This afternoon, we brought Ayan and his mom to the airport in Tel Aviv to send them home to their eagerly awaiting family in Kurdistan. They were both in high spirits, and the car ride seemed to be the highlight of Ayan’s day.
I’m so grateful for the time we’ve gotten with Ayan and his mother, both this year and last. It’s amazing to see how he’s grown from the tiny baby we met last spring to the handsome little boy we hugged goodbye at the airport today.
While it’s sad to see them go, I’m glad we get to send Ayan home happy and healthy. God has taken such good care of him these last two years, and we know he will continue to do so all his life.
For the last week, every time Ayan sees one of us, he reaches for us and says “ayn ayn!”–his word for car– in the hopes that we’re taking him for a ride in the car.
You can imagine his excitement today when not only did he get a ride in the Shevet van, he even got to play in the cars in the echo clinic at Sheba. He was the happiest little guy for his whole appointment, even during his echo and ECG.
When his cardiologist arrived, he brought good news– Ayan’s echo looks great and he can go home! He’ll finish his course of antibiotics for his surgical site infection in Kurdistan. At this point, the cardiologist isn’t expecting him to need further intervention for his heart, so thank God, Ayan will finally get to go home and grow up just like any other child.
Ayan had a heart echo at Sheba Hospital today which we went to with prayers for a discharge home to Kurdistan, even if it would mean losing this adorable kid and his incredible mother. Upon getting to the waiting room for the echos, the doctors got to us in a very timely manner, getting Ayan into the room and checked out very quickly. Before even getting into the echo, Ayan was a rollercoaster of emotions, crying, giggling, trying to mess around with whatever was in his reach and expensive, but once he got comfortable, he was all smiles.
After the echo, we went to the waiting room to play and wait for the doctors to give us the results, where Ayan and I played with cars, in the playhouse, and tried on some very stylish sunglasses.
After a while the doctor came and gave us the news; while Ayan’s heart is looking very good, they decided to have him hang around with us for two more weeks, to make sure that there wouldn’t be any lingering effects of his illness from a few weeks ago. Our community took this news with hidden joy, since we aren’t ready to let Ayan go yet, but his mother also took it well, with happiness and patience. She is so blessed with peace, compassion, and patience, and she is one of the most influential forces in the family house right now.
So while we expect to see Ayan gone in the coming weeks, we rejoice that God has fought every battle side by side with Ayan all the way to recovery, given him a new heart, and kept him and his mother in comfort and joy.
Yesterday Ayan was discharged from Sheba Hospital back to our community home in Ashdod in good condition and in good spirits! Nothing can keep this bright and bubbly little boy discouraged for long–even when he falls flat on his face (as he did yesterday), he quickly returns to humor and smiles.
He hung out with our community dog ‘Shevie’ for a while and enjoyed petting her.
Later that day, while we were all together eating dinner, he started toddling around pushing strollers here and there, and then he bounced on my knee for a while. He is a beautiful boy and it’s always a joy to spend time with him, as seen in this photo with coworker Joanne.
Ayan has to stay on antibiotic medication for the next month to ensure his surgical site does not become reinfected. He has a follow-up echo in a week, and if all is well there, he’ll be discharged home to Kurdistan! We hope and pray that he’ll be good!
Today coworkers Jonathan, Michiel, Ben and I went to Sheba Hospital to visit some of the children invited by Shevet Achim.
One of those children was Ayan.
Ayan was sleeping when we arrived but soon woke up. He played tap hands with myself and Michiel. He was talking and pointing to the pictures on the wall. His mother was pleased. She showed us his dressing and said it was good.
Thank God for this little boy’s progress. We continue to lift him up in our prayers.
Ayan and his mother spent two night already in Sheba hospital again. Yesterday the surgeon came to look at Ayan’s surgical site and he put new bandages on the wound. Ayan is also receiving antibiotics through an IV.
Today, when I visited him with coworkers Ivan and Sophia, Ayan saw us and started crying really hard. He thought we were nurses or doctors. When we came closer and played with him a little, he started warming up and giving us a smile. He is a very cute little boy. And his mother is taking great care of him.
Please pray for Ayan, and pray that his surgical site will heal.
Ayan’s mother came to me today with a lot of worries in her eyes. She showed me Ayan’s scar and I saw green fluid seeping from it. I checked his temperature, but he didn’t have a fever. Coworker Bria contacted the doctor and he told us to go to the ER.
Ayan already had some fluid discharge coming out of his scar since his surgery, but now it’s really infected. Ayan will stay in the hospital to receive stronger antibiotics and to get more tests done. He also developed a fever during the ER trip.
Ayan didn’t like the blood test; it was hard to get blood out of his veins. But for the rest he was really happy. He ate his chips and with every bite he said, ‘Ham!’ He likes smiling and his mother is very proud of her cute son. Please pray for Ayan.
Handsome little Ayan was in a much better mood in Sheba Hospital today than I’ve seen him since his surgery there 11 days ago. As soon as he decided that coworker Dimitri and I weren’t doctors, he was happy to show us his colorful stacking cups– though he was less interested in stacking them and more in knocking them over.
Ayan’s mom explained to us that he’s still having some discharge from his surgical site, and the surgeon would come see him later. So we were surprised midway through the afternoon when the doctor in the ICU decided that Ayan is well enough to come back to the house! The surgeon isn’t worried at all about the fluid from the surgical site. We’ll keep an eye on him this weekend and bring him back on Sunday for the doctor in the ICU to check again and make sure everything is okay.
Ayan is a cheerful little guy and seems pleased to be out of the hospital and back in our community house in Ashdod. We’re happy to have him and his mom back with us.
Ayan and his mom have had a surprising few days. He was called for surgery last week, and went into the operating room on Thursday morning. However, after a couple of hours, he was back in the ICU with no surgery– the doctors found that he had a fever and a rash and were concerned that he might have a virus.
After a weekend of recovery, Ayan was well enough to go into surgery first thing Sunday morning. We expected the surgery to take maybe four hours, but it took nearly seven. However, at the end the head surgeon came out himself to tell Ayan’s mom that everything went well.
The doctors planned to extubate Ayan the day after surgery, but he’s been running a fever since Sunday evening so they’ve decided to wait until he’s a little stronger. When coworker Luke and I visited today, we found him wrapped up in cooling pads to keep his body temperature down.
Ayan’s mom is, as always, taking everything with an extraordinary amount of strength and grace. Please pray for continued endurance for her and for Ayan’s fever to resolve quickly.
This morning, coworker Bria received a phone call from Sheba Hospital saying that we should bring Ayan for surgery tomorrow. So she woke up Ayan’s mother and after half an hour, I brought Ayan and his mother to the hospital.
Ayan’s mother told me she is happy but also nervous for tomorrow. The surgery shouldn’t be too complicated, so there is a big chance it will all be okay. But we still ask for your prayer. Only with God, Ayan’s heart will be restored. Please also pray for his mother.
Ayan had his first echo yesterday–his first Sheba examination since he was here last year. Ayan has grown into a friendly and beautiful one-and-a-half year old child, with a big smile and a big laugh that has a remarkable aesthetic similarity to a barber in a small Italian village.
Ayan was peaceful and calm during most of his examination, sitting and thoughtfully watching either the doctor or an educational YouTube video his mother showed him. He didn’t like it when the doctor poked around his neck very much, but otherwise he was without complaint.
At Ayan’s first surgery, a band was placed around his heart to aid its functioning. The doctor confirmed from the echo that it’s time for that band to come off. He stressed to me that, although it’s still a surgery, it’s not a large surgery. He and the Sheba team will confer and determine a date for the operation. In the meantime we’ll get to enjoy some time with this beautiful boy and his lovely mother.
Ayan and his mother arrived in Israel today together with two other families from Kurdistan. Ayan was here a year ago when he was two months old. I was so surprised how big he is now! He is such a sweet little boy.
It is also nice to see his mother back after a year. When we saw each other, we gave each other a big hug. It’s like seeing a sister again. It’s amazing how you can have this connection after a year of not seeing each other, because I was able to support this mother last year in a scary time of her life. And I hope to be there again for her during the next surgery of Ayan and the rest of their time in Israel.
Ayan will have his first tests at Sheba Hospital this coming Thursday. Please pray for him and for his mother.
Little Ayan and his Mother went home to Kurdistan today.
When his mom and Ayan arrived seven weeks ago, Ayan was not in a good condition and we were quite worried about him. We are all very surprised and thankful that he recovered so fast and so well after his surgery and is already able to go home.
Before coworker Jonathan and I drove with them to the airport, we had a little farewell party with nice words, a video and some gifts. It was a really nice way to end their time here. We are all very happy for them. We’re going to miss this little boy and his lovely mother, whom we came to know and love during their time here.
We pray that God goes with them, blesses them, and keeps His careful watch over little Ayan.
Today I went to Sheba Medical Center with little Ayan and his lovely mother.
Ayan had an echo, an ECG and a blood test today. His hemoglobin is still a little low, but the doctor told me that this is quite normal for a baby his age.
Ayan will need another surgery when he is around one year old, but till then the doctor cleared him to go home to Kurdistan. Especially his mom was really happy to be able to go home to her family and her other kids now. We are all very happy for them but they sure will be missed. Ayan is a very cute little boy, and his mother is a very lovely, strong and smart woman.
Please pray that they will come home safe and can have a blessed time with their loved ones.
Today coworker Bria and I took Ayan to Sheba Hospital’s Pediatric ER. Ayan had been crying a lot the last few days and he had a hard stomach.
We already figured Ayan was probably in a lot of pain because of constipation. But after some days it was better to see a doctor about this and indeed the problem was constipation. Ayan received some medicine to help with this immediately. Also the doctor removed something from Ayan’s medication which probably caused the constipation.
We now hope that Ayan and his mother can have some rest. We ask for your prayer as Ayan will have his echo tomorrow. If everything looks good, he can go back to Kurdistan.
This morning, our handsome Ayan had his first echo since being discharged from Sheba Hospital.
Ayan is a pretty content baby, and he did great for his exam today.
He loved the ECG technician and kept a close eye on the screen during his echo.
It’s been three weeks since Ayan’s surgery and his cardiologist is very pleased with his progress. Ayan needs to return in a week and a half for another echo, but for now everything looks very good.
Early evening, coworker Doro and I had to take Ayan to Sheba Medical Center’s Pediatric ER.
After switching from ‘baby calorie’ to corn flour (which works the same way) he started throwing up and having diarrhea every time he got milk. He was also crying a lot and his oxygen went down a little bit so we decided to take him to the hospital.
In the hospital, his oxygen was very good and he also didn’t had problems with throwing up and diarrhea after eating anymore. The doctor said that he most likely caught a virus previously while he was in the hospital. We had to stay a little bit so they could watch him, but everything stayed the same and we where able to take Ayan and his mother back to our community home in Ashdod again.
We had to wait quite a bit in the ER and it was also very late in the evening but still, Ayan’s mother was in a good mood and we laughed and talked a lot. She is a very lovely, peaceful and patient woman and I really enjoy spending time with her.
Thank God that everything went well. Please continue praying for this cute little boy and his lovely mother.
Sweet little Ayan was discharged from Sheba hospital and returned to our community home in Ashdod! Ayan’s mom was radiating joy all day, and it’s so good to see Ayan doing so well after such a big surgery a couple of weeks ago.
When I walked into their room and saw Ayan awake and happy in his mom’s arms, I thought about the day of his first echo, when we had to explain to her that his surgery would be very difficult and may not go well.
Thank God for protecting this beautiful little boy through such great danger and restoring him to health.
Today, coworker Willem and I visited little Ayan and his mother in the Pediatric Ward of Sheba Hospital. The doctor explained to us that Ayan is doing so good after his big surgery – that’s amazing.
However, the doctors in the ICU saw some bacteria in his blood, so they want Ayan to stay in the Pediatric Ward to give him antibiotics. They want to make sure that he is doing ok before he will be discharged. Maybe it could even be this week.
Let’s pray for Ayan, that everything will be alright soon and he and his mother can come home to our house in Ashdod. We and the other Kurdish moms miss them already very much.
Today, when I visited little Ayan and his lovely mom at Sheba Medical Center, we received the information that Ayan will be moved to the Pediatric Ward, and out of the ICU. Ayan is doing very well and can breathe completely on his own now!
Still, the doctors want to watch Ayan a little more in the Pediatric Ward over the next few days, and see how he is further improving.
The time I spent today with Ayan and his mother was very nice. Again I recognized how little Ayan is when I held him in my arms. And sooo cute!
Let’s pray for little Ayan, that he soon is doing so well that he may be discharged to our home.
Today, coworker Doro and I went to Sheba Medical Center to visit little Ayan and his lovely mother.
Ayan is doing really well. On Sunday, he is going to be discharged to our community home in Ashdod.
Coworker Doro and I were both very happy when we heard this good news today because we’re both enjoying spending time with Ayan and his Mother. She is always welcoming us with a big smile and a hug, and demonstrates real strength and peace. I am really happy that we have the opportunity to spend time with her and be there for her and Ayan.
Thank God that Ayan is doing so well. Please keep praying for his further examinations and treatment.
Today I visited little Ayan and his lovely mother in the Pediatric ICU of Sheba Medical Center.
Today he was really awake and didn’t want to sleep at all. When I came in to his hospital room, his wonderful mother gave him the feeding bottle and he was very happy about that.
He is doing well and his oxygen levels are very good with a small amount of oxygen support. He is breathing very strongly.
Please pray for Ayan to be able to breathe completely on his own and pray also for his mother.
Ayan was extubated at Sheba Hospital today! He is doing really well. His oxygen level is almost 100% but with a little extra oxygen support through his nose.
His cardiac condition is good, Ayan is stable. He needs a little bit more time to fully recover from his surgery. He can’t eat yet, so he gets his milk via an NG tube.
Ayan’s mother is doing also well. She is happy that her son is doing better after the surgery. We pray that Ayan will remain stable now that he is extubated.
Today, coworker Willem and I went to Sheba Medical Center to visit cute little Ayan.
He is still intubated, but the doctors will try again to extubate him today or tomorrow. Other than that, he is responsive and welcomed me with looking straight into my eyes.
The doctors probably want to do an EEG with Ayan to check his neurological condition because they believe he may have had some seizures.
It was really nice to see little Ayan and his lovely mother. I really enjoy spending time with her as she is a very friendly, intelligent and strong woman. Please keep praying for this little boy and his mother.
We visited little Ayan in the Pediatric ICU of Sheba Medical today. A doctor was there and caring for cute Ayan.
The doctor was very kind and told me that they tried to extubate Ayan last Thursday, but it didn’t work. They made an echo today and if the results of this are good, they will try again to extubate him.
The doctor also said that they are very happy about Ayan’s general situation. Ayan is opening his eyes and responding to what is happening around him.
Let’s thank God that he is doing so well after such a big surgery!
Today, I went to Sheba Medical Center and visited Ayan. Since his successful surgery on Tuesday, Ayan is stable and extubation will be attempted today.
It is really great to see that he’s doing so good right now, and also that his mother seemed to be happy today and welcomed me with a big smile. She is a really kind and peaceful woman.
Today coworker Rachel and I visited Ayan, his mother and her niece in the Pediatric ICU of Sheba Medical Center.
Ayan is doing well and he is stable, but not yet extubated. It’s really nice to see how lovely the medical staff are caring about Ayan, and how thankful Ayan’s mother is that her niece is present during these challenging days. I’m really thankful how peaceful mother and niece are and for their time together.
Please pray for them and that Ayan is doing well and will be extubated very soon.
Today at Sheba Hospital, Ayan had his surgery to switch the great arteries and to close a few holes they found during his last examinations.
After seven hours of waiting, the doctor told us that they were successful. One of the holes that Ayan had in his heart could not be closed, so doctors placed a banding to protect his artery; this will have to be removed at some point in Ayan’s future.
Yesterday, Ayan’s mother has a niece who flew all the way from the Netherlands to Israel to support Ayan’s mother and to keep her company. Ayan’s mother was very happy about this visit.
The time we spent waiting during the surgery was great. We talked and laughed together and Ayan’s mother was in quite a good mood.
Please continue praying for this cute little boy and his lovely mother.
Today, coworker Joanne and I drove together with cute little Ayan and his lovely mother from our house in Ashdod to the Sheba Medical Center.
First we went together to the ECG, then we made an X-Ray.
At the end, we completed an echo. After the appointments, Ayan was admitted to the hospital. All went well. Now they are waiting for his surgery tomorrow.
I had a really great day with them, and Ayan was, most of the time, really peaceful. Please pray for blessings during the surgery, for Ayan, his mother and for the doctors.
Early in the morning coworker Lilly and I drove from our new house in Ashdod with cute little Ayan and his wonderful mother to the Sheba Medical Center. I went together with them to their scheduled CT-Scan.
During the waiting time, Ayan slept a lot and he was also very hungry because he was not allowed to eat before the appointment. His mother was very patient and I enjoyed the time spent with them very much.
Prior to the CT-Scan, Ayan received anesthesia. Everything went well with the scan. Shortly after, we were able to drive all together back to Ashdod. Please pray for Ayan and his mother.
Today my coworker Tabea went to Sheba Medical Center with little Ayan and his mother.
Ayan had an appointment for a blood test today. We had to wait a while and I was impressed how calm Ayan’s mother was, and I really enjoyed the time I could spend with both of them.
Today, coworker Tabea and I went to Sheba Medical Center with Ayan and his mother for an Ultrasound examination for Ayan.
All in all, Ayan’s Ultrasound was good. The only thing the doctor detected was that Ayan’s kidneys are a little bit enlarged. This is nothing dangerous, but they must keep an eye on that.
While we waited, I really enjoyed spending time with cute little Aayan and his lovely mother. She’s a really peaceful woman and is always smiling. Thank the Lord that they can be here in Israel now and be with us at our community home in Ashdod. Please pray for the next steps of Ayan’s treatment.
Ayan had his first appointment today at Sheba Medical Center to see how his condition is. Ayan’s mother takes really good care of her son. Always comforting him and making sure he is okay. She is very calm.
The outcome from the tests is that Ayan has his great arteries switched. Also the cardiologist saw that the coronary arteries come from one place, and they needed to come from at least two different places. This will make the surgery more complex. The last problem is that he has at least two holes in between his heart chambers, maybe even more. But they will determine this only in the surgery.
The situation is complex. The surgery will be complex. So we have to put our trust in the Lord. He is the one who can help this little baby. We ask for your prayer for this situation and that the doctors will make the right decisions to help Ayan.
Today Ayan arrived in Israël all the way from Kurdistan, together with two other Kurdish children, their mothers, and the groups’ medical escort, Elodie.
Ayan is just one month old, a very tiny, sweet baby. Tomorrow he will already have his first medical assessments made at Sheba Medical Center to see how he is doing and what the doctors can do for him.
We ask for your prayer for this precious little baby. I am always amazed by God’s ability to make such a perfect tiny human being. May He protect Ayan’s life.
Tiny three-week-old Ayan lost his father in a car accident before he was born. And after birth doctors discovered that his great arteries are transposed; he needs surgery to switch them in the first two months of life in order to live a normal life.
Who will intercede for Ayan? Thank God the doctors at the Israel’s largest hospital, the Sheba Medical Center, have agreed to accept him. We will apply for his emergency visa to Israel tomorrow.
This afternoon, we brought Ayan and his mom to the airport in Tel Aviv to send them home to their eagerly awaiting family in Kurdistan. They were both in high spirits, and the car ride seemed to be the highlight of Ayan’s day.
I’m so grateful for the time we’ve gotten with Ayan and his mother, both this year and last. It’s amazing to see how he’s grown from the tiny baby we met last spring to the handsome little boy we hugged goodbye at the airport today.
While it’s sad to see them go, I’m glad we get to send Ayan home happy and healthy. God has taken such good care of him these last two years, and we know he will continue to do so all his life.
Ayan is doing really well. On Sunday, he is going to be discharged to our community home in Ashdod.
