Today little Yad and his mother went back to Kurdistan. After almost three and a half months, one surgery, one catheterization and a lot of waiting within the walls of Sheba Children’s Hospital, Yad and especially his mother are very happy to be able to go home to their family.
The last three months have been very great with them. It was incredible to watch Yad learning more and more how to walk and talk. It has been a lot of fun doing life with him in our community house.
I am also very thankful that I had the opportunity to get to know Yad’s mother who has become a very good friend and sister to us. She is a very strong and powerful woman and always has a smile on her face. It is pretty great and also really sad to see them going now as they became very important to me. They will always be in all our hearts. We all love them very much and they definitely will be missed.
Please pray for protection and blessing over them as they return to their family in Kurdistan.
Yad had an echo this morning at Sheba hospital, the first since his interventional catheterization one and a half weeks ago. His mother was more than a little anxious, as she was hoping this would be his last echo in Israel after three months here.
As usual, Yad was determined to make the echo very hard work for the technicians, and cried for most of the process. It took lots of comforting words from his mom and several rounds of “Baby Shark” to get the exam done.
It was all worth it, though, when the doctor took one look at Yad’s echo and said he can go home. As soon as I told his mother in Kurdish, she let out a huge sigh of relief and said, “Supas bo xwa”– thank God.
Yad will probably need another catheterization and possibly surgery in the future for his pulmonary arteries and valve. For the time being, however, he is doing very well. His doctor assured us that for now, he can live a perfectly normal life with no worries. Over time, his doctors in Kurdistan will monitor his growth and decide when it is time for more intervention.
We’ve loved every minute of our time with Yad and his mother and we’ll miss them, but we’re so happy to send them home to be reunited with his dad.
Today, coworker Doro and I went to Sheba Medical Center to pick up Yad and his mother and bring them to our community home in Ashdod. He is doing very well after his interventional catheterization yesterday and was very happy to go back to Ashdod.
In two weeks, Yad will have an echo and hopefully will be discharged to Kurdistan shortly after this. We thank the Lord that Yad is doing so well and bless Little Yad and his wonderful mother.
Today our little friend Yad had his interventional catheterization at Sheba Children’s Hospital. After three hours, the doctor was very happy to tell us they were able to dilate his pulmonary arteries and that he is doing well now. The doctor also said Yad might be able to go home to Kurdistan in the next few weeks. Yad’s mother especially was very happy that he finally had his long awaited cath and that he is doing good.
During the waiting time, I had a really nice time with Yad’s mom, as she has become a very close friend, or more, like a family member to me in the last months that she has been here. I enjoy every minute that I can spend with Yad and his mom, they have become very important to me. For all of us at Shevet, it has been very nice and exciting to see how Yad is developing and growing since he first arrived here.
When I entered Yad’s room a while after his cath today, he was welcoming me with a very bright smile which made me very happy. I want to thank the Lord for every experience and memory these two wonderful people made during their time here. I also want to thank you Lord for protecting Yad and that he is doing so well now.
Please pray that Yad will stay as well as he is right now and that he and his mother are able to go home soon.
Our good friend Yad was admitted to Sheba hospital for an interventional catheterization tomorrow.
It was a long day for him, with two echoes, an ECG, and an x-ray and while he didn’t enjoy the exams at all, he was full of smiles in between. He loved the bubbles he got as a present from the nurse.
When he wasn’t busy blowing bubbles, Yad practiced his brand-new walking skills–even in his ICU bed.
Yad’s cath tomorrow is to widen his pulmonary arteries, which are narrowed after his surgery over a month ago. Please pray that the procedure goes well so he and his mum can go home after a long stay in Israel.
Our dear Yad and his mother got ready this morning to go to the hospital to have finally a cath for Yad tomorrow. But the hospital called us surprisingly to tell us that Yad’s cath is changed.
It was quite a shock and sad message for Yad’s mother. She was waiting so long for her son to have this cath and now it got postponed so suddenly. She was crying and asking several times, “Why? We’ve already waited so long here.” I can understand her completely. It’s not easy.
Some hours later, she was already a little happier again. She is such a lovely woman and a big blessing to all of us. May God bless her and give her all the strength, love and patience she needs.
Little Yad is happy to be not in the hospital. He doesn’t like hospitals. He is enjoying much more the time with the other children, their mothers and his mother in Ashdod.
Please pray that Yad can have his cath soon and everything will go so well that they can go home really soon.
Cute Yad and his wonderful mother are waiting patiently now two weeks since his CT scan. There is still no time planned for his catheterization, but hopefully by next week or sooner. Yad is doing good so far and we hope that after the catherization, his heart condition will be better. So during this waiting time, we are spending a really joyful and fun time together in our home in Ashdod. He is now completely warmed up to us. I love it so much when I enter the house of the families and he sees me, how he stretches out his arms to me and is only happy again when he is in my arms. He knows exactly what he wants and shows us directly.
It is such a blessing to be a part of his life and also to see step by step how he is improving in so many areas and how he learns more and more. For example, he is learning at the moment how to walk by himself. It’s the cutest, when he is so happy about it to walk with somebody’s help.
In general, he is a very happy boy and he laughs so much. It is also so funny to see, how he imitates his mother or us volunteers in some situations.
Added to that his mother is such a lovely person and we all enjoy it to spend time and talk with her. She is also very caring for the others, so she is always asking how Racheal and her mother are doing.
We had also sometimes the opportunity to spent together with the other families a good time, shopping in the big mall, at the beach, or the park behind our home.
It is always a wonderful time with them. They became so important to us and are in our hearts. Please pray for this little boy, his mother and an appointment for his catheterization soon.
Yad had a CT-scan today at Sheba Hospital to see if he needs a catheterization or surgery to fix the narrowing of his pulmonary arteries.
It always takes a long wait in the waiting room before the children are called in for the CT. This is not always easy because the children need to fast. But Yad did a good job. He watched some video’s and he played with a puzzle that we brought. After the CT scan, he was happy to eat and to sleep afterwards in the car.
We ask for your prayer for Yad. His mother hopes he doesn’t need another surgery, which is understandable. Praying that a catheterization will be enough, Lord willing.
Today I went to Sheba Medical Center with little Yad and his lovely Mother for an echo.
Yad’s pulmonary arteries are still very narrow and he will have a CT scan tomorrow. After the scan, the doctors will discuss the next steps in Yad’s treatment.
During his examinations, Yad was crying a lot but his wonderful mother was always with him, calming him down and giving him comfort.
I really enjoy spending time with both Yad and his mother. It’s been a special time for me since they are here.
This morning, Yad, his mother, and I made the trip to Sheba hospital for another check-up with his cardiologist.
At his last echo, Yad’s doctor found that his pulmonary arteries are very narrow and it is difficult for blood to flow to the lungs. Today’s echo showed that this situation is not improving. The doctor explained that it’s better that Yad has treatment for this here in Israel before going home to Kurdistan. Yad will have a CT scan soon and the doctors will use the results of the scan to decide on further treatment for him–possibly another catheterization or surgery.
Yad is not a fan of ECGs, echoes, or medical staff, but he loved the train in the waiting area and was reluctant to leave the driver’s seat. In between exams, he practiced learning to walk with the help of his mom.
Please pray that Yad will be able to have a successful next treatment soon.
This morning, coworker Joanne and I brought Yad and his mom to Sheba hospital for his first echo since being discharged from the hospital.
Yad has recovered well since his surgery two weeks ago. However, the doctor found that the arteries going to Yad’s lungs are very small. We will wait a couple of weeks to see if this improves. If it does not, Yad may need further intervention before he can go home to Kurdistan.
Yad doesn’t like the hospital very much and cried during the echo and ECG, but a game on his mom’s phone,
and some time to play on the train in the waiting area cheered him up.
When I visited Yad and his mother this morning, I found them en route to the secondary ICU.
Yad is doing well enough that he doesn’t need the intensive support of the primary ICU anymore. He is breathing on his own and recovering very well after surgery.
Yad’s mother is in good spirits but a bit concerned because he hasn’t been able to keep milk down for the last two days. As a result, he’s losing weight and feeling unwell. He’ll try a different formula and we pray that will resolve the issue.
Today I went to Sheba Medical Center to see Yad. Yesterday, he had surgery to repair the Tetralogy of Fallot. Right after the surgery, the doctors gave him some blood transfusions because he was a little bit anemic, and now he’s doing quite good and is also already extubated.
When I entered Yad’s room this morning, he was restless, but his mother was holding him and calming him down very nicely. His mother is a really nice and friendly woman and I enjoy spending time with her and her little son.
Today, coworker Rachel and I drove early in the morning to Sheba Medical Center because of the surgery for cute little Yad. At the beginning his lovely mother came crying out of the ICU, but after a few minutes it was better and she prayed a lot. We were sitting the whole waiting time with her and it was a very blessed time. Thankfully, everything went well during the surgery and Yad is stable. After five hours, Yad was back in his room and his mother couldn’t wait to be with him again. He woke up really fast and the doctors want to extubate him already today. Please pray for Yad’s recovery and for the peace of his mother.
Yad was going to Sheba Medical Center today for an ECG and a blood test. These tests were necessary so the doctor has all the information he needs.
Yad was not very happy with all these tests, and his mother also had a hard time seeing her child crying during the blood test. Fortunately it was quickly over with, and Yad was playing happily afterwards in the play-area.
We are happy to have Yad and his mother in our halfway house. Yad gives a lot of smiles and kisses to us, and his mother is very kind and patient. God bless them, and may surgery day come soon.
Today, coworker Tabea and I went to Sheba Medical Center with Yad and his mother for an Ultrasound examination during which Yad cried a lot. However, his lovely mother was with him all the time and calmed him down very nicely. Thanks be to God, the ultrasound was good.
His mom is a really lovely and happy woman. I really liked to spend time with her and her cute little son. We thank the Lord that they can be in Israel now for Yad’s treatment.
Yad had his first evaluation at Sheba hospital this morning, including an ECG, echo, and x-ray. He wasn’t a big fan of the process– his mom explained that he is familiar with hospital visits and afraid of doctors– but the doctors and nurses at Sheba worked hard to calm him down, even letting him snuggle with his mom during the echo.
Once the tests were done, Yad cheered right up and set to work shredding the paper on the examination table.
Yad’s cardiologist reviewed his case carefully, including the reports from his examinations in Kurdistan.
He asked to see Yad again in a week, and in the meantime he will present Yad’s case for surgery at the next doctors meeting.
Today Yad arrived in Israël all the way from Kurdistan, together with two other Kurdish children, their mothers, and the groups’ medical escort, Elodie.
Yad is a cute, happy little boy who likes to be with his mommy. In our new community house in Ashdod, Yad was walking around, discovering all the things we have here.
Tomorrow he will have his first echocardiogram and initial assessments at Sheba Medical Center. It is within the context of these early assessments that doctors decide which treatment is best for these children.
We ask for your prayer for this sweet boy and we thank the Lord that he was able to get to Israël safely.