Juliana's Heart Surgery
 Monday,
March 24, 2008
Juliana Leaves Israel
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Juliana's mother spent her last day in Israel by herself. Mustafa and Sarah
and their mothers were settling in at Tel Aviv, and we were awaiting
the other three mothers coming down that night to leave in the
morning.
As Juliana's mother and I sat talking (we
had a nice long afternoon!), some interesting things came up. She
talked with me firstly about her excitement to finally leave! Day after
day for close to a week, she had been receiving false alarms about
leaving the next day, and she joked about packing every night over
again. She was relieved to finally be going home; she has a
five-month-old son waiting for her when she gets back!
  their
desire to help, not destroy. Our conversation took some interesting
twists and we found ourselves discussing the impact Islam has had on
Arab culture. We talked about how religion doesn't really help
mankind; praying five times a day out of religious obligation doesn't
transform the heart. We talked about the Pharisees who prayed out
loud to be seen, and did everything to be noticed by man--Jesus
condemned them. God didn't honor that, but He did honor the heart
that sought Him in the secret place. When a heart loves God, then
it is also possible to love both one's neighbors and enemies. The
stance of the heart is what is truly important in God's kingdom. She
really saw all of this, and it was neat to discuss with her.
We hope that the seeds planted during this time will produce a great harvest in the lives of these women. Click
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Monday,
March 10, 2008
Visiting the Old City and
the Beach
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Juliana
has enjoyed a successful recovery and will very shortly be returning to
Iraq! She got over her fever, spent some time at the children's house
near the hospital, and is now staying with us here in Jerusalem.
Juliana's
mother was telling me about how she has been here several months and
has seen nothing of Israel but the hospital and guest
houses. Since this is probably a once-in-a-lifetime
experience,
she really wanted to get out a bit more and see some sites before
taking off. So on Saturday, the four children staying in Jerusalem
(Juliana, Mustafa,
Shinyar
and Sarah)
and their mothers and I all headed down to the Old City. We
had a
long time to leisurely shop, enjoy each other's company, and experience
such a famous place.
Yesterday, Juliana
had an
echocardiogram and then we visited the Mediterranean Sea. We
had a
great time! Hank took the photos below...
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Thursday,
February
28, 2008
Great Heart
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I
met up with Juliana and her mother as they were waiting at the echo
room for her turn to be evaluated by cardiologist Dr. Alona. The wait
was long and uncomfortable for her because she has been battling a
fever for several days. The doctor said the echo was good but her heart
is great! She informed Juliana's mother that when the fever is gone she
will be transferred to the Save a Child's Heart house outside the
hospital for the rest of her recovery. It was good news, but the fever
has got to go!
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 Wednesday
February 27, 2008
Running A Fever
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Juliana has been running a
fever for six days, with a temperature of 39.3 degrees Celsius this
evening. Her mom is extremely concerned and is asking what is
wrong. Blood tests were ordered and as of this evening we are
waiting for the results. One very kind nurse placed a call to
the lab to try to obtain information to comfort Juliana's mother, but
assured her that the fever is unrelated to her recent surgery.
These
moments are extremely difficult for both moms and their children, and
their fears are heightened when they see their child so fragile. It is
our privilege to come along side them and cover them with the prayers
of those who believe in the mighty hand of our Great Physician. Please
join us in prayer tonight on behalf of this precious family.
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Friday,
February 22, 2008
Juliana Flying High Four
Days After Surgery
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Right
on target, and running her race with zeal, little Juliana has now been
promoted from the Intermediate to the Children's Ward next
door. She is roommates with Rebar and their room is 'buzzing'
with their high energy. All her post-op testing is coming
back positive, both echo and xray, OK. Her mom reports that
she cannot keep up with her daughter who is eating like the grocery
store is going to close.
She is constantly laughing, talking,
running & dancing (oops! watch it Mom)....Although a very
strong little girl, she was running an intermittent fever last night
and taking it a little slower today. She also had all the
remaining tubes removed late this afternoon. It won't be long
before she is out of the hospital. Wonderful to look forward
to.
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Wednesday,
February 20, 2008
Juliana Already Out of ICU
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Today we
found Juliana already out of the ICU and into intermediate care on just
the second day after her surgery, definitely a sign that she is making
good progress.
Juliana is a different young lady after her operation. The
blue pallor to her face is gone; and as you can see by clicking on the
play arrow below, she looks wary, but no longer afraid, of the camera.
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Monday,
February 18, 2008
Juliana Comes Through
Lengthy Surgery, in ICU
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I sat side by side with Sima
(Juliana's mother) this morning after Juliana was taken to the
operating room, and I encouraged her with the probability that she
would only need this one procedure to place Juliana on the road to
recovery. The clock ticked by, hour by hour, as we waited,
pacing
the floor, calling her husband in Iraq for encouragement, drinking tea,
and visiting the other mother's children traversing the hallways
between ICU and the children's wards.
Tonight
she called her family to let them know the outcome of Juliana's surgery
and just hearing their voices brought a calming effect at a time of
great need. We look forward to tomorrow and the days ahead
when
little Juliana returns to her world of wonder and curiosity.
In
the meantime, we are here at Wolfson, by her side.
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Sunday,
February 17, 2008
Juliana to Surgery Monday
Morning
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When I
visited Juliana last night after
the end of the Sabbath, her mother exclaimed that they had been in
Israel 50 days (Pentecost?)--when would Juliana have her surgery?
The answer came today; Juliana is finally scheduled for her
heart surgery Monday morning. Please pray with us and watch
this page for a report Monday night.
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 Sunday,
February 10, 2008
New Shoes for Mom
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During the last visit to Azur
this past Wednesday, we learned that two of the mothers (Juliana's
mother and Mustafa's
mother) needed new shoes. One pair had broken; the other was
worn
out. Stopping at Shuk HaCarmel in Tel Aviv today, we
found
some leather sandals to bless the moms.
They were
delighted and
said it was beautiful to have such a special gift. Usually,
there
is such a focus on the child that the mother forgets to tend to her own
needs sometimes, resulting in being distracted during this time of
medical crisis. The moms said they are not used to thinking about
themselves or someone asking, "What do you
need?" This small gesture spoke volumes of the compassion and
attention of those serving and caring about their needs.
For
several months now, women from a local church have volunteered to come
along on visits to the families both at Wolfson Hospital and at the
house where the families reside while waiting, both before and after
surgery. Today was a special day for all. New toys
donated to
the church from an organization in the United States were taken by taxi
to the moms and kids, along with new shoes and lots of hugs.
We
are very happy to have taken part in making these Iraqi families' lives
a little brighter. You can see the delight in their faces.
We
thank everyone who has had their heart touched for this work, and
responded by giving freely of their abundance.
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Wednesday,
February 6, 2008
A Determined Little Girl
Awaits Her Surgery
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On entering
the Save a Child's Heart
house this afternoon, it was amazingly quiet. Most of the children were
taking their naps or resting in their rooms, but my family found little
Juliana awake, sitting and playing with puzzles with her mom and Laura,
the SACH house mother. Laura reports that the puzzles had
just been gotten out and for the time being, were keeping Juliana
content.
Laura went on
to say that Juliana is a
"determined" little girl and would not sleep in the afternoon, most
likely due to just waking at 11:00 am. The night before
Juliana didn't fall asleep until almost midnight - a real
night owl!
Her willingness to
play with the puzzles didn't last, as Hank tried to take some pictures
of her. She started crying, making every effort to hide
behind her mother and not be seen. A friendship though, was
born when Hank offered Juliana his little stuffed donkey.
This little toy makes an awful racket when squeezed; I think my family
was very glad that she liked it and kept it!
It
seems Juliana is in a holding pattern - the surgeon who is to perform
the heart operation on her just left for the US last evening for a
week's conference. So Juliana gets to uphold her image as the
"wild child" at least for another week!
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 Monday
January 21, 2008
"The Wild Child"
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Juliana is awaiting her
surgery back at
the Save a Child's Heart children's home near the hospital, and the
staff there are calling her "the wild child." They say she
doesn't sleep, and keeps her mother awake until three or four in the
morning.
Indeed, it was a coup today to
get the photograph at right, as Juliana turned away or cried each time
I came near. Often the younger children who come for heart
surgeries fear that any stranger who approaches may be another doctor
with more needles to poke them with!
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 Thursday, January 10, 2008
Full of Life Again
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Juliana
is full of life again today with seemingly no after-effects of
yesterday's catheterization. When I saw her in the ward, she was
playing near her room with another child her age, both in their
hospital pajamas, toddling around. Her mom was glad to see me, and
especially to know they could leave the hospital. They are now here
again with us in Jerusalem, much to the relief of Arya's mother, who felt lonely
without any of the other moms and children around.
The
main question on Juliana's mom's mind was wondering when Juliana's
surgery would be. I asked Dr. Tamir this question, and he said that it
would not happen as quickly as Baveel's.
There are a number of other surgeries already scheduled and an
emergency which will have to take a slot as well. But on Sunday it is
expected that both Juliana and Arya and their mothers will go to
the Save A Child's Heart house to wait there for their turns for
surgery.
Please
keep praying for Juliana, her mother, and their family at home.
Sometimes the waiting seems the hardest part because of missing the
rest of the family.
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Wednesday,
January 9, 2008
Cried Herself To Sleep
After Cath
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When I
arrived at Wolfson today, I saw
a bed being pushed along the corridor near the children's ward. I
thought I recognised Juliana's mother, so ran to catch up. Juliana had
just been catheterised and was returning from theatre. Quite a lot of
screaming was coming from the bed, which upset her mum. By the time the
bed was in the ward, Juliana was trying to kick out the catheter and
wriggle out of the monitors. Eventually she settled down and went to
sleep, exhausted from crying. Her mother is coping very well, but of
course it is always distressing the first time you see your child with
wires coming out of her arms and legs.
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Tuesday,
January 8, 2008
Catheterization Tomorrow
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When the
Wolfson Medical Centre called
this morning, it was good news for Juliana and Baveel.
It was now their turn to go for their catheterizations in the morning.
Suddenly the mothers were in a frenzy of packing and cooking, as they
wanted to take food for the other mothers at the hospital.
On
arrival, the children's ward was a flurry of activity as two children, Aras and Dilshad
were being discharged to the Save a Child's Heart house, and the new
children were arriving, and other Iraqi mothers joined in for news of
each other's children.
Juliana had her allocated
whilst she was
undergoing the first few medical proceedures which involved sticky
cream on the hands. She was not very impressed by this, and was quite
vocal in her protests.
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 Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Juliana's First Echo
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We
set out this morning for the hospital for initial tests for each of our
new patients. The results of these tests are used to determine if any
of the patients need immediate hospitalization, and / or other
treatment before surgery. Even though we were at the hospital for
around eight hours, all the tests were still not completed for three of
the patients, so we will return tomorrow.
Juliana
was
the most urgent of the cases which have just arriived, and Dr. Tamir
wanted her to have an echocardiogram today. However, she was also the
most fearful of the children, as most two-year-olds would be faced with
all of the travel, the new faces, and the prodding, poking, machinery,
and cameras in her face. She cried at almost any activity concerning
her, which made for a very challenging day for her sweet mother. The
nurses were very patient and gentle and encouraging, but Juliana was
not comforted by anything except the freedom from medical attention!
After a little while, it was decided to give her some drops which would
help her sleep so she could have her echo done, and do the other tests
afterwards. Even this took quite some time to help her, but once she
was settled, Dr. Tamir began his work.
The
results of
her echo showed that she needs a catheterization in order to best
determine her course of treatment. However, because there are changes
being made to the "cath lab" equipment, there will be no
catheterizations for at least one week. We're hopeful the work will be
done so that her catheterization can be scheduled for next week. As she
and her mother wait, please pray for them. She tearfully told
me
as we waited for Juliana's x-ray that she also has a four-month old
son, Danny, who she misses very much.
The
highlights of the day for Juliana were when she was able to play
outside the echo room as she waited for the medicine to help her relax,
and then this eveni ng
when we got the mobile phone equipped to call her father in Iraq. She
is a happy little girl once she becomes comfortable around new friends,
and of course, when she is talking to her Baba.
Thank
you for remembering Juliana in prayer. The doctors will need wisdom to
know which of her heart problems to treat first. Her mother will need
patience for waiting through the process. And pray for her husband and
baby boy back home as they too persevere through the time Juliana and
her mother are here for this opportunity to receive the help they need.
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Monday,
December 31, 2007
Juliana and Friends Reach
Israel as 2008 Dawns
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 After
a very long day of riding and waiting, these dear children and their
mothers arrived in Israel at about 8:30 this evening. I was able to
meet them in the Jordan terminal and ride back into Israel with them to
ease the crossing process. When we entered the Israeli terminal, a long
passport control session was necessary for all 9 of us, and we happily
exited into the main terminal about an hour later. We posed for a group
picture before climbing into our waiting "chariot" to go to Jerusalem;
you can see between Alex and I, from L to R, Hardi, Arya, Baveel, and
Juliana, and their moms. Please pray for all of them to get a good
night's rest. We will leave early in the morning for their first visit
to the hospital for initial check-ups. Pray as well for each family as
they enter this season of intensity in their lives while they have
their hopes realized, even while their fears peak, when their
respective children undergo surgery. We will entrust each one to God
for His care to be evident throughout the process.
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