| | Riwan's
Heart Surgery
Shabbat 8:06 am
4/07/2007
Departure to a New Life
Filed
by
 As
I write to you, Riwan and his mother are likely sitting on the plane at
the airport here in Amman, heading for take-off. Our ministry partner
Jody and I saw them as far as security would allow, but had to leave
them as they entered the gate area.
We had a joyful but
tearful goodbye when the time came to board, barely preceded by a call
from Riwan's father expressing his thanks both to Jody, and to all of
the Shevet Achim group, for our help to his son and his wife. I may
have said it before, but because it is the current reality too, I'll
say it again: at moments like these there is such a feeling of
humility in the recognition that God is working to help people which
goes far beyond my/our abilities. His love is uncontainable and looks
for an outlet....we can be the avenue to direct it to these precious
families in situations such as these which He has given us opportunity
to touch.
One of the sweetest parts of the morning was
how this last leg of their journey was made secure for them as we
walked them into the line. Because Um Riwan speaks only Kurdish, and we
could not accompany her to the security check, we knew it might be
difficult for her when questioned in Arabic. But God had arranged
already for them some people from their city to be beside them in the
line, and Jody introduced them to each other and explained that she
might need help understanding the Arabic when she was asked questions.
They took this ''assignment'' gladly as she explained in her native
tongue that they were returning from Riwan's successful heart surgery.
Several others in the line joined the conversation as Riwan showed his
scar, and they even turned to say
thanks to us for helping this family. The sincere affection we have for
one another was evident to any who were around us as they watched Um
Riwan and Riwan leave the line to come and give me one more kiss as
they passed beyond view. Forgive me if I seem overly optimistic, but I
cannot help but think that this makes a difference in the world view of
people who hear about such an event.
I am so thankful to
see them on their way back home to an outpouring of celebration for
what God has done for Riwan. Please continue to pray for them as they
return....we may not see the results of all our prayers for Riwan's
future, but we can be sure that God will answer with His perfect plan
for this lively, now healthy, little boy.
Good Friday
4/06/2007
Farewell to Israel
Filed
by
Last night there was talking and visiting till late in the night for the mothers of Riwan and Lizan
as they talked about all the things they had not yet discussed before
parting. I knew that part of this had to do with Lizan's upcoming
surgery. Her mother is seeing the success of Riwan's surgery, while
also experiencing the intensity of Ahmad's emergency second surgery
a few nights ago. These women--these families--have become like kin to
each other through their experiences, and have a deep and special bond.
Riwan is like a big brother to Lizan, and she loves his attention and
antics. I know she'll miss him! It was sweet to see them say goodbye
this morning (pictured above in the courtyard of Shevet Achim's
Jerusalem center).
Today we had a
smooth and uneventful crossing through the Israeli border terminal, for
which I'm very thankful. The Jordan crossing was more challenging.
Because Iraq is in the process of issuing new passports to everyone due
to significant falsification of the older series, the surrounding
countries are working to change their systems over to the new series.
This means that our patients and their parents have passports that are
virtually expired, yet because they were out of the country since
before the end of 2006, they could not handle it until their return.
What a paperwork and security quagmire this creates for innocent cases
like ours when we try to get the patients home!! I am so thankful that
today God was pouring out lots of grace, and we were being covered by
your prayers. After about 1 1/2 hours in the Jordanian terminal,
speaking to a hierarchy of passport and border control officers, I
called our Jordan coordinator Dirk for prayer. He followed prayer with
a call to a connection the Lord has given us, and we trusted that this
would help get the reality of our simple, yet
bureaucratically-complicated request before the right people. When we'd
been there for just over two hours, we were granted entry into Jordan
again. It is an exhausting process as our Iraqis feel intimidated by
the questions and waiting. Please pray for our families hoping to come
soon to be able to acquire the new passports quickly thus eliminating
this particular hurdle in their journey.
When we arrived
this evening we were invited to dinner by Perjin and her daughters
(Perjin is my friend and translator) and Tim, a brother in the Lord.
Riwan and his mom were looking forward to seeing their friends again,
so we had a reunion over dinner.
 We
are about to get a good night's rest here, and go to the airport early
in the morning for their flight home. I will update you after they
leave.... please pray for them as they go.
Thursday
4/05/2007
To Jerusalem, then Jordan, then Home
Filed
by
Today
was a very special day for Riwan and his mother because they got the
final echo showing that he is ready to head home! They expressed their
appreciation to Dr. Tam (a Vietnamese doctor in training) at the
hospital, and went to the ICU area to say goodbye to Ahmad's mother.
The difficult part of the day in this regard is that because of the
rules of the ICU, Riwan and his mom did not get to say goodbye to
longtime companion Ahmad. Thankfully we could
share the pictures just taken, so they could see for themselves how he
looked as he began recuperating from his surgery yesterday.
Next
we went to pick up the belongings which were still at the Save a
Child's Heart house. Riwan and his mother bade farewell to their
many friends from Africa, also in Israel for heart surgeries.
I ask that you
pray for our crossing into Jordan tomorrow, and for rest tomorrow
night. I have contacted our Kurdish friend and translator Perjin to let
her know that we're coming, and we plan to visit tomorrow evening --
what fun it will be for them to see each other again! They are from the
same city in Iraq. Tentatively their departure from Amman is planned
for Saturday. I will send a final update after they are on their
way. Thank you for all of your prayers....
 Passover Eve
4/02/2007
Next to Last Echo
Filed
by
Today
Riwan and his mother went to Wolfson for what will likely be one of his
last follow-up echocardiograms. He got a good report from the doctor,
and will go back again on Thursday morning for another echo. If
everything continues to look good, we're told he could be dismissed to
go back to Iraq immediately. This is happy news for Riwan and his
mother!
We left the hospital with a Palestinian child
and his parents who needed to return to their home in Nablus. Riwan's
mother was taken with the countryside there and indicated that it
remiinded her of her own home area. She asked for several  photos, including this one of Riwan beside a huge cactus beside the home of the family we took there.
Please
pray for them as we spend our last nights in Jerusalem, and return them
to the Save a Child's Heart house for probably their last nights in
Israel. I will update you later about the timing of our return to Amman
and their departure for home. Please pray for them to receive all
the blessings that God has in mind for them while they're with us.
 Shabbat Eve
3/30/2007
Checking for Complications
Filed
by
Riwan
and his mother have joined two other Iraqi families with us at the
Shevet Achim center in Jerusalem for the week before Passover.
Before we left the Save A Child's Heart house, Dr. Tamir
requested an echocardiogram for Riwan to check on his recuperation from
his recent heart surgery. Upon examination at the hospital, he
discovered a small amount of fluid around Riwan's heart which will need
to be followed carefully. I was instructed to be sure he takes his
prescription, and check his temperature morning and evening to be sure
there were no indications of increase in the fluid build-up. Thankfully
he has not had any reading above normal so far. He will go back to the
hospital in a couple of days for another check-up. It is hard for his
mother to understand why the doctor continues to want more echos, when
her hope was that after only one or two they would be headed to Iraq.
We discussed that the doctors are looking at every possibility to be
sure there are no complications before they release the children, so it
may take a little longer than we'd expected. This is certainly the best
way since once they are in Iraq they cannot come back for another
check-up.
Meanwhile there have been some unique enjoyable
times. Our staff member Martha took the families out on Wednesday
evening to see the Old City and shop in the "sook." When they returned
they each told me how beautiful and special it was to get to see it. We
hope to be able to go out again to see a little more while they are
here with us.
Please
pray for the complete healing of Riwan's heart, and that his mother
would have peace to wait for the doctor's affirmation of Riwan's
readiness to travel. He is an active little boy, and it is indeed hard
to see why he cannot go home if you are only looking at what he is able
to do.
Notify
me when Riwan's page is updated
at this
email:
Shabbat Eve
March
23, 2007
Out of the Hospital and
Celebrating
Filed
by
Riwan's recovery is
going so well that he is out of the hospital, and happily celebrated
Lizan's birthday with us!
It was wonderful to see
him playing happily with the other children -- you'd hardly
know he has had surgery. Now when he smiles, it seems to
light up his face in a special way. 
And he is not
the only one whose countenance has changed. His mother has a calm joy
and excitement in knowing that soon they will return to Iraq. She
expresses to me that she knows when Dr. Tamir sees the next several
echos, and knows they are good, he will give the word that they can go
... and her smile is the biggest when she tells me this. Please join us
in giving thanks for the healing God has already done in Riwan's life,
and for all of the good things He has in store for him and his family.
Click
to send an e-mail message to Riwan
and
his mother.
March 19, 2007
Click the play arrow
below to see Riwan proudly showing off his surgery scar:
Here
is Donna's full report on today's visit: Out of
the ICU
Filed
by
When I arrived at the
hospital today I expected to find Riwan in the intermediate ICU. What a
great surprise it was to find him in the children's ward already! He
had just finished his lunch and was resting in bed, but had been out
strolling the hall in a wheelchair, and was glad to go out again. Just
as his mom had him ready to go, it was time for a breathing treatment.
This was a very traumatic experience!! Riwan went from a happy calm
little boy, to literally crying at the top of his lungs during the
entire treatment. His mom and I tried to calm him to no avail.....
After
the treatment, he again calmed down, and wanted his big balloon tied to
his wheelchair so he could go out again. We had the pleasure of being
escorted by Jihan riding a ''big wheel'' toy during her wait to return
to the Save a Child's Heart house after having a check-up today. She
had come into the room at the sound of Riwan's wailing during his
breathing treatment to offer him moral support.... it was very sweet to
see. They enjoyed interacting as we took numerous laps up and down the
hallway.
 The prayer request on my
mind for today is that Riwan would not be so upset about these
necessary breathing treatments. I don't know if they scare him or he
just doesn't like them, but he definitely has a strong reaction which
upsets him very much. I'm thankful to say that his mother is handling
it well, continuing to dote over him as he heals. Please pray for her
to continue to have the energy and strength to tend to his needs in the
coming days before he is ready to be dismissed to the children's house
to finish recuperating.
Notify
me when Riwan's page is updated
at this
email:
Erev Shabbat, March 16,
2007Waking Up
Filed
by
This
morning as I walked into the ICU, I found Um Riwan ("mother of Riwan")
contentedly caring for her son as he began to wake up from his surgery.
He was barely able to keep his eyes open part of the time, but he
wanted to! She told me she had gotten some sleep last night, and she
did appear rested.
Riwan was able to
recognize me
briefly before he began to realize he was very thirsty, and wanted
water. He became very agitated when told he could not yet have any, and
then began to cry. After a few minutes the nurses brought him a little
water in a syringe, which he gladly swallowed, and then settled down.
I
took with me cards for Riwan along with pictures of the children in the
US who made them. I presented these to Um Riwan, and she was
immediately delighted. She explained to Riwan who they were from and
showed him the pictures of the children. He was as interested in the
childrens' photos as the cards themselves, which was special to see.
Thank
you
for continuing to pray for Riwan as he recuperates and regains his
strength. It will be great to see him in full health!
Notify
me when Riwan's page is updated
at this
email:
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Successful Surgery
Performed Today!
Click the play arrow below to
enter the ICU and hear the doctor's report:
stayed all day with
Riwan's mother during surgery and filed this report:
When I arrived I found
Um Riwan waiting in one of the rooms in the children's ward with some
of the Palestinian mothers. When I went in and hugged her she began to
cry -- a good vent for some of her anxiety. I assured her this was OK,
and we sat awhile. After a short time, Abu Jihan arrived and spoke with
Um Riwan about his daughter's surgery, and how long Riwan would be
asleep (sedated), and when he might move from the ICU. We walked
together down to the waiting area beside the ICU, and had a few times
with more tears as she passed the hours. Several times Abu Riwan called
from Iraq to check on the progress. Finally, just at the time the
doctors told her to expect him, Riwan was wheeled by us and into the
ICU... and then came more tears -- tears of joy! From that point her
whole countenance changed from worry to thankful relief. She got a
phone call moments later from her husband (pictured above), and
explained that she had seen him but could not visit him yet. Typically
it takes about thirty minutes to an hour for the children to be
connected to all the appropriate medical apparatus after surgery, so we
began watching the time.
Dr. Sasson came and
shared with us that the surgery was uneventful, that they had
successfully repaired the large hole between the sections of Riwan's
heart, and they expected him to be extubated in the morning if
everything went well. It is always a special privilege to see the
meetings with the parents and the doctors....the parents are
overwhelmed with gratitude. Besides her smile, Um Riwan showed her
gratitude by kissing the hand of the man who'd just saved her son's
life. This
mother is so precious --
a very gentle woman who came from Iraq for her son's surgery knowing
only Kurdish, no Arabic and no English. I am thankful that the hearts
of mothers can communicate in a language all their own.
We expected to be able
to go into the ICU within an hour, but there was an emergency with
another child, and the doctors had to do a procedure on him which kept
us (and all other parents and visitors) out of the ICU for over two
hours!! Several times Um Riwan expressed concern that there was a
problem, but I reminded her that Dr. Sasson told us Riwan was doing
very well....and we waited.
When the
procedure was finished, the doctor came out and told us we could go in,
and this sweet mother walked over with a very big smile and kissed her
son on the head a number of times.... and stroked him and stared
lovingly at her boy. She turned and grinned at me and I at her at the
joy of the moment, and we shared a big hug with tears of joy together.
I love the language of the heart that goes beyond words! 
Please
pray for Riwan to have a quick recovery. He is a curious sweet little
boy who I believe will be able to carry out lots more activity than
before his surgery. Please pray for Um Riwan to be able to rest
tonight, and keep her strength up so she can persevere through the
healing period. She is looking forward to returning to Iraq as soon as
she can to her husband and other children there.
You may help sponsor your own
child for heart surgery by clicking here.
 March 11, 2007
Clowning Around
Filed
by
Sunday
I had a visit with our Iraqi families at the Save a Child's Heart house
-- it was wonderful to see them! I did not know when I headed out
yesterday morning whether I would see them at the hospital or the
house; the patients go back and forth for tests according to the
doctors orders for their particular case. When I arrived at the house
the children were being delighted by a clown and filmed by the media
crew.
It was a joy both to see the fun
the children were
having, and the faces of the moms as they watched. When they saw me we
all had a time for greetings and hugs, and enjoyed the clown
together.... he was great, and really had the children engaged.
Very
soon it was time to go over to the hospital to visit with the surgeon,
so I went back over with them to sit for more media time. Then we had a
chance to simply sit and talk and visit together. One of our Save a
Child's Heart friends was celebrating her birthday, and she asked us to
join her for ice cream, which we all enjoyed. The mothers particularly
wanted to walk around the small shopping area attached to the hospital
for a few minutes, and the children enjoyed it as well -- a change of
pace and a change of scenery.
 Please
continue to pray for them to be patient as they wait for their specific
surgery dates to be set. We will keep you posted when we know
the
dates.
Notify
me when Riwan's page is updated
at this
email:
Monday, March 5, 2007
Mothers Together
Filed
by
 Our
three newly-arrived Iraqi families were at the hospital today briefly
for one of the last tests they need before the doctors can evaluate
their readiness for surgery. This is the PPD test for tuberculosis.
Our Arab Israeli staff member Raneen and I were able to see
them
before they went upstairs for the tests, and it was special to see the
reunion of these mothers with Raneen. They remembered her help at the
echocardiogram screening in Amman at the end of December, and were
happy to see her again.
When they
returned downstairs after
the tests, they had the opportunity to meet Mazal, an Iraqi Jew who has
lived in Israel for many years. She began to visit our Iraqi patients
last year, serving as a friend and translator for them. It was fun to
see them get to know each other, and Mazal had brought along a photo
album of some of our patients who she has come to know. This allowed
our new families to see that Mazal had also spent time with Delevan, Hawraa, Santa Maria,
and others. Sometimes our families learn about the opportunity for help
for their child by learning of the help Shevet Achim and Save a Child's
Heart were able to give to families in their village....or by word of
mouth through friends or family members. These mothers recognized some
of the patients in Mazal's album which was another encouragement for
them.
Please keep praying for Riwan,
Ahmad and Lizan as they
prepare for their surgeries. Pray for their mothers, and their families
back home in Iraq. We'll keep you updated as their surgery
dates approach.
Notify
me when Riwan's page is updated
at this
email:
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Iraqis Celebrating Purim
Filed
by
Today at the hospital at
least 6 groups came through celebrating Purim (the Jewish holiday
remembering Haman’s foiled plot from the book of Esther),
handing out small gifts and candy. At first the families were
overwhelmed with the loud singing and strangely-costumed individuals.
In
the video above, Riwan stands very still as his face is fingerpainted!
By the end though Riwan was waiting
at the door and watching the
hallway for new groups. Upon seeing them, he would run to collect the
toys and goodies they offered.
In
general today the Iraqi families seemed in good spirits. The Iraqi
women met some
of the other mothers and laughed with them. Lizan is precious,
Riwan is
very active, and a reserved Ahmad
is slowly warming up to us.
  Also
today all three
kids,
Lizan, Riwan, and Ahmad, had echocardiograms done as preparations
continue for their upcoming open-heart surgeries. The
cardiologist is Dr. Rula, a Palestinian from Bethlehem who has been
training at the Wolfson Medical Center the past couple of years.
We
will
update this page regularly, and you may sign up below to receive an
email notice each time there is a new posting. Notify
me when Riwan's page is updated
at this
email:
Click the play button
below to see the arrival of Riwan,
Ahmad, and Lizan in Israel
| |
