When coworker Frank and I arrived on floor five of Sheba Medical Center today, Kenan’s mother was greeting us with a big smile and said, “We are going home!” Kenan was still laying in his bed, but his mother was already packing everything.

We talked with a doctor and he explained to us that Kenan will go home and come back to the hospital in two weeks. In this time, he should gain weight. They will check on the weight in two weeks and if he gained 3.5 kg, he can have his next heart surgery. If he doesn’t gain that weight, he will need a PEG tube to make sure he will gain the weight for his next surgery.

Kenan and his mother were now for nearly three months in the hospital. The time wasn’t always easy, with many ups and downs. In all that time, Kenan’s mother always tried to be joyful. Today she was even more happy to go home. With these treats you see in the picture, she went to all the nurses, doctors and other patients to let them be part of her joy. Also, all the people love Kenan and are good friends with both of them.

Kenan was smiling the whole day in the hospital and also the whole drive, as if he would know that he is going home. So he also enjoyed the time in the car, watching out of the window and smiling at me, whenever I turned around.

Because of the long time they spent in hospital, it took a while to write the discharge report. There was also the question if they should go home tomorrow, but Kenan’s mother insisted on today, so nothing will come in between, as so often happened before now. So, we arrived quite late at Erez Border Crossing and could see the sunset.

Kenan’s mother was so excited to see her husband and other child again, and that both her sons will be united.

In the car she also thanked us all so much. It was always so nice to visit her with all the joy and love she spread. So, also a big thank you to her!

Both of them have a special place in all of our hearts. We hope and pray that Kenan will gain weight in these next two weeks at home, thereby qualifying for his needed surgery. Thank you for joining in prayer.

When coworkers Tatiana, Amelie and I arrived on floor four in Sheba Hospital, we saw Kenan and his mother waiting in the echo area. This mom has been here two months and she already knows a few words in Hebrew to communicate with the medical team and with us.

The doctor said that Kenan’s weight does not improve and also he has eating problems related to an existing neurological problem. They want to wait two more weeks to see if he needs a PEG tube or not. Today he had an echo for his heart and the doctors now wait for the results.

In the last few days, when needed, they had to fed him via sonde and the doctor said it’s not good to send him to Gaza with a sonde. The mom is missing her home, but she also doesn’t want Kenan to have a PEG. So, the decision for now is to wait for two more weeks, to see if he has improvement and won’t need a PEG tube. They might go to Gaza and back to the hospital again in these two weeks. But the medical team is not sure about this as he might not be able to come back at the right time.

When we left, Kenans mom thanked us and Kenan smiled to us. We hope that Kenan will be able to gain weight and to eat properly and that he and his mom will be healthy and well.

Today, coworker Elisabeth and I visited Kenan and his mother. They both smiled happily at us as we entered the room.

Kenan did gain a little bit of weight, because he gets now very thick milk. This week is somehow his last chance to gain enough weight by normal eating. If it works he will be able to go home. But if it fails, the doctors consider a PEG tube so that he will gain weight. The doctor explained that his weight is a real problem.

Kenan is such a cute guy and it’s nice how he smiled today and even tried to do some sports. His mother hopes so much that he will not need a PEG tube.

Let’s pray for this special child and his mother.

Today, I visited Kenan and his mother at Sheba Hospital. A nurse explained to me that Kenan is losing weight. If he doesn’t gain weight this week, the doctors will consider placing a PEG tube to feed him.

Kenan’s mother showed me pictures of Kenan back in Gaza. He was very big and I could even see that he lost weight in the last months. She feels very sorry for her son. We talked a while and she is tired of the long time in the hospital, but she wants just the best for him and hopes very much that he does not need the PEG tube.

Let’s pray for Kenan and his mother. They both need strength. May God’s will happen that Kenan will have a good life.

Today at Sheba Hospital, a feeding specialist came to see little Kenan. He decided that it is the best plan for Kenan to take milk through a normal bottle but one with a bigger hole. Also they want to add cornflour to his milk and see if he will gain weight then.

Kenan’s mum is still full of joy and always happily walking around in the hospital.

Thank you for praying that her waiting time will soon have an end and that now finally Kenan is eating well enough!

Today, coworker Amelie and I went to Sheba Medical Center to visit little Kenan. I was very happy to hear the doctors saying that he hasn’t had a fever in two days and that he is eating better. The doctors are monitoring his weight right now and if he continues to gain weight and eat well, he might be discharged next week.

I really hope that Kenan and his mom can go home soon since the doctors already said that  he can go home a few times before, but it never happened.

I am impressed how, threw all this, Kenan’s mother is always happy and is in a good mood and I always have a fun time while visiting Kenan.

Please pray and bless them .

When I wanted to visit Kenan at Sheba Hospital today, he was not in his room. His doctor told me that he developed a fever again after he was doing better yesterday. They were trying to find out more about the reason for the fever and so they sent him to a chest x-ray. I went downstairs to meet him and his lovely mother and she was very said that Kenan is again not doing well.

Tomorrow it is already two months that little Kenan is in the hospital in Israel and it has to be such an exhausting and challenging time for his mother who is missing home, family and a significant holiday.

Let us pray that her time here soon has an end and that Kenan is finally improving!

Today, we met Kenan and his mother again on a walk through Sheba Hospital. Kenan’s fever is gone and he also laughed when I saw him.

Otherwise there is no big news. The doctors still want to wait on discharging Kenan until he eats better. It could be at the end of the week or next week.

Please pray for Kenan and his mother. It is not very nice for her to wait from week to week always with the hope to go home next week. We can pray for patience, joy and that Kenan will improve his eating skills and get them to a place worthy of discharge.

When I wanted to visit Kenan today,  two doctors were standing in front of his room. They told me that Kenan developed a fever and they are trying to find out why.

They also said that they are still not happy about how much he is eating and that they do have to wait again until they can discharge him. His mom was sadly not there and so I couldn’t enter the room and also not talk to her, but I’m sure it has to be very frustrating for her that she now has to wait again.

Please pray for cute Kenan and for his faithful mom!

When coworker Hanna and I visited little Kenan at Sheba Hospital today, we were really happy and surprised that he is now without his feeding tube. The doctors also did some other examinations and everything is good now with Kenan. He might be able to be discharged at the beginning of next week.

We’re all very happy about this great news. I really enjoy spending time with little Kenan and his lovely mother. They will be missed but we’re all very thankful that they can go home to their loved ones in Gaza.

Thank you Lord for protecting and blessing Kenan.

Today coworker Willem and I visited little Kenan and his lovely mother at Sheba Hospital.

Yesterday they did a bronchoscopy and didn’t find what they expected to find between the airway and gastrointestinal tract. But they found something else and took a test of some kind, results are pending.

Now the focus is to try to make Kenan eat. They don’t want to feed him with the sonde. Today Kenan had a cardiologist appointment, and from a cardiology standpoint, Kenan should be allowed to return home. If he eats, he should be released. His mother is hopeful to this end. Let’s pray for them and especially that Kenan begins to eat by himself soon.

When we visited Kenan at Sheba Hospital today, his mom told us that he just came back from his bronchoscopy, and she is still waiting for results. She was quite happy today and also Kenan was looking at us and reacting to us.

We came later this afternoon again and asked a doctor if the results are back, but they are not yet and so we have to wait until tomorrow. Let’s pray for wisdom for the doctors and healing for cute little Kenan!

Today I went to Sheba Medical Center to visit little Kenan. When I entered his room, Kenan welcomed me sitting in his bed and his mom laughed out loud and was very happy. His mom is a very happy and funny woman and I really enjoy spending time with her.

The doctors told me that Kenan has again trouble eating without the tube. Every time he tries to drink or eat, he starts swallowing. To find out what is going on, doctors ordered an x-ray today. We don’t know the results yet, but please keep praying for him so he will be able to eat soon and can finally go home.

Today I visited Kenan at Sheba Medical Center. He’s doing well after he had some bacteria in his body in the last days. Today he had some exams and the doctors said that he can start drinking milk and eating again. He already started  eating a little bit today but also still has his feeding tube in case he won’t eat again.

If he continues eating he can be discharged in a few days. I really hope that Kenan will keep improving and that he and his mother can go home to their loved ones soon. Let’s continue in praying for this little boy and his lovely mother.

Today we were meeting Kenan and his mom on the second floor of Sheba Medical Center where he had an appointment. Kenan’s mom is always very happy and was glad to see us.

The doctor told me that Kenan gets antibiotics right now because he had bacteria in his blood. Kenan still gets his milk through a sonde and is not allowed to eat normally. On Tuesday they will do another exam. After this the doctors will decide if he can start to drink milk again.

If this works out positive, he may be discharged at the end of this week. Let’s pray that he and his lovely mom can go home soon again.

Today,  coworker Joanne and I went to Sheba Medical Center to visit Kenan.

His heart is doing well. The only thing that keeps Kenan from going home to Gaza right now, is that he has problems with swallowing and is presently receiving food via a feeding tube.

It’s always really nice to visit Kenan and his lovely mother. I always laugh a lot with her which makes me really happy. Please pray for the two of them, that they hopefully can go home soon and that Kenan develops his ability to eat and swallow normally.

Kenan’s doctors hope to discharge him from Sheba Hospital soon, but he is still not eating. His mom told me today that he has to receive all of his milk through an NG tube because he chokes and coughs it up when she tries to feed him by mouth.

The doctors think that Kenan’s low muscle tone may cause difficulty swallowing. Please pray that Kenan will be able to eat normally soon so he can return home to Gaza.

Today, coworker Doro and I visited little Kenan and his mother at Sheba Hospital. Kenan was just out of his examination. The doctors tested how he is swallowing and how he can eat on his own.

It was hard for Kenan to swallow the liquid milk. The majority was going to his stomach, but a bit also was despositing into the lungs. So, they will change his nutrition to a thicker milk. Hopefully he can eat that better.

His body gets more and more strength – the therapy really helps. Today, he grabbed my finger and didn’t let it go for some minutes.

For now he is in the Secondary ICU and will learn how to swallow and eat. So we can pray that he will learn fast.

Today I visited Kenan and his mother at Sheba Medical Center. The doctors told me that in the echo yesterday, there was no visible fluid around Kenan’s heart now! That’s such good news.

Also the physiotherapy with Kenan has helped him to improve. His body is still very floppy, but it is getting better with therapy. Tomorrow they will do the procedure with the sonde to see if milk is going into the lungs when Kenan is eating.

Let’s pray that also this area of struggle will resolve itself for Kenan. We can also pray for his mother, that she gets enough sleep and strength.

Today, I visited Kenan and his mother in Sheba Hospital. It was very nice to see them.

Kenan still has some areas where he struggles. He had an echo today to check on the fluid around his heart. And also his eating is still difficult. Kenan is coughing very much too. The doctors will watch now with a sonde how he is eating and to check if milk is going into the lungs.

Concerning the fear Kenan may have neurological damage, it seems better at the moment. They will still monitor him carefully to see if he may have neurological damage.

The time with Kenan’s mother today was very nice. She is a lovely woman. But also she is very, very worried about her son. She hopes that he soon will be so improved that they can return to their home in Gaza.

Please pray for all the issues Kenan is struggling with, that he may be soon more healthy. And let’s pray also for strength for Kenan’s mother.

“Kenan is the handsomest child” – was the first thing the doctor told me when I asked about Kenan’s condition. He was moved to the Secondary ICU, but still there are some issues he’s struggling with.

Kenan’s body is very floppy. He can’t really move his arms or legs. The doctors are concerned he has sustained neurological damage. They will do tests and Kenan will receive physio-therapy.

In addition to that, doctors discovered fluid around Kenan’s heart. But gladly the echo today looked already much better than yesterday’s. I also went with Kenan and his mother to have a chest X-ray done.

It was a big day for Kenan. After the X-ray, he slept shortly and than a nurse fed him with a feeding bottle to find out how well he can suck and swallow. He is a strong guy and could drink a little bit. But he still has to practice a lot. A better pacifier should help him with practicing.

During all the time I spent today with Kenan’s mother, I realized what a wonderful mother she is. She is already friends with many nurses. And all the doctors and nurses love little Kenan.

When we walked through the Secondary ICU,  nurses came to Kenan because they were so happy to see him. Please pray for this lovely little boy, that he soon will be better and the doctors can help him further. God brought him already so far!

Today, coworker Willem and I went to Sheba Medical Center to visit Kenan.

When we entered his room, he welcomed us with his eyes wide open.

Maybe today or tomorrow, Kenan will get a visit from a speech therapist which will see if his reflexes are strong enough to begin receiving food orally, or if he still needs to receive it through a feeding tube.

Kenan’s mother was also in a really good mood today and we were laughing a lot. She is a really nice and lovely woman.

Please keep praying for this cute little boy and his lovely mother.

When coworker Elisabeth and I visited Kenan at Sheba Medical today, his mum was standing next to his bed. She was really happy that he opened his eyes a little bit.

The doctors said that his cardiac situation is good, that also his lungs are improving and that he is off of oxygen. But now they are mostly concerned about his neurological state because he is not waking up well.

The brain scans showed mild atrophy of the brain which is quite common and doesn’t have to be permanent. He may also have had some epileptic seizures, but there is no clinical confirmation of this. That’s why they recommended a brain MRI and EEG to find out more.

Let’s pray that the doctors can find the best way to treat him!

When we asked the doctor about Kenan this morning at Sheba Medical, he was telling us that after Kenan’s surgery, Kenan at first was really sick but that he was improving. Now he is doing quite well, but is still in a great danger. They also have to check his neurological situation because now that they are reducing his drugs, he probably will have withdrawal symptoms.

The doctor also said that there is still a lot of hope and we could really see this hope in the eyes of his Kenan’s mom. She is such a strong woman and stays with her son faithfully all the time.

Let us thank God that Kenan is improving so well and pray for a full recovery!

When we visited Kenan at Sheba Hospital today in the ICU, where his mother was sleeping.

But a nurse told us the very good news that Kenan is extubated and doing better. He will still need a while until he will be fully recovered and can go home, but this is already a big step for him.

Let’s continue in prayer that Kenan is improving soon!

Today I visited little Kenan at Sheba medical center.  He’s still intubated but he is slowly improving and the doctors are starting to reduce his medicine.

I met his mother today and she is a very kind and lovely woman.

Please pray for a good recovery for this cute little boy.

Today was Kenan’s catheterization at Sheba Medical.

I met Kenan’s mother for the first time and she is very lovely.

We will  have more information about the cath results when the report is ready tomorrow. Please pray for a good recovery for little Kenan.

Kenan’s tearful mother sent us this video from a Gaza hospital last week, as she watched her son struggling to live.

Tonight she watched a more hopeful scene, as doctors in Israel rallied around her son’s bedside at the Sheba Medical Center:

Tonight Kenan (and mother) are breathing easier, as doctors begin studying the anatomy of his heart and preparing a plan of treatment.