Part 1, by Caroline Brough
It is often said that friends are angels in disguise. I found this to be true with our sweet angel Aya, and her mother. I am so thankful to God that He placed them in the lives of those at Shevet Achim. The pair became a constant source of joy and I know the remembrance of Aya’s giggle and smile will always be treasured. Aya has been a bright ray of sunshine and evidence of the greatness of God’s gift of life. For such a little person, Aya is resilient and recovering so well from her surgery. When she waddles around the room with toy blocks in hand, it is difficult to grasp that a few weeks earlier she was undergoing open-heart surgery.
Our community came together last night to celebrate Aya’s time here. She was thrilled to sit on Ryan’s knee and enjoy the sounds of his harmonica.
She gazed up at him lovingly as if to say, “I know this is all for me.” It is a blessing that she is able to return home and continue to grow, learn, and enjoy the life God breathed into her, but her presence will certainly be missed in the Shevet community. As will Aya's mother, who beamed as we shared words of love and affirmation at the party. All our love baby Aya and mother!
Part 2, by Donna West
I had the privilege of crossing the Jordan River with Aya as her journey into Israel came to completion. Like so many others who have come to this land with hearts that don't function to the full, Aya is now returning home, complete.
When I first met Aya she was so light in weight that she reminded me of a butterfly, and as she walked she continued to remind me of a butterfly flitting here and there. She could not walk for long without falling or staggering. When I picked her up with my hands under her arm, my thumb naturally became placed over her heart and I could feel it pounding so fast and so hard as though it was barely below the surface of her skin. As we waited for the passport work to be completed at the Jordan River crossing, I noticed that Aya not only walks but now runs and climbs as sure-footed as any toddler you have ever seen. She draws attention with her bright eyes, big smiles and squeals of joy, making friends all along the way.
To try to contain all of this exuberant personality during our wait, I introduced Aya to the wooden structure in the center of the room. Although it is intended to be a structure convenient for filling out forms, it is shaped like a child's playhouse and perfect for climbing. This was working so enjoyable for Aya that another child found it intriguing also - and he had a bag of Bamba snacks! Aya wasn't shy about asking him to share (with an outstretched hand) and he was quick to respond with generosity. The pictures below are precious, but even more precious is what our children are learning. It gives me great hope for the future of this land to see a child ask, not take, and another child give, not withhold. Our community has been reminding ourselves of what Jesus taught as true religion when he gave the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 7:7 begins, "Ask and it will be given . . ." It is this writer's hope that we continue to do the same, as children of God.
On chilly Saturday morning Aya and her mother enjoyed breakfast with our friend Veronika in Amman. Aya was particularly taken by the parakeets flying freely around the house, much as she'd like to if she could:
By evening Aya and mother found themselves safely back with their family in Kurdish northern Iraq. The journey has been long and not without pain, but tempered with enough joy and love to make it a memory of delight. Aya’s expression was priceless as she watched the movie we made for her to remember her time in Israel. She pointed and squealed with delight at the pictures of people and activities that brought back wonderful memories for her. At some point they will play the DVD with their family and friends, and at some point Aya will find the words to express these squeals of delight. We may be completing our portion of Aya's story but, because of those who gave generously, Aya will now have many opportunities to live and express more portions of her story as her days turn into years. To God be the glory.
As Aya waited in the play area next to the echo room, I managed to sneak a video clip of her fear of a little red stuffed pillow. Her mother laughed and stated that the heart on the pillow resembled a circle, which resembles an eye, and anything having to do with "eyes" makes her afraid. I think the cutest part is toward the end when she sticks her hand out at the pillow while looking at her mother as if to tell her to do something about it. See the video below:
Dr. Alona said her final goodbyes today to little Aya because her last echo turned out wonderfully. The condition of her heart, according to the echo, has done a one hundred eighty degree turnabout, and is headed in a new and healthy direction. Also, the antibiotics that she was given have helped tremendously with her bacterial.
When Aya’s mother heard the news she smiled and let her head fall back as if to look up at the sky, then she said, “Kwa gowrre” (“God is big”). From that moment forward Aya’s mother appeared as a child who was just told that she’d be able to visit a candy shop. There was excitement in her tone of voice when telling the other mothers at the hospital that she will be able to go back home this week. Even with her excitement there was a bit of withdrawal while in the car on the way back home. It made me wonder if she would experience any difficulties leaving Israel and the second family that she has here. All mothers, once at Shevet, engage more or less with the people and environment here, and Aya’s mother is one that has made close friends with everyone and is truly like a sister to all.
Truth be told, as much as I am thrilled that they will be leaving for Kurdistan (probably this week), my heart felt a bit of the loss already knowing that we will not have the blessing of their warm presence for much longer. Nevertheless, I know that we will have a few last days to talk and laugh and foster this friendship which is beyond the country borders that separate us.
Aya was feeling much better today, full of her usual antics of mimicking postures and expressions. I told her mother I would speak to the nurse to see if she and Aya were going to be released soon to return to Iraq. When I stepped into the nurse’s station I noticed the attention seemed to be focused behind me. I looked back and saw Aya had followed me and was standing there looking at the nurses with her arms crossed as if she were waiting for the answer. From the look on her face she would have been tapping her foot too, if she had only developed that level of coordination!
Since Aya’s return to Jerusalem, we have noticed that she has been getting on very well and has not lost her independent, adventurous spirit. View the short video clip below to see Aya as she was unsure of where to sit while she waited for the doctor to call her in for her appointment today:
Unlike other mothers, Aya’s mother has not voiced many questions or concerns about when she will return home to Kurdistan with little Aya. Although she misses her family, it is evident that her prime concern is to make sure that Aya is fully well and healthy before leaving. Many of her concerns have been about when Aya will get to check in with doctors now that her surgery is complete. Thankfully, today was a day for Aya to have an echo. Dr. Alona assured us that Aya is healing well and said that if she continues to improve she will only need one or two more check-ins before leaving. This is good news and Aya’s mother just smiled and responded by saying that if Aya is okay, then she is okay.
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There are days and days of waiting here at Shevet Achim. We wait for the arrival of new children, for appointments, surgeries, doctors reports, releases, and permits for the departure for healed hearts to return home. Always the wait seems to end with a - "then suddenly!" moment.
Such was the case for Aya's release from the hospital. SUDDENLY, late Thursday afternoon Aya was released from the hospital to return to Jerusalem. She greeted each of us with smiles and eyes full of delight. There was no doubt she was glad to be back to the place she thinks of as home.
Suhail, our very knowledgeable and skilled hospital guide, led the way to the recovery ward where we met Aya's mother, and her baby daughter Aya. The mother was smiling, and the daughter was wide awake and as playful as one could be with medical devices of one kind and another strapped to one’s tiny body. Aya is one of the sweetest children you could ever hope to meet.
I always thought it was one thing for adults to undergo such tests as ECG's, but for young babies and children to be subjected to such things is beyond some of our understanding (at least in the Western World).
"For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty may be rich" 2 Corinthians 8:9.
Seeing Aya’s mother in the hospital today was like seeing an entirely new woman. She saw us and in a matter of seconds smiled from ear to ear and asked us how we were doing. I replied saying that I was excited to see her and then she, with her glowing face, responded back by saying that she was really excited to see us and that Aya was doing great. One of the nurses, upon seeing me in the ICU, said that Aya needs to sleep and hinted not to get too close or stay too long. She also said that Aya was “good”, which was what I was hoping to hear.
It was such a delight to see Aya recovering well, and to see her mother walking around with a new kind of confidence that has not been displayed much before. While we can say that about many of the mothers after their child’s surgery, with Aya’s mother it seemed different since she came to Jerusalem a bit more taciturn than others (and perhaps that could be also due to her having a different dialect than the rest of the families). In any case, Aya’s mother is a wonderful example of someone who is experiencing an intangible heart change, while her daughter experiences the tangible heart changes.
At the hospital she was completely animated as she illustrated how the doctors and nurses took care of Aya after the surgery. And although the two other mothers had gone through this similar experience before, they listened patiently while giving full attention, and allowed Aya’s mother that time and space to express herself. It truly is something special when someone gives another the gift of their attention. People crave to be heard and seen, and so I indulged in the moment as I watched the reactions and responses to each other as two mothers gladly listened while one mother eagerly told her story.
I close this blog with two final thoughts. The first, that God deserves all praise and glory for bringing, yet again, another successful surgery into our community and into the lives of this family. There aren’t enough words in any language or vocabulary to express the gratitude for His healing works, and so my hope (which I also believe is completely true) is that He knows the depths of what a simple “thank You” means when it comes from our hearts. The last thought, since we all crave attention in one form or another, is thanks be to God that He is always there to give it to us (Isaiah 65:24, “Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear” and Hebrews 13:5, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.") Christ will never leave us and so we have the gift of His full attention, always and forever.
Aya's mother looked very tired when Tinka (new short term volunteer from South Africa) and I arrived at the hospital early this morning. The question on her lips was repeated over and over until we actually left the room on our way to the operating room, "Surgery today?" She knew she had gotten this far once before only to find the surgery had been cancelled.
Aya was very docile but seemed to be aware it was going to be a different sort of day for her. Being on her mother's lap didn't afford her the privilege of her mother's milk, because she was fasting before surgery. She didn't want to be put in that bed with the rails all around it and she wasn't about to lie down or sit in it. So as we followed her while she was being transported down the hallway, she looked a little like a surfer riding a wave as you can see in the video below.
At one point the sheet was slipping under her feet and I asked the transporter to stop long enough to reposition her for the rest of the "ride."
When we arrived in the waiting area, the operating theater was being prepared. Aya locked eyes with one of the medical team as though she was ready to have a conversation with him.
For a little girl who doesn't speak she has a way of communicating what she wants quite well. Next thing we knew, someone came in and turned on the cartoons for her and then she pointed to some balloons in the room which I promptly handed to her.
But when she wanted to get out of the crib to run and play, nobody could be persuaded by the bright eyes, big smiles or the tears.
But soon it was time for mother and daughter to part company, and then the wait was next. Aya emerged from surgery and arrived in the ICU just shortly after noon, and by about 1 pm Aya's mother took her first big sigh of relief when she got to stand by her daughter's bed and stroke her hair.
We are so thankful for the goodness of God in each of our lives and especially today for Aya. Thanks be to God!
(This blog makes reference to Bilal, who was also admitted for surgery this evening.)
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