it is nicer for him and his mother to stay with us.
Hopefully we are able to send them back to Kurdistan soon. Of course he would have to return without surgery, and that is not what we hoped, but maybe God has a better plan for sweet Mohammed.
Let’s just trust the Lord in this and pray that Mohammed’s health will be stable until he can have surgery one day.
The good news is Mohammed and his mother can go back to Kurdistan. The bad news is that once he arrives in Kurdistan, he has to stay in a hospital there because his condition is not stable enough. He still needs oxygen and he has a lung disease, which is also a reason for flying with a medical escort.
Therefore, their journey will take them from the hospital in Israel to a hospital in Kurdistan.
Mohammed’s health status is apparently not good enough to have a surgery right now. The hope is that after some time in Kurdistan, he can return to Israel for a surgery. Of course his mom is not happy about this outcome, because she expected something else from this time.
Please pray that Mohammed will become ready over time to have a surgery and that everything will go well with the medical escort and the new hospital in Kurdistan.
Mohammed has been in Sheba hospital dealing with a virus and respiratory problems and has been sick the whole week, but he is much better now. His oxygen saturation is sometimes quite low, just 30-40%, and doctors are uncomfortable with a discharge for him just yet with this degree of saturation.
A group of four doctors examined him and concluded that in general, Mohammed is way better than at the start of his admission, but they all agreed he isn’t stable or well enough to leave the hospital.
In either case, Mohammed will require oxygen on his flight and at the airport upon being collected in Kurdistan and continuing at home. This stipulation because Mohammed’s heart condition hasn’t changed, so he will continue with low oxygen and need supplements. He requires oxygen on the flight and back home.
There is no contraindication to fly in terms of cardiology. They did a blood test and x-ray on Moammed, trying to get more information about his lungs and heart.
The end result from all this is that Mohammed cannot be discharged as he is still inadequately stable from a respiratory perspective. They would also like to make sure that he will have an adequate set-up for oxygen in his home in Kurdistan. Mohammed’s mom was sad, but she knows the doctors are trying to do their best.
It was difficult to leave Mohammed’s mother with this news, but Mohammed was very happy while we were playing Peek-a-boo and hide and seek.
The Lord’s time for discharge will be the right time, please pray for patience.
Mohammed was admitted to Sheba hospital during the week, with congested lungs and an infection. This gave the doctors another chance to assess his overall condition. Previously the doctors’ decision had been that he is too small now to be able to carry out a safe and helpful surgery for him, and that he should return to Kurdistan.
Today’s echo was the last opportunity for doctors to reevaluate their options for Mohammed. Thank God for the care which the staff at the hospital take to consider again and again these children’s lives, filling their hearts with the humility to consider all the options.
Please pray with us for God’s wisdom regarding the best decision for Mohammed, and for patience for his lovely mother
Yesterday evening, coworkers Sabrina and Teresa took Mohammed to the Sheba Medical Center ER, as he’d been feeling unwell and his lungs sounded congested. He was admitted last night and today we learned that he has a viral infection, which the doctors are treating with medication.
After learning last week that he is not yet ready for surgery, we had planned for Mohammed and his mother to travel home at the end of this week. While the doctors are hoping to treat the infection in time for this to happen, Mohammed’s mother told me and Alena that she is willing to stay however long Mohammed needs. Her patience and love is such a blessing for little Mohammed.
I went to see Mohammed and his lovely mother at Sheba Hospital today. The cardiologist said they won’t do the surgery for Mohammed for now, as he is too small and has to grow. Mohammed needs to have the surgery eventually, but if they chose to do it now, the chance of him being extubated after the surgery would be very low and the surgery would be a really risky one because his chest is so small. Therefore they would like to send Mohammed back to Kurdistan for the next one to three years, so that he can grow. By this decision, the doctors are also saying his condition is safe enough to wait for now, but surgery will be required in the near future.
Please join me in prayer that Mohammed’s lovely mother might trust in God’s perfect timing in all of this. Pray also for Mohammed’s well-being as he grows in size and stature in Kurdistan over the next few years.
They were both discharged from the Sheba Medical Center today and are looking forward to travelling back as soon as possible.
Mohammed was moved today from Sheba Medical Center’s pediatric ICU to another floor. Doctors ran some tests to see how he is doing. His oxygen level was too low, so now Mohammed is on extra oxygen to help him.
Besides this, Mohammed was happy. We all love his smile. Hopefully he can go into surgery soon to get better.
Co-worker Luzma went into our community home yesterday to give the great news to Mohammed’s mother that Sheba hospital is calling him in for a diagnostic catheterization. This was a complete surprise for Mohammed’s mother. She has been patiently waiting for several weeks for this moment.
The cath took place today. Mohammed’s mother was a little nervous and crying when we were going into the OR. I tried to encourage her while we were waiting.
When the cath was completed, we went to the recovery room. The anesthesiologist is a very kind person, especially when he collects a child from his parents to place him on the operating bed, as though that were his own child.
The doctors said that Mohammed’s little heart is ready for his big surgery. His mother is really happy and anxious at the same time.
This evening, Mohammed was admitted to Sheba hospital in the hopes that he will have a catheterization tomorrow. He is scheduled to be the last cath of the day, and there is a possibility that his procedure will be delayed until another day. Please pray that he can have his cath tomorrow as planned.
A couple of weeks ago, I greeted this sweet little guy as “my good friend Mohammed!” Since then, whenever I see him, his mom giggles and holds him out to me, saying, “Small friend!” Today was a long afternoon of waiting, but I was glad to spend it with my small friend and his mother.
After the lovely Mohammed and his mother were taken by our co-workers Colin and Nate immediately from the airport to Sheba hospital two weeks ago, it is finally Mohammed’s first time out of the hospital in Israel now. I had the opportunity to help in the discharge process for that lovely, charming boy and his mother and it was also my first time ever meeting them.
I already love this little happy child and his mother because both of them are very happy people and Mohammed is smiling a lot. He is a cute boy and if you see him you cannot but love him. I’m happy that they could be discharged from the hospital today and I’m looking forward now to spending more time with them at our community home in Jaffa.
The doctors said they have to schedule Mohammed’s surgery still. Please pray for a nice time now for Mohammed and his mother at our community home as they wait for his surgery to be scheduled.
Mohammed had an MRI scan today at Sheba hospital, as part of his diagnostic process prior to surgery. The appointment took a lot longer than his mother was expecting, and she was very worried whilst waiting. Despite having an older child who required heart surgery here in Israel, of course she was no less worried for her precious son’s wellbeing.
Her mothers’ intuition was working well: the delay for Mohammed to exit the MRI scan was caused by a drop in his oxygen saturation levels. Thankfully, Mohammed recovered and stabilised enough to bring him back to his room in the ward, without the need for intubation and being taken to the intensive care unit. He was checked over thoroughly by many of the medical staff in his department upon arrival back there.
We hope and pray for the best for Mohammed as he waits for the surgery date.
Mohammed was hospitalized at Sheba Medical Center since he landed in Israel with his mother this past Friday. He needs constant oxygen support, so it was really important for him to be in the hospital for this time.
The doctors of the ward are continuing to run tests; he was assessed by a cardiologist over the weekend, and saw a genetic doctor also. Little Mohammed may need a CT scan before his surgery.
Please continue to pray for him and his mother as they wait for doctors to plan a surgery for him.
Mohammed arrived together with his mother and a new group of Kurdish families just yesterday. We welcome them all.
Mohammed Abdulrahman is a one year old boy from Iraqi Kurdistan. He was diagnosed with a cardiac condition called partial AV Canal. He also has a genetic syndrome called Ellis-Van Creveld Syndrome.
His sister, Vina, was three years and seven months old when she and her mother traveled to Israel. She also has partial AV Canal and Ellis-Van Creveld Syndrome. She had surgery at Wolfson Medical Center in Israel without any complications. Vina is now around 12 years old and is very beautiful! We were thankful to meet her.
Mohammed is now traveling with his mother, and this time will be treated at Sheba Medical Center. We hope that his surgical outcome will be the same, and that we can see him grow up to be older than 12 years old. Mohammed was at home with supplemental oxygen support, and his heart condition is severe. We have advocated for him to be directly admitted to the hospital.
When the secretary of the cardiac clinic at Sheba Hospital was printing papers for Mohammed, we both realized this is his first time at the outpatient clinic. For the majority of his time in Israel, Mohammed has been hospitalized, and ye,s he has had many echoes! But they were done when he was inpatient.
Mohammed had another echo today and the doctor came for the consult. He confirmed what was a group decision with different departments involved, but the team at Sheba decided it would be best to wait to operate on Mohammed’s heart because coupled with an existing genetic disorder, the risk of the surgery goes way down after the age of two years. Therefore, doctors concluded it is better for Mohammed, whose heart defect needs to be corrected but not urgently, to go back to Kurdistan and return in another year when he will be two years old.
He was discharged to Kurdistan and because he has been doing well without oxygen support, his doctor does not think it medically necessary to fly with a medical escort to Kurdistan. Please keep lovely Mohammed in prayer as he heads back home.
