
Liver problems

Having to walk that extra mile
Today was a very long day. Some days we are called to walk that extra mile and often it isn’t easy.
Today my day with Sundis was filled with many tears and frustration as we played the ‘hurry up and wait’ game. We laughed and danced to Arabic music, covered many miles in a wheelchair up and down the hospital hallways while passing the many hours we had to wait for Sundis to be seen by her doctors.
It took some time to break the ice, but I finally got a beautiful smile and it was well worth the effort. This lovely young lady has a beautiful smile and giggles with laughter when we listen to her Arabic music and we try to dance to the rhythm.
Sundis was finally discharged back to her family in Gaza today. Please pray that her follow-up visits at one and three months with the Gastrology surgeon will go smoothly and no problems will be found. I came home tired, but knowing that the extra mile was well worth the effort and that smile was priceless.
Still need to watch; no discharge yet
Early in the morning we heard that Sundis may have been able to be discharged today, so we went to Sheba Medical Center to check on her. The doctors thought about discharging her since she was feeling quite well after her gastroscopy a few days ago. Unfortunately she has some blood in her stool, which is why her doctors still want to keep an eye on her and check again tomorrow to see if this has cleared. Hopefully she can be discharged soon.
When I was in her room in the pediatric ward today, she was still a little shy in front of me and wanted her mom right next to her, but I also had the impression that she would really like to go home soon as she was getting a little restless. Please pray for her fast recovery and that the rest of her stay in hospital can be a good time for her and her mom.
Soft food after the gastroscopy yesterday
Coworker Kristie and I were anxiously awaiting the results of yesterday’s gastroscopy, expecting that Sundis might be ready to be discharged Sheba Hospital. To our delight, the doctor told us that everything went well yesterday. They are currently giving her soft food and seeing how she reacts to it.
Two friendly girls distributed small chocolate bars on the ward. Very bravely, Sundis and her mother put the candy aside for a later date – Sundis will have by then more than deserved it.
Actually, the discharge from the hospital has not yet taken place today. However, it can be assumed that this will happen soon. Thank you, God, for taking care of Sundis again this time.
Double thumbs up
Beautiful eleven-year-old Sundis came to Sheba Hospital today with a big smile and a lot of energy. She was being admitted for a gastroscopy procedure tomorrow.
First, we went together to the gastroenterology clinic. There, she immediately began to run around and play with all of the toys in the waiting area. She enjoyed teaching me the Arabic colors – though she mixed them up sometimes and her mother had to correct her. She is such a sweet girl. During our time together today, she taught me a special high-five – a double thumbs up! She would hold out her hand, giving a thumbs up, then I would also give a thumbs up and we’d do a fist bump.
After we had been in the waiting room for a while, a nurse came out and told us that Sundis isn’t allowed to be touching everything because she has an antibiotic-resistant bacterial infection. She quickly prepared a nearby office as an isolation room, and told us to wait a few hours till her hospital room was ready.
Sundis enjoyed sitting in the office chair, wearing medical gloves, and proudly proclaiming, “I’m a doctor!” After a long time waiting there, a nurse told us we could wait outside instead.
While waiting downstairs, Sundis discovered the piano.
After a bit more time waiting, her room was finally ready. Her tired mother was relieved to have a place to rest. Please pray that Sundis and her mom will have a good rest tonight, and that Sundis will get good results from her procedure tomorrow.
See you soon
This morning we picked up our good friend Sundis and her mom at Erez Border Crossing and drove with them to Sheba Hospital.
There Sundis had her first and echo and then a pacemaker check-up. Her pacemaker is working perfectly, they just changed some settings as she is growing and getting older.
In the echo, they saw that her heart is doing okay for now. She has some problems with her valves and the doctors need to watch how those problems develop, because she’ll probably need a surgery to replace one or two valves at some point.
Sundis will return to Sheba for an echo in another three months, but in two weeks she returns for a gastroenterology procedure.
In all the waiting time we had fun together with Sundis. She is a little rascal and likes to stir up some mischief. Thanks for praying for our friend and her family!
Echo today; more treatment needed
Today, coworker Ben and I went to Erez Border crossing to collect Sundis and her mother and bring them to Sheba Medical Center.
Sundis had first a appointment at the gastro clinic. The doctor is assuming that she has some liver problems so he scheduled a gastroscopy which Sundis will have in a few months to see what exactly is going on.
Sundis also had an echo today. The doctor told me that for now, Sundis is doing okay but she definitely needs further treatment.
All the doctors have to discuss together what to do exactly for Sundis, and it is possible she will need a heart valve implant. Please pray that the Lord will give wisdom to the doctors and that he will bless Sundis and her lovely mother.
Doing well
Today, coworker Amelie and I picked up Sundis from The Erez border crossing of Gaza. I was very happy to see her again because she was the first Gaza child I have seen in my time here at Shevet.
Sundis underwent an echo and kept a pacemaker appointment today at Sheba Hospital. The doctors said that everything looks good for now and that she has to come again for another check-up in two months.
Her second appointment was at the adult cardiac building, so a van picked us up to bring us there. While waiting outside, Sundis enjoyed making some pictures with me.
One doctor said today that he is so glad to see Sundis alive and doing so well. Let’s thank God for everything He has done in Sundis’ life and bless the doctors and medical staff that have been able to help her!
Good follow-up
Back in our Jaffa home for a few days
We are very happy that Sundis, who is full of life and her friendly mother were discharged from the hospital today and are staying with us in Jaffa for some days. They have been in the hospital for some months now. Due to this, the Shevet van was filled with bags and presents and things, they received from the hospital during their time there.
It is nice to see how much the hospital cares for the children. Sundis needs to go back to the hospital in the next few days to check on her condition. During the waiting time but meanwhile, we are happy that she is with us and one of our other Gaza children. with her from staying together in the hospital is very happy as well to have a friend now at the community home in Jaffa. Please pray for a nice time for Sundis and her mother.
Another surgery

Recovering well

The doctors told Sundis’s mother that they would like to check Sundis’s liver tomorrow. Please be praying that she would continue recovering well.
Successful cath

Full of vitality
Checking the new, extracting the old

At 8 a.m. in Sheba hospital, in the adult OR due to lack of space in the Pediatric arenas, doctors began the challenging procedure of the extraction of Sundis’s old pacemaker leads from within the heart tissue. It was a delicate and sensitive procedure, but a successful one nevertheless, ending at approximately 11 a.m. The old pacemaker wasn’t working properly for more than a year, during which time Sundis was daily fainting and withheld from attending school as her situation of potentially falling in a faint was a dangerous one. The skilled team of doctors had placed a new pacemaker in Sundis two weeks ago. They checked the new while extracting the old, and all went well.
Another surgery on Thursday
If you look closely in the picture in the left corner on the top, you can see a MacDonald’s box. When I went to Sheba hospital to visit Sundis and her lovely mother today, they shared with me that one of the doctors got it for Sundis. That shows once again how much the hospital cares for all of our children. Sundis even offered me some of it and was not willing to accept a no as an answer. She is really kind even though she doesn’t like it very much if you take a picture of her.
Sundis needs another heart surgery, which is planned for this coming Thursday. Please continue to pray for her.
Enjoying her time outside
Sundis is doing much better and is not in the pediatric ICU at Sheba hospital anymore. She is in a normal ward and quite likes to spend time outside of the building now and not to be inside her room all the time, laying in her bed.
It was really nice to visit her today and to spend some time outside of the hospital together with Sundis and her lovely mother.
In the ICU
Sundis was very tired when I met her in her room at Sheba hospital. I think it’s a hard time she is going through.
She is currently back in the pediatric ICU because there is liquid around her lungs. The doctors had to use a chest drain. Tomorrow they will do an ultrasound to know more about it.
Please pray for Sundis and also her mother who is caring so sweetly for her daughter.
New Pacemaker today
Sundis had an operation today at Sheba Medical to place a new pacemaker. The surgery went very well and when her mother and I went to see her, she was already extubated and waking up.
Sundis’ old pacemaker is still in place. The doctor said they will leave it until they see that the new one is working properly. For now, they will wait and see how she recovers before deciding on a further course of treatment.
Please pray that the new pacemaker functions well and for a complete recovery for Sundis.
Surgery delayed by infection
This afternoon, I found Sundis painting a picture and chatting with her older sisters on the phone. She seems to be coming out of her shell a bit more every time we visit her. Her mother is always excited for visitors and eager to introduce us to her older daughters via video call.
According to a doctor in the Sheba hospital pediatric ward, Sundis has an infection in her blood that is delaying her surgery. Please pray that the infection will clear quickly with treatment so the doctors can proceed with her surgery as planned.
Sundis update
An updated plan of treatment
Sundis’ echo at Sheba hospital last week, showed that her pacemaker was not working; the doctors have now synchronized it to her heart, so it should function properly now.
However, a conduit that was placed ten years ago between her right ventricle and pulmonary artery, has now narrowed and her doctors are considering the best course of treatment. Additionally, they would like Sundis to see some other specialists, including a neurologist, to assess her development.
When coworker Alena and I visited Sundis this afternoon, we found her exploring up and down the hallway in the pediatric ward. She’s active and curious, but very shy.
Please pray that the doctors would determine the best intervention for Sundis’ narrowed conduit, and for her continued growth and development.
Sundis from Gaza, admitted to Sheba
Please pray for them to settle in well into the hospital.