Today I went to Sheba Medical Center to visit little Somaia and her lovely grandmother. The doctor said that Somaia will have a tracheostomy tomorrow; a hole in the base of the neck so the child can take in better oxygen.

The doctors hope Somaia can recover from the ventilation with the tracheostomy. Other than that, she is still very sick. So I want to ask you to pray for her and bless her and her grandmother.

When I visited Somaia this morning for the first time, she was still extubated, her grandmother was quite happy and a nurse told me that she is doing okay.

When I came back to the ICU later, I saw that there are a lot of doctors and nurses in the room with Somaia and her grandmother was standing outside crying. Later a doctor told me that Somaia was failing and they had to intubate her again. For now she is stable again.

Lord I pray that you bless this little girl and her grandmother! Please let her get better soon!

When I entered the ICU today and looked into Somaia’s room I saw surprisingly that she is extubated. So, I talked to a doctor who explained Somaia’s situation to me very frankly.

“Sometimes you have to give a child a chance, just by herself and see how she is doing.” In this, the doctor wasn’t very optimistic, but wanted to give it a chance. To keep Somaia intubated for so long has its costs. Her muscles are very weak and she already failed once after a previous extubation.

Ten minutes after today’s extubation, Somaia seemed to be okay, but we will see how she will improve in the next hours. If she fails again, the doctors will consider a tracheostomy for Somaia. Also, Somaia still has a lot of fluid in her chest. The doctors don’t know why yet.

I stood a while at Somaia’s bed to pray for her and talk with her. I could hear her breathing, trying to get enough air.

Please pray a lot for Somaia. She needs it right now to be able to breathe on her own. For now she still gets help by oxygen support.

Today, coworker Tatiana and I visited Somaia and her grandmother again at Sheba Hospital. Somaia is not stable. After her long balloon catherization to widen an artery yesterday, she isn’t doing much better.

The doctor explained to me that this was the last thing they could do for Somaia. Now it depends on her, if she will improve or not. We can only wait and see what happens. At least Somaia’s leg stopped bleeding.

So, this little girl needs our prayer now especially. Only God can raise her up. Somaia’s grandmother remains patiently at her side and also cried for all Somaia has to suffer.

Little Somaia went today into a long cath at Sheba Hospital to open up an artery which was clogged. This is much better now than before.

When she was back in her room, I saw a lot of doctors and nurses in there because her leg bleeding heavily. One nurse had to push the leg at this place because it wouldn’t stop. When we left the hospital, Somaia was still bleeding.

Today, coworker Frank and I also took measures for trying to get Somaia’s dad to the hospital. Somaia’s grandmother is very tired of all the weeks in the hospital and just wants to go home, so she asked for a replacement.

I really could see this grandmother’s pain. Especially because another child, little Adam, died in the hospital today, and Somaia’s grandmother has come to know these mothers and relatives in hospital and feels their sadness, especially the sadness of Adam’s aunt. In the end, she also hugged me tightly.

Please pray for Somaia’s grandmother. Because of the death of Adam, there is much more tension in the air. Especially because also Somaia is not doing very well. This child and grandmother need our prayers.

Somaia is stable in the ICU at Sheba Medical Center. The doctors found out that she has pleural effusion, which means fluid in the lungs area. This is also the reason why she is still intubated.

Tomorrow Somaia will go into a cath, to see how the pleural effusion can be treated. Please pray for this cath, the doctors and Somaia. She really needs a lot of prayer.

Somaia’s grandmother is very tired and exhausted. So long already, she stand faithfully by Somaia’s side and it didn’t get very much better so far. Please pray for comfort, patience and love for her and that Somaia will finally improve.

Today, I visited little Somaia and her grandmother. When I stand next to Somaia I was really shocked. She didn’t look good or really alive. The doctor said that she is so sick, but also they can’t ween her off ventilation. Soon, they will do a cath for her to find out what could be the reason.

I was standing a while at the bed of Somaia to talk to her and to promise her that there are people who love her and that God loves her so much. This girl doesn’t need only better health but also love! Somaia is in Gods loving hands and we can trust him that he will make it good however.

Please pray for Somaia, her family and grandmother and her doctors. They all need strength, wisdom and love.

Today my Coworker Frank and I visited Somaia at Sheba Medical center. Unfortunately Somaia is very sick. She has an infection and a lot of fluid in her body.The doctors told us that they have to give her time to recover right now, then they can think about further treatment.

Lord, I want to pray for blessing  for Somaia and her lovely grandmother, a very strong and sweet woman. Please also pray that Somaia will come through this somehow, with God’s help.

Somaia is slowly improving and the doctors at Sheba Medical are stabilizing her. Finally the doctors could also change Somaia’s central line, which was a big issue today. She now has a new line in her leg, to get medicine directly to the heart.

Still, she will need some time to recover, and the doctors will wait a week before they try to extubate her again. For now, she is doing okay.

Somaia’s grandmother is very tired, but still stays patiently at her granddaughter’s side. Please pray for Somaia. She needs a lot of prayer.

“Somaia is very, very sick,” was the first sentence the doctor at Sheba Hospital said to coworker Hanna today. Over the weekend Somaia had to be reintubated and now she also has an infection of sepsis. She is receiving antibiotics and needs a lot of medication. Tomorrow the doctors try to set a new centerline.

Last week we thought Somaia was finally getting better and now things are getting worse again. Somaia’s grandmother is so tired of the whole situation and very worried about her grandchild. Please pray for strength and patience for her.

And little Somaia needs also a lot of prayer to get better. God can restore her health.

Today at Sheba Hospital, we heard very good news on Somaia. She is extubated and doing well so far. That’s amazing, if we remember the whole time she’s been already in the hospital with struggles and an open chest for a long time. And now she can breathe on her own.

We can thank God for this. Somaia’s grandmother is thankful, but also very tired of the time in the hospital.

Please pray for Somaia, that she will recover fully! And also for new strength for her grandmother.

Today coworker Frank and I visited little Somaia and her lovely grandmother at Sheba Hospital. Somaia’s grandmother is very patient about everything, especially considering Somaia is still not extubated because she is not waking up enough. Doctors are hoping she will be awake enough in the next few days and they will try extubation again.

Somaia also has been found to have some problems with her liver, but doctors are working to help this. Let’s pray for Somaia, that she wakes sufficiently to enable the next attempt at her extubation.

Today coworker Hanna and I went to Sheba Medical Center and visited Somaia.  The doctors there told us that she is doing ok since she has her pacemaker and they want to try to wake her up in the next few days.

I’m very happy that she is doing better, thank the Lord. Please keep continuing praying for her further treatment and recovery.

Today at Sheba Hospital, we heard good news for Somaia. She was stable over night! She is doing okay and the doctors will watch her for improvement now.

It was also very special for all the grandmothers in the waiting room or thereabouts, that Jonathan visited them today. They were very grateful for this.

Please pray for Somaia, that she can finally recover now fully. Pray also for wisdom for the doctors as they decide how to proceed.

Today coworker Willem and I visited little Somaia in Sheba Hospital’s Pediatric ICU. The doctors finally closed Somaia’s chest. For now she is doing well, but they have to see how it goes. So especially the next hours are important.

We talked a little bit with her grandmother. She said that she has pain in her leg and lower back. Please keep her in your prayers, and for Somaia’s condition to remain stable and for her healing.

This morning the blood pressure of Somaia went down. Doctors at Sheba Hospital gave her medications for  the low blood pressure. During the day, her blood pressure went up again.

Also, Somaia again has fluid in her chest, so the doctors cleared that out today as well.

We ask for your prayer for Somaia. She is not getting worse, but also not better yet. Her grandmother is worried about her. It is nice that there are a lot of other Gaza mothers and grandmothers that she can be with and talk to. It is nice to see how these mothers and grandmothers always support each other and frequently share meals together.

Today I visited little Somaia in the Pediatric ICU of Sheba Medical Center. The doctor told me that she is slowly getting better and might have her surgery to close her chest tomorrow.

I’m very thankful that she is improving and hope that she will keep getting better. Lord I want to ask you for your protection over this little girl and her grandmother.

As I visited Somaia and her grandmother at Sheba Hospital today, one doctor explained to me that Somaia will go into surgery today in the afternoon. She has fluid in her chest, so the surgeons have to clean out the chest area.

We learned that the surgery went well and she is stabilized, thank God.

On Sunday, we will see how she is doing. Until then, we’re thankful that everything went well in the surgery and Somaia is stable.

In Sheba Hospital yesterday,  Somaia was improving. But today she is struggling and the doctors don’t know why. They have to find out in the next days what the problem is.

Somaia’s chest is still open, they might close it on Sunday. Today, Somaia’s grandmother came to me crying, because she saw the nurses working on the open chest. She also feels that something isn’t alright.

Please join in prayer for Somaia, so the doctors may find the problem and can help. And also pray for her grandmother.

Time was running out for newborn Somaia, on a ventilator in the Gaza Strip and requiring emergency heart surgery. Without a specialist ICU doctor to escort her, no ambulance service was willing to bring her to the advanced medical care in Israel.

Thank God that Dr. Ahmed from Haifa’s Rambam Hospital today left his work early, stabilized Somaia at the Gaza crossing point, and safely shepherded her to the Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv. She’s now stable and undergoing assessment in preparation for surgery at the start of next week.