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Shana's Heart Surgery
 Thursday
September 11, 2008
Shana Flies Home To Iraq
Filed
by
It was my pleasure to meet Shana and Mawa
and their mothers on Tuesday evening when they returned to Jordan on
their way home to Iraq. The mothers were filled with thanksgiving for
all that has been done for their daughters, thanking all of us over and
over. They asked me to tell everyone who was part of helping this
become possible, "Thank you very much!" I told them that many, many
people have been praying for them, and all of us are very joyful too,
and thankful to God for all He has done so far.
Their flight was supposed to leave early Wednesday morning, but the
airlines notified us of its cancellation and rescheduling for today.
The mothers decided to take a shopping trip yesterday to help pass the
time. Again we were notified that it was delayed until mid-afternoon
today, but these mothers were able to remain patient and did not become
fretful. We were able to send them on their way this afternoon with no
problems - apart from one brief episode of little Shana's tears because
she "needed to see her Baba right now!"
Shana has
very complicated heart problems and will require further treatment in
about two years, yet her mother had an unmistakeable confidence that
things will be addressed when that time comes. Shana is quite a lively
little girl who clearly enjoyed being on her way home. She does not
have a big appetite so far, but we are all hoping that getting back
home will bring an end to that problem.
Mawa
was happy about everything the entire time she was with us. She was
particularly proud of her new shades she got for the trip home. Her
gentle mother is expecting a baby in a few months, so this family will
have several reasons to give special thanks, and celebrate this year.
We sent them on their way with prayer, entrusting them to God's loving
care, and looking forward to seeing Shana again for her future
treatment.
You
can help sponsor a child's surgery in Israel by clicking here.
 Tuesday
September 9, 2008
Shana Leaves Israel for New
Life in Iraq
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by
It
was a joyful day today for Shana as she realized she'll soon be back
home with her family.
We prayed with Shana and Mawa and their mothers
at our Jerusalem center (see picture below) and then set out for
the Jordanian border, as they left Israel and began the long journey
home to Iraq.
The
trip from Jerusalem is about two
hours. It was going very smooth up until the first security
check point in the Jordan Valley. We were asked how we
(who
are from America and have never met these Iraqi people before) were
connected with them. We said we worked with a ministry that
brought them to Israel to give them heart surgery, but the security
staff
were still very dubious.
They
had us remove all the luggage
and every bag from the car to be x-rayed multiple times. They
also had us walk through a metal detector and go through some of the
bags with them. At one point, we looked back at the car and
saw every door open, including the hood, and a search dog sniffing his
way around the car. Although it seems like an intense situation, we
couldn't help but laugh through the whole thing, and we knew in the end
we would be fine and would have a story out of it. After
about 25 minutes of questioning and searching, they allowed us to go on
our way to the Jordanian border.
The
rest of the trip went
very well, and we sped right through the rest of the security
points. This was a great experience and we were blessed to
help.
You
can help sponsor a child's surgery in Israel by clicking here.
 Sunday
September
7, 2008
A Loving Farewell from the
Hospital Staff
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by
We arrived
at Schneider Children’s Medical Center today after receiving
word that Shana and her friend Mawa
were going to be discharged
together.
When we
entered the room we were greeted by expressions of gratitude, resolve
and new hope. At the end of any journey you typically ask
someone how was it, and they are fully prepared to answer the question,
so you often get not the simple answers but the ones that come from the
heart. When we asked Shana’s mother about her
experience in the hospital, she responded that she loved everyone
there.
You could see nurses and doctors
alike pausing by their door to see why their precious patients were
packing up. Dr. Birk (pictured above) the chief cardiologist
at Schneider
walked in the door, realized this was their last time together, and
turned to us: “Take a picture...we need a
picture.”
It is always
interesting to observe the first and last pictures that we take of the
children coming to Israel from Iraq. The first
picture is usually built around caution and trepidation. Short of
tickling them it is almost impossible to evoke a smile. By
the end you find them kissing and putting arms around most members of
the hospital staff, and asking for the moments to live on into the
digital age. They can’t get enough. (Check out the
video on Mawa's page).
Shana
herself still looks weakened from the difficult surgery.
Because of her complex heart defects her repair is only half-complete,
and she will be required to return in 2-3 years to have a new surgery
called a Fontan. Some medical centers in the world would not
have taken her case given the complexity and potential long recovery
period. Schneider’s team of doctors are not only
daring but compassionate as well.
We
told Dr. Birk that the mothers were anxious to return home to their
other children as anyone else would be who left a family behind to seek
healing in another country. She quickly whisked Shana up to
the echocardiogram room to have a definitive and final echo to
determine if there were any residual complications. Shana is
renowned for her dislike of the echo machine and anyone touching her in
the prone position. When they put Shana on the table
immediately the hospital staff resorted to circus antics, jumping up
and down snapping their fingers, anything to distract her from what she
believe to be her impending dom.
Within minutes she
was told she could get down from the table. She has a clean
bill of health and is released to go home.
After a
whirlwind of smiles, kisses, handshakes, and hugs, Shana and her
compatriot Mawa made their final exit from Schneider (click play arrow
above to have a look), leaving behind friendships that will not ever be
forgotten and a connection that no political, ethnic, cultural or
religious barrier will ever divide.
You
can help sponsor a child's surgery in Israel by clicking here.
 Monday
August 25, 2008
Shana Comes Through Surgery
Today!
Filed
by
I
must say that I am rather impressed with the efficiency of the
new hospital that Shevet Achim is working with, the Schneider
Children's Medical Center in Petah Tikva. When I last left
the
hospital on Thursday afternoon (not planning on returning
until
Monday or Tuesday morning), Shana had not yet had her
echocardiogram. When I arrived at the hospital this
morning,
I was only planning on getting a rundown of her condition and
situation, finding out when the surgery would
be scheduled
for. Instead, I ended up shocked as Shana was already
in the
operating room!
As we arrived, barely a few minutes
after Shana
was taken into the operating room, we saw Shana's mother and a
friend of hers. We talked briefly about Shana's
status and
what was happening; after being debriefed on the situation,
Elena
and I decided that we would wait alongside Shana's mom until
her
precious daughter's surgery was completed. So, we
began the
long wait.
For the next five hours, we sat together,
ate
together, she embraced the women around her in sobbing hugs,
she
showed us pictures of her family and home, and of course she
cried. It was maybe the longest five hours of my
life
watching as this women's heart was breaking for her daughter
right
before me.
The
surgeons told me that her problem is called a univentricular
heart disorder. While I don't understand all of the
medical
jargon, I did learn that she had problems with her pulmonary
artery and it had to be disconnected while shunts would be put
into to various places so that oxygen would passively flow
into
her lungs. Her surgery is very complex and is a two
part
surgery. This was the initial phase and the next
won't be
for over a year (possibly two).
Even
though the surgery is over and Shana's mom was reunited with
her, please continue to pray that she will get better quickly
and
make a full recovery! The surgery may be completed
but the
road is still a long way from over.
Click
to
send an e-mail
message to Shana and her mother.
Notify
me when Shana's page is updated
at this
email:
Click
to
send an e-mail
message to Shana and her mother.
Notify
me when Shana's page is updated
at this
email:
 Tuesday,
August 19, 2008
New Hope as Shana Reaches
Israel
Filed
by
We got the
news
that today we would have the opportunity to welcome three new Iraqis to
the
Shevet Achim family. Originally,
we were
asked to drive and pick them up at 10
AM, but the pick up time
was continually pushed back. Finally,
we left Shevet at 5 PM with the goal of
bringing these new Iraqis
into Israel.
Logistics are
always fun! Upon
arrival of the Jordan/Israel
border, Keleigh, Elena and I waited for Shana, Alaa and Mawa to come
into Israel.
After
sitting for a few minutes, one of the members of the security staff
asked if
Keleigh could assist in the process as most of the Iraqis could speak
only
Kurdish. The irony
is that Keleigh doesn’t
speak Kurdish, though this did provide an opportunity to see how the
Iraqis
were acting in anticipation of their arrival to Israel.
The youngest, Shana,
stayed by her mom who seemed to be a natural leader.
Shana’s
mom does speak some Arabic and thus,
became the main communicator for the women.
She also seems to be the least shy of
the women as she
immediately spoke
with Elena and me. Her
daughter remained
by her side looking adorable. At
one
point during the security screening the officer on duty asked the
mothers why
they came to Israel since Israel and Iraq are not
“friendly.” To
this questions Shana’s
mother responded
(in Arabic), “we have come to Israel because we want help
for our children.”
While the mothers
were at passport control, the children played with the baggage carts. Mawa had a great time
placing the luggage on
the cart and then taking it off. Alaa
played
along side her with her own cart.
After
some final
moments of waiting, these three families entered into Israel wide-eyed and
anxious. Overall everyone
was both fun-loving and easy-going. They didn’t seem to be
nervous about their
trip and looked comfortable upon their arrival into Israel.
It took
approximately an hour and a half to return to Shevet from the border. We made it back by 10 PM and set up the beds
and rooms for the
night. It is pretty
amazing to think
that right now, Shevet Achim is housing nine children with one parent
for every child.
We
ask that
you
please pray for these three new children.
Tomorrow morning they will go to the
hospital for their
first
echocardiogram and blood work. Also,
pray for the mothers as they are in yet another new land with another
new
language. Thank
you all for your support!
Click
to
send an e-mail
message to Shana and her mother.
Notify
me when Shana's page is updated
at this
email:
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