Today was a big day for cute little Ibrahim and his lovely mother, as they are finally flying back to Kurdistan.
After three months of many appointments, surgeries and a lot of waiting time in the Sheba Medical Center, Ibrahim and his mother are really happy to go back home to their family.
Coworker Joanne and I drove this morning together with them to the airport and said a final goodbye to them.
Yesterday evening we had a big farewell Party with a nice dinner and cake. All of us workers, visitors and the mothers with the children looked back together to the last month with pictures of their time with Shevet Achim. We spent a really nice last evening together and the mother of Ibrahim said that we are like a family for her and that she is going to miss us. We are missing her too.
The time with Ibrahim and his mother was wonderful. Ibrahim’s mom was one of the first mothers I met here in Israel when I arrived. She welcomed us directly with open arms. She was always positive, optimistic and full of hope, even if she was experiencing harder times. She is such a wonderful, strong woman and mother. She cared every second about her son and helped him wherever she could.
Ibrahim is such a beautiful, cute little guy, always smiling. I’ve loved to see how the time here helped him and how he is doing so well now. He was always so peaceful and a really calm baby. I’m really thankful for the time I was able to spend with him too.
We are all very happy for them that they can go back to Kurdistan and that everything is good now. They will be forever in my heart and I will never forget them.
Please pray that everything is going well with the flight back to Kurdistan and for blessings for Ibrahim, his mother and the whole family.
Ibrahim was all dressed up this morning for his appointment with the neurosurgeon to review the results of his MRI. And today turned out to be a special one; Ibrahim is officially ready to go home to Kurdistan!
His MRI shows that there is still some blood collected between his brain and skull but the neurosurgeon says there is no danger and Ibrahim can follow up with a doctor in Kurdistan.
At this news, Ibrahim’s mum began to cry, thanking the doctor over and over and calling her husband right away to tell him. She is so excited to bring Ibrahim home to his dad and big brother, and she’s especially happy to be flying with two other Kurdish families this week.
Ibrahim has grown so much in three months here. We looked at some of the photos from his first appointment at Sheba, and we couldn’t believe how different he is now. His mum used to call him “Mr. Mouse,” but she and I joke that he’s so chubby now that he’s more like a round potato than a tiny mouse.
I’m so grateful to send this handsome little guy home strong and healthy.
Today I went to Sheba Medical Center with little Ibrahim and his lovely mother for an echo and an MRI.
We first went to the echo, where we got the great news that Ibrahim’s heart is so good, that he can go back to Kurdistan.
The only thing that stops them from going home right now is Ibrahim’s brain condition. Four weeks ago, doctors discovered blood between Ibrahim’s brain and his skull. Today they did an MRI to check if the blood is decreasing. Results will be in possibly tomorrow. If they’re good, God willing Ibrahim and his mom can go home.
Today was a stressful day for Ibrahim and his mother, because Ibrahim was crying most of the time. His lovely mother was with him the whole time and calmed him down very nicely. I really enjoyed spending time with her and to be there for her while waiting.
When Ibrahim was in the MRI, his mom and I sat in the waiting area and prayed together for quite some time which was very nice and I really could feel God’s presence.
Please pray for them as they hope to be able to go home in the next days.
Ibrahim had an ECG and echo this morning at Sheba hospital, and praise God, his heart is doing very well two months after his arterial switch surgery. There is still a small hole between the ventricles but the doctor expects it will close on its own.
Ibrahim’s cardiologist said he is well enough from a cardiac standpoint to return home to Kurdistan. Since Ibrahim is waiting for a brain MRI next month, he will have one last echo shortly before flying home.
Thank God for this beautiful boy and his healed heart!
Ibrahim had his evaluation with the neurosurgeon today at Sheba Hospital.
At this time, Ibrahim does not need surgery to drain the blood from his head, but the doctor would like him to have another MRI after a month to see if the hematoma is improving.
This is quite some time for Ibrahim to wait, but his parents agreed it’s best for him to wait and have the MRI before going home to Kurdistan.
I’m especially thankful for Ibrahim’s mom and her sweet and patient attitude at this time, and we’re looking forward to more time with her and Ibrahim in our guesthouse.
Ibrahim’s mom was really hoping the results of his echo and MRI at Sheba Hospital today would be good and Ibrahim would be cleared to return to Kurdistan.
Praise God, his echo and ECG look good and the doctor says there is nothing to worry about. He made a slight adjustment to Ibrahim’s medications and wants to see him again in two weeks just to make sure everything is okay.
Ibrahim was amazing for the whole process, and didn’t cry even once during the echo or ECG.
However, the MRI showed a subdural hematoma, which is blood between the brain and the skull. The neurologist assured us that this is not uncommon, and the surgery to fix it is relatively easy. However, this does mean Ibrahim will need another surgery before he is discharged to Kurdistan.
This is very disappointing news for his mom, who is anxious to see her older son back home. However, we are glad this problem was discovered before he returned home so he can have the surgery here.
Please pray for patience and strength for Ibrahim’s mom during the waiting time.
Today, coworker Tabea and I brought Ibrahim and his mom to Sheba medical center for an echo. Before the echo took place, a geneticist wanted to talk with Ibrahim’s mom.
The geneticist asked Ibrahim’s mother if she and Ibrahim want to be part of a research project that tries to find out if a child’s heart defect is genetically determined. Ibrahim’s mom agreed, because she really wants to know the cause for Ibrahim’s heart defect.
After that, the doctors ordered an ECG and an echo during which, Ibrahim was surprisingly quiet.
Since we had to wait a while before the doctor had time to see us, we went to do blood tests for Ibrahim and took his mom to begin research participation.
The doctor said Ibrahim’s heart looks really good, he just needs another echo and an MRI. If everything still looks good after these exams, Ibrahim can probably go home to Kurdistan in a few weeks. The doctor also said that Ibrahim’s VSD, a hole between the ventricles, isn’t closing 100%, but this is not needing repair right now.
During the waiting period, I got to know Ibrahim’s mom a little better. I think she is an amazing, intelligent woman. I really enjoyed spending the time with her today and to see what a great mother she is. I also think that Ibrahim is a very cute boy and I really like him.
Thank God that Ibrahim’s doing so well and please pray that he is able to go home soon .
The doctor at Sheba Hospital ordered an electrolyte blood test for Ibrahim again to check on his sodium saturation level.
It’s still somewhat difficult for Ibrahim’s mother to see someone else doing assessments on her child, especially blood tests because these can be a challenge for some infants. A baby’s blood is often not flowing easily, veins can be difficult to find, the process can take hours, and sometimes all while the baby is crying.
This time however, it went very well and the nurse did a very good job. Only after a few minutes we were done, and we could already leave the hospital and head back for our community home in Jaffa. The doctor shared good results from the blood test later on with coworker Alena.
Now we are waiting for Ibrahim’s follow-up appointment later in January.
Ibrahim is a really cute boy and you can already tell that he has a close relationship to his mother, cause he always keeps looking at her and smiling at her.
He was discharged to our community home in Jaffa today from Sheba Hosopital, in a good condition, thank God. His mother is a lovely lady and we are looking forward to spending some time with her and also with her beloved Ibrahim.
She needs to go back to the hospital for cardiac follow-up after one week and Ibrahim needs to continue with his blood test as well and also needs to see the neurologist.
Thank God that for now he is doing really well and that he was able to be discharged to our community home in Jaffa today. Please pray for ongoing good recovery and for a nice time now with them in our home.
Today coworker Alena and I visited Ibrahim and his mother at Sheba Medical Center’s Pediatric ICU. He is such a cute baby and he kept staring at his mother, while she was talking to Alena.
Ibrahim has a bacteria in his blood which made his oxygen unstable for a while, but he is stable now. The doctors will perform a blood test on him to check on the bacteria. Ibrahim is still on medication for seizures, to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Coworker Margarita and I visited Sheba Hospital Children’s Cardiac ICU today and discovered that little Ibrahim is the same, stable, but still using a breathing tube.
Doctors want to remove the breathing tube today. Ibrahim is opening his eyes and coughing a bit, but they and Margarita assured his mother this is a good sign, and indicates that Ibrahim is getting ready to breathe on his own. Doctors believe Ibrahim’s doing ok, adding that his left ventricle is significantly better as well.
Ibrahim did have some seizures this past week, which they treated with medication, but he’s better now. The doctor we spoke with said they see this a lot in kids, and the condition usually disappears.
Checking on Ibrahim before we left the hospital, we saw that the tube was successfully removed, and Ibrahim doing well. Thank God.
I went to the Pediatric ICU of Sheba Hospital to Ibrahim’s room there and found his mother crying. She is very worried, when she sees all these machines around her child, although Ibrahim is okay. Also immediately after the surgery, there is often not much to say and we just have to wait and see how Ibrahim is improving.
Today he had a CT Scan as one of the first check ups. While waiting until the Ibrahim came back, I waited with his mother. She called many people and met a friend who’s child is in the hospital as well.
Ibrahim’s mother also said she cannot sleep very well in the hospital. Please pray that she gets used to this new situation and for good improvement for Ibrahim.
Today at Sheba Children’s Hospital, Ibrahim went into surgery. His mother was very nervous and emotional. But after seven hours, the surgeon was able to tell us that it went really well. They were able to switch the great arteries and close a hole between the left and the right chambers.
There were no complications during the surgery. Praise God!
Ibrahim’s mother was a little shocked to see her tiny son laying in the big bed with all the lines and fluids, but she was very relieved to hear that everything went well.
Today the quarantine of Ibrahim and his mother did end and we were right on the way to the hospital for the admission, so that he can have a surgery tomorrow.
Ibrahim had an ECG, an x-ray and an ultrasound. The nurses were very nice. Also Ibrahim’s mom cared for him very well and she tried everything to prevent his tears.
The results of the ultrasound for the kidneys and the brain were very good. After having a room there is nothing in the way for having a surgery tomorrow.
Ibrahim was brought to Sheba hospital this morning for his first assessment. A fairly content baby with little complaint.
The first procedure was an ECG during which little Ibrahim cried a bit.
Next was his first echo taken by a first doctor. After this echo, we were told to please wait and the doctor would discuss things with Ibrahim’s mother.
Then a second doctor wanted to do another echo to check more closely a few of the previous echo’s images.
After that, another doctor came and asked to do another echo to review the images of the first two echos.
By the end of the assessment, doctors concluded that Ibrahim has a bit of stenosis in addition to transposition of the great arteries. They said Ibrahim should finish his quarantine, and be ready for surgery when the time quickly comes. In the meanwhile, they would develop their plan and best approach for treatment for Ibrahim, and would decide on the surgery date soon.
Today was a big day for cute little Ibrahim and his lovely mother, as they are finally flying back to Kurdistan.
Coworker Joanne and I drove this morning together with them to the airport and said a final goodbye to them.
Yesterday evening we had a big farewell Party with a nice dinner and cake. All of us workers, visitors and the mothers with the children looked back together to the last month with pictures of their time with Shevet Achim. We spent a really nice last evening together and the mother of Ibrahim said that we are like a family for her and that she is going to miss us. We are missing her too.
Ibrahim is such a beautiful, cute little guy, always smiling. I’ve loved to see how the time here helped him and how he is doing so well now. He was always so peaceful and a really calm baby. I’m really thankful for the time I was able to spend with him too.
We are all very happy for them that they can go back to Kurdistan and that everything is good now. They will be forever in my heart and I will never forget them.
