On Friday afternoon, coworker Joanne and I brought my good friend Abdullah and his lovely mother to the airport, where they boarded a plane to return home to Kurdistan.
Over the last three months, we’ve seen this sweet, shy boy come out of his shell and make friends with the other children and with all of us. To put it simply, Abdullah is just so much fun to be with. I’ll miss his big grin and his enthusiastic “okayyy!”
Saying goodbye to Abdullah’s mother was hard, but worth it to know her son is going home healthy. She and I both cried hard as we hugged goodbye. She is one of the sweetest people I have ever known, and she has the most genuinely beautiful, caring heart. I’m so glad Abdullah has such a loving mother to care for him, and I’m thankful for the time I’ve had with both of them.
Thank God for Abdullah’s healed heart and for both of these beautiful souls.
There were lots of prayers for this INR appointment today at Sheba hospital, all with the hope of it being the last one necessary for Abdullah.
Abdullah’s mother was her usual joyful self, and Abdullah was chatting away with me as we waited. His mother dressed him especially nicely with the expectations of today being the last appointment day. When the INR result was ready, I saw that it was within the range the doctors were looking for and I was extremely happy.
We then went to talk with the doctor and he confirmed that the INR had tested within the range they wanted. He then cleared Abdullah to return to Kurdistan.
Abdullah’s mother was so thankful, she had me take a picture of her and Abdullah with the doctor. Thank the Lord that He has again showed his faithfulness and provision to a child and family in need.
Abdullah’s echo at Sheba hospital this morning showed that his heart is well enough to return to Kurdistan! He will have to wait until his INR test results are in a good range, but today’s echo brings him one step closer to going home.
Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen this sweet, shy boy come out of his shell more and more. While waiting for his echo, we looked through pictures on my phone and he named the volunteers and children in each photo.
After the echo, when I told him we needed to wait for the other children to be ready, he gave me a big grin, said “okay, bye bye!” and began scooting his stroller away down the hall.
We’ve loved getting to know him a bit better, ornery streak and all.
Abdullah had another INR appointment at Sheba hospital today. As we were waiting, Abdullah showed me all the different hand shakes he knows.
The doctor was hoping that Abdullah’s INR would be between 2-3 today, it was at 1.8 however. So he decided to increase one of Abdullah’s medicines, and see him again in a week.
We were able to do his appointment and go right home which was nice for the mother of Abdullah.
Abdullah’s mother was a ray of sunshine as we went to an INR test at Sheba Medical for Abdullah. Even though she and I can’t communicate perfectly, she always makes me feel how thankful she is for us and the hospital.
At the appointment, doctors found that Abdullah’s INR was still too low, so they are raising the dosage of a medication till the coming Monday.
Monday will be his next INR appointment. Please be praying that his INR will be within the range the doctors are looking for.
Abdullah and his mother headed to the Sheba hospital today for an echo-cardiogram. The doctor said the echo looks good, there is still one part they want to monitor again next week.
Abdullah also had to have a blood test done to check his INR which is still not within the range they would like it to be.
Abdullah’s mother is such a sweet and grateful woman who wants everyone to know how thankful she is for them. She is truly a ray of sunshine. Abdullah has also been walking more and playing with us volunteers.
As we waited for his discharge papers at Sheba hospital today, Abdullah began to slyly scoot himself in his stroller down the hall. He was ready to go!
It was so good to hear that Abdullah could be released to our Jaffa community home today. Much of the time in the hospital after Abdullah’s surgery was to find the correct levels of a blood thinning medication. His mum, as always, is a shining beacon of joy and love.
Please continue to pray for this precious boy as he recovers. He returned to a warm welcome from the families at the house; we are all thrilled Abdullah and his mum are back with us!
When Ella and I went to visit Abdullah we found him playing on the phone, and eating his breakfast. His mother was very happy, and said he was doing well. I waved at him a few different times, and he humored me by waving back. He even gave me one of his sweet smiles. After our visit they moved him to the sixth floor ward to continue his recovery.
Abdullah’s mother was sitting outside Sheba hospital’s pediatric ICU today, and she was exuberant with happiness. This lovely woman is humble in spirit and pure in heart, so seeing her with so much joy was one of the best parts of the day. And this is all because her precious son had a successful surgery yesterday.
He was asleep when she invited us to see him. His pain is minimal and he is doing well. Thank you so much for praying for this beautiful boy.
Abdullah went into surgery in Sheba hospital at nine this morning. When we arrived, he was already in the surgery, and we accompanied Abdullah’s mother to the waiting room.
We spent the hours of his surgery waiting in silence; broken only by Abdullah’s mother’s frequent prayers, and family reaching out to check how the surgery was going. For each call, she showed me, as I waited alongside her. Even though we couldn’t communicate with Abdullah’s mom, just our being there was a comfort for her family.
After four hours, medical staff informed us the surgery had gone well, and they only needed to close his chest. Abdullah’s mother was overjoyed at the news, shaking the hands of the doctors out of gratitude. At three o’clock, she was able to enter into his room. He was already gaining consciousness, and was doing well.
Please be praying for Abdullah, that he would have a good night.
This morning Abdullah and his lovely mother were asked to come to Sheba hospital so Abdullah could be admitted for surgery tomorrow. Before his room was ready, Abdullah had an ECG.
Please pray for the surgery team tomorrow to have wisdom and strength from God and for Abdullah’s mother to have peace in the whole situation. She is a very happy woman in general, but she can get very worried when Abdullah has some kind of procedure. Today before I left the hospital, she asked me if I could help her to bathe Abdullah, so I did and she was reluctant for me to leave afterwards. So your prayers are much appreciated.
After a diagnostic catheterization three days ago, doctors have decided Abdullah should stay at Sheba hospital for the time being due to low oxygen levels.
As always, I enjoyed spending time with him and his lovely mother, who is always sweet and friendly to me and so very loving to her little boy.
Please pray for strength and patience for both of them during their stay in the hospital.
Today was Abdullah’s catheterization at Sheba hospital. He had to wait a little bit longer then expected. The question today was if he would go into catheterization, because there were more patients going into catheterizations. He was fasting, so it was a little rough for him to wait longer.
While we were waiting, he slept a lot. His mother was emotional. She was nervous. But luckily the doctor came in after a while to bring him into the OR.
While waiting, I had a chance to get to know Abdullah’s mother a little better. With a translation app on my phone, we had a little conversation about our families. It was nice.
After an hour and a half, Abdullah came out of the OR. The catheterization went well. Doctors will use the results of the cath to help them decide the details of a future surgery for Abdullah.
Shortly before Co-workers Julio, Bria and I wanted to leave our Jaffa community home with two Kurdish mothers and their children, all of whom had appointments at Sheba hospital, we got a phone call from the hospital saying we should bring Abdullah to the hospital also. It was, as always, the perfect timing of God, because we were just about to leave.
Therefore, Abdullah was admitted to the hospital today for a diagnostic catheterization tomorrow. When he came to the hospital, he had to do an Echo, X-ray and Corona test. He is a really calm, nice little boy, which is why he didn’t have a problem with any of these tests, not even with the Corona test.
After the tests were done, both Abdullah and his mother were able to go into their room which was nicely prepared for them, and now they are looking forward to the diagnostic cath tomorrow. Please pray for them.
We went to Sheba hospital very early in the morning for Abdullah’s CT-Scan. Firstly, we had to wait because there were some problems with the appointment because of the holidays, but after a little time of waiting, Abdullah entered the CT-Scan area.
We thought this procedure would be possible without Anesthesia because he was so calm, but as soon as Abdullah arrived in the CT-Scan room, he cried a lot.
The doctor decided to do it with Anesthesia and assured it would be fine.
Abdullah recovered very fast in the recovery area and asked about the phone already after a few minutes.
He was in a good mood, smiled a lot, and told us he is ready to go home. It surprised us that his little body could recover from Anesthesia so quickly and completely.
So everything went well and the surgery date is not made yet. Please pray for patience for Abdullah and his mother.
Abdullah is seven years old, and quite a striking blue-ish purple colour to look at. His oxygen level at rest, is around 60%; it’s hard to think of him living so long with this level of oxygen impairment. He tires very easily and so uses the pushchair, instead of being able to walk.
Today was Abdullah’s first cardiac assessment at Sheba hospital. It was wonderful to meet him and his friendly and sweet mother, as they have been keeping to the quarantine requirements therefore we have not seen much of them.
Abdullah was a quiet boy, but he really lit up with every social interaction, he has a beautiful smile, and joyful happy laugh. He very much loved the cardiologist working with him, who played some games with him whilst trying to keep him happy during the echo, during which, Abdullah laughed a lot.
His mother speaks Arabic and was able to ask questions of the Arabic-speaking doctors at the hospital today. It was explained her that the echo today reveals a mixing of the blood in his heart and they see his defect of having just one chamber in his heart.
Abdullah will need to have a CT scan to further assess the anatomy of his complicated heart, as well as a diagnostic catheterisation. These remain to be scheduled. Meanwhile, Abdullah has returned home to us in Jaffa to wait for these appointments.
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled, is a tree of life.
(Proverbs 13:12 ESV)
Please pray for this time in Israel; for the hope that we can see is bursting inside of his mother’s heart for his healing. Please pray that this desire of hers will be fulfilled, and that Abdullah will be able to access all the treatment necessary to bring him into good health; a tree of life.
Abdullah arrived in Israel yesterday along with his mother and a group of Kurdish families, also requiring help for their children.
Abdullah is a seven year old boy from Iraqi Kurdistan. He was diagnosed with a heart condition called Double Outlet Right Ventricle. His organs are also in the reverse condition. He has not received any previous operations, despite being seven years old.
We first met his family at an IDP Camp in Zakho. At the time we met him, he was suffering from a lung infection and his oxygen was in the 40% range. His mother carried him into an office. He seemed so weak. Thankfully after treatment, he improved.
A few days later, we visited him in his tent in the camp. He is related to a man named Khalid, who came to Israel a year ago for heart surgery. We were able to visit Abdullah’s family with Khalid and his family. It was nice to have a small family reunion. He seemed to be doing much better this time, and he has a sense of humor and loves to play.
We hope that he will be able to receive treatment in Israel. Hopefully after this, we can run and play with him.
Please pray for Abdullah and his mother as they start this new journey in Israel.
On Friday afternoon, coworker Joanne and I brought my good friend Abdullah and his lovely mother to the airport, where they boarded a plane to return home to Kurdistan.
Saying goodbye to Abdullah’s mother was hard, but worth it to know her son is going home healthy. She and I both cried hard as we hugged goodbye. She is one of the sweetest people I have ever known, and she has the most genuinely beautiful, caring heart. I’m so glad Abdullah has such a loving mother to care for him, and I’m thankful for the time I’ve had with both of them.
Saying goodbye to Abdullah’s mother was hard, but worth it to know her son is going home healthy. She and I both cried hard as we hugged goodbye. She is one of the sweetest people I have ever known, and she has the most genuinely beautiful, caring heart. I’m so glad Abdullah has such a loving mother to care for him, and I’m thankful for the time I’ve had with both of them.
