Yesterday evening we received the horrible news from Sheba hospital, that Karim had died at 8 p.m.
There were two thoughts running through my brain at the same time with this news. One was to thank God that He redeemed this little boy from his constant fight for survival and from the exhaustion that inevitably followed. My second thought was for Karim’s poor mother. I knew she must be so sad with the loss of her beloved son and I hoped she would not be alone at this time.”
Nobody should be alone when they are grieving for someone. This is especially true within the Gaza Palestinian culture. Gazans stay with each other and visit each others’ homes during mourning periods so that the bereaving family member or members are never alone.
As I came to the hospital this morning, I was thankful to God to see all the other mothers from Gaza who are in the hospital with their children at the moment, sitting together with Karim’s mother, not willing to leave her alone, abiding in their social traditions of mourning together and not leaving a bereaving parent alone. It gave me much hope and comfort in that moment because I knew Karim’s mother wasn’t alone during the time that Karim died and would not be alone for some time to come even after she returns to Gaza, as the culture will undoubtedly wrap its arms around her there and help to carry her through for a portion of the difficult way.
She had all these lovely ladies gathering around her, being there for and with her and understanding exactly what they needed to do for her.
From a human perspective, death is a horrible thing and we maybe don’t understand why God didn’t save this little life, but it is comforting to know that God always knows best and that he can give Karim’s mother peace in this whole situation and that he gives it to her in part, by the comfort of others within her cultural context.
Please pray that Karim’s mother might continue to have hope in God her helper, the over-seer of this whole situation.
They were both taken back in an ambulance today in the morning. Your prayers for the family now are much appreciated and needed.
It has now been a little over a month since Karim’s surgery at Sheba hospital. He came out of surgery on the life-support machine, was weaned off of it, he proved stable enough to have his chest closed, and has spent much of that time in a stable albeit critical condition.
Karim began to get worse and then stabilized again. His life is a reminder that none of us can know the future. He has been consistantly between life and death. As of today he is completely dependent upon dialysis because his kidneys are not working, he is on a lot of support to keep his whole body functioning and you can see how physically unwell he is.
During this time as we wait and watch, please be praying for Karim and for his mum.
It is always nice to see that the Sheba Medical Center is not only taking care of the children that are coming to the hospital together with their parents, but that they also care for those parents, relatives or whoever is accompanying them, when they come.
Today Sheba medical staff gave Karim’s mother the option of leaving the hospital for one day to take a little bit of rest. Co-worker Teresa and I collected her, together with another grandmother who is also at the hospital with her grandchild. We spent a really lovely time together with them.
We went on a walk by the beach and ended up sitting in the park for some hours in the shade and talking and laughing with each other. I’m glad and thankful that we got to spent this valuable time with them and it was nice to see Karim’s mother so happy for one day and escaping the situation back at the hospital for a little while. I really like it how such small things that are easy for us to do, mean so much to these parents and Karim’s mother was so thankful for this small change of atmosphere. She said she really loves the beach, that it gives her a sense of freedom to be at the beach.
We also ate some candy and coworker Teresa shared from the Word of God with them. It was a wonderful day. When we went back to the hospital, the doctor told us that Karim remains stable.
Please continue to pray for him. God is in control. Karim’s mother is very tired and would like to switch with her mother from Gaza so that she can go home and take a bit of rest. Please pray that this might be possible.
For a while after his chest closure, his condition remained constant and day to day, there was a significant amount of bettering or worsening of his condition.
However now, he has begun deteriorating and is not currently stable. Please especially be praying for his mother who is with him.
A week after the last blog, and still no changes. Please pray for Karim. He is still intubated. Please pray that God will give his body the strength to recover.
Also pray for Karim’s mother who is in the hospital for quite a while now. It is nice to see that the other mothers from Gaza, also stationed in the hospital for the time being, get together daily to support each other and to eat together.
Despite this bit of communal respite, it is still a hard time for Karim’s mother in the hospital, not knowing how the situation of Karim will develop.
After multiple attempts this week, the doctors were finally able to close Karim’s chest today. This is good news, but his condition is still critical. When I asked the doctor how Karim is doing after the procedure, all she could say was that we’ll see.
It was good to see Karim’s mother in good spirits today. There are several Arabic-speaking mothers in the ICU now and they form a loving and supportive community for her as she waits and prays for her little boy. Please continue to pray for both Karim and his mother during this difficult time.
Karim is still a difficult case. Doctors at Sheba Hospital attempted to close Karim‘s chest but he was not stable enough to complete the procedure. So his chest remains open. Furthermore, he needs a repair of two of the valves but this isn’t possible yet because he is too small for this type of procedure. Please pray for this critical situation and for Karim’s mother, who is going through a hard time.
Karim is still in critical condition tonight following a catheterization this afternoon. The doctors at Sheba hospital had been concerned about the possibility of elevated pulmonary pressure, but Karim’s catheterization results showed that this is not the case.
However, they reported that they had to widen a narrowed artery; please pray that this intervention is successful in improving Karim’s condition.
Please also pray especially for Karim’s mother, as this time in the hospital has proven quite difficult for her. Even with the support of her community of moms at the hospital, she is visibly struggling with the stress of the situation. Thank God for her tender love for her little boy, and pray for strength for her in the coming days.
Please keep praying for Karim, as his condition remains quite critical. At this point, his chest is still open and the doctors are running tests to see how to best treat him.
His mum can’t stay in his room because of his chest being open, but she has a good community of friends at the hospital she is often visiting with. It’s good to have people to talk with, eat with, and who are helping to mitigate this extremely difficult time.
For Karim, he will have a long road of recovery, but we do pray that he will only get better and he can go home to his father and older brother soon.
This afternoon at Sheba hospital, Karim was taken off the ECMO machine after a week connected to it. The procedure was successful, but Karim’s chest is still open and the medical team is very cautious about his condition.
Coworker Alena and I waited with Karim’s mother while he was in surgery, along with a couple of other mothers with babies in the ICU. It’s beautiful to see the support they all show one another and the small community they’ve built.
Little Karim has a long uphill battle ahead of him; thank God for these other moms in the hospital who have come alongside Karim’s mother to love and support her.
Today at Sheba hospital, doctors decided, based on yesterday’s CT scan results, to go ahead with a catheterization for little Karim. I sat with Karim’s mother in the waiting room during Karim’s procedure. She was nervous.
After an hour, Karim came out of the OR. It went well. The doctors were happy with the result. They will see how Karim is after a couple of hours, and will decide if he can be taken off the ECMO machine.
Karim’s mother is relieved, but she still has a hard time with her little boy being so sick. Please pray that she will have the strength to cope with the situation and pray for Karim’s healing and recovery.
I stopped by Sheba hospital to visit Karim in the pediatric ICU this morning. His condition has not changed much, but he seems to be stable on the ECMO machine. Co-worker Julio and I spoke briefly with Karim’s doctor, who said Karim would have a CT scan today, due to concern about stenosis. When the doctors see the results from the scan, they will decide whether to do a catheterization.
Later on, Karim’s mother was in relatively good spirits, though very concerned about her little boy, and was eager to take me to see Karim through the window in the ICU. Please pray for a complete recovery for Karim, and strength and courage for his mother.
I visited KarIm today at Sheba hospital, almost 12 hours after his surgery. He was in the ICU bed and a nurse was taking care of him. The doctor told me that Karim is still in critical condition. He is on the ECMO machine and he is bleeding a lot. So that makes the situation more critical. I wasn’t able to go into the room because of Kareem’s condition. Also his mother was in a different place in the hospital. I couldn’t find her today.
Please pray that Karim’s bleeding will stop, that God will give the doctors wisdom to make the right decisions during this critical time, and for Karim’s mom, for strength to cope with all of this.
‘Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from Him.’ – Psalm 62:5
Today, the little Karim entered into heart surgery at Sheba Medical Center. The doctors confirmed many times that he is a difficult case and that his journey is going to be long and difficult. They couldn’t say how long Karim’s surgery would be. It was eight hours in the end, but it was successful.
Doctors were able to fix the problems they set out to repair. Now Karim’s heart is weak from the procedure and he has been immediately connected to an ECMO machine.
He is in a dangerous and difficult condition now. His blood pressure and his saturation are low. Your prayers for Karim are much appreciated and needed.
A little baby boy named Karim came from the Gaza strip this past weekend in an ambulance together with his lovely young mother to Sheba Hospital. Today, I’ve met Karim’s mother for the first time. She is a nice woman and shared that she has one more child older than Karim, waiting for her at home.
Doctors at Sheba explained that Karim is a difficult case. He has a few heart problems which might require more than one surgery over the years. This information was very difficult for Karim’s young mother to receive and she cried a lot.
Please pray for her to find peace and trust in God in the whole situation, as he always knows what is best for the life of these children. She would like to return to Gaza and send Karim’s grandmother as chaperone because it’s so difficult for her.
Yesterday evening we received the horrible news from Sheba hospital, that Karim had died at 8 p.m.
Nobody should be alone when they are grieving for someone. This is especially true within the Gaza Palestinian culture. Gazans stay with each other and visit each others’ homes during mourning periods so that the bereaving family member or members are never alone.
They were both taken back in an ambulance today in the morning. Your prayers for the family now are much appreciated and needed.
