Sidra's Heart Surgery

Tuesday
July 3, 2007
The Final Chapter on Sidra's Journey
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Saying goodbye was bittersweet this morning. After breakfast we dropped Sidra and her mom off at the Amman airport, and gave our hugs and kisses goodbye. Sidra squealed with delight as we pulled up to the airport and came in view of the planes. I wish I knew what was going through her mind. I can imagine she's excited about the flight itself but even more eager to see her babu (dad) for the first time in over two months!

So long, Sidra. We will miss your chipper spirit and endless energy. We love you and hope your future is as bright as you are!

Monday, July 2, 2007
Traveling Mercies
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Today was the long drive from Jerusalem down into the Jordan Valley, across the Jordan River, and then back up to Amman. The Lord's faithful servant Simantov from our Jerusalem staff drove us down to the border; if you'll click on the play arrow below, you can see Sidra's sweet smile as we set out:

By evening Sidra and her mom arrived safely to a Shevet Achim apartment in Amman, with only a night's sleep and an airplane ride now separating them from home and their family. Tonight we had Jordanian schwarma (reminded some of us of fajitas), and enjoyed playing in a city park with some of the local kids. Sidra even had a chance to show off a momento of her time in Israel (pictured at right).

We want to give praise specifically for traveling mercies! This is not just a Christian cliché when traveling in the Middle East, and especially today as Alex maneuvered with fluidity in efforts to keep up with a turbo taxi driver, which contained half of our party. Border crossing was uneventful--another blessing,
especially for the anxious mothers. And finally when we arrived in the city, we also saw God work to get Sidra and her mom on the next flight out on Tuesday morning! When we arrived at Iraqi Airways in the early evening and asked to reserve two seats on tomorrow's flight, initially they said it was booked. This would've meant waiting for the next flight on Thursday. But thankfully after a couple of minutes, they had their confirmation for a noon flight.

An unexpected blessing came in the form of some Kurdish-speaking hosts (Sidra is pictured here with the daughters of Perjin, who helps us in Jordan). This allowed us to really communicate with Um Sidra for the first time, as she only speaks Kurdish. She expressed thanks to all the medical staff and to Shevet
Achim for Sidra's heart surgery. Alex deferred the credit to the Lord, the author and perfector of our faith and truly our motivation for all we do!

If you'd like to help sponsor another Iraqi child's surgery in Israel, you may click here.

Sunday, July 1, 2007
Leavin' On A Jet Plane

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Sidra waved goodbye and kissed each mother and child staying at the Save A Child's Heart house in her dramatic exit. Everything Sidra does is with flair. At her last doctor's appointment today, she received clearance to head home. Tonight we brought her to Jerusalem to stay her last night in the Shevet Achim staff house. Martha made a delicious dinner that we ate on the carpet Kurdish-style, or so we imagined! After tea and dessert we took Sidra down to look at her pictures on the website. She got a kick out of seeing herself in the video crossing into Israel back in April.

We're rejoicing that God brought her through the surgery with no complications. She won't even be heading home with any prescriptions! In a couple of days she will be boarding a plane home to be reunited with the rest of her family...this time there will be no heartache, only heartfelt joy!

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Thursday, June 28, 2007
On the Home Stretch
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Spirited Sidra ran to greet me when I arrived at the Save A Child's Heart house this afternoon during naptime. (Oops!) Considering that was the last thing on her mind, we enjoyed playing outside for a little bit. She has so much energy…are you sure you didn’t give her an extra heart instead of repairing her weak heart, doc? She seems to be operating on the stamina of a marathon runner!

The last medical hoop to jump through is slated for Monday…one last echocardiogram to see that her heart is in good shape. She should be able to head home toward the end of the next week. Before this vivacious girl takes off for

Jordan

to catch her flight, the Shevet Achim house will host her and her mom. She should be a good match of spunk for Martha Berg’s lively crew! Hopefully we’ll be able to take her around the city.

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Sunday, June 24, 2007
Good 2nd Echo
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Today was the first time Jenae (pictured above) and I met Sidra at the SACH House. This little girl is recovering really well. She was up to her antics once she got hold of Jenae's camera. She kept snapping photos of us, our feet, our faces (we edited out all of these, of course). And finally, she turned the camera on herself and got a "self-portrait."

She had a lot of fun and lots of laughs too, until Um Sidra decided it was time for her nap. It was already 2.00pm, way past her nap-time. Then the laughter turned into whining... oops!

Sidra has already had her second echo done, so she should be ready to go home anytime now. That's wonderful, but that would mean Um Zinar will be left alone at the SACH house with her son Zinar still waiting for his turn to be operated on.

When Sidra and her mum move over to Jerusalem, they will get a chance to visit the Old City before making their way home via Jordan. May the LIGHT of Jerusalem shine upon them, draw them to Himself and lead them safely back to Iraq.

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Sunday
June 17, 2007
No More Stomach Ache

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Sidra was on her way down the corridor of the hospital when we met her today, and had a great big smile from cheek to cheek. The last time we saw her she had a tummy ache and was readmitted into hospital, but it looks like that is over and she looks like home might be closer than ever.

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Thursday June 10, 2007
Sidra Back in the Hospital

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Sidra complained of stomach pains this evening, and was taken from the Save a Child's Heart house and readmitted to the Wolfson Medical Center for observation. We will keep this page posted.

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Sunday
June 10, 2007
Sidra Is Up Walking

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When we arrived at the hospital today, Sidra was up walking and smiling. She looked very well and even came over and gave me a great big hug. The nurses confirmed that Sidra's recovery is remarkable. No word on when she might be considered for release from the hospital, but it is rather obvious it will be sooner than later. I thank the Lord that I can be a witness to such rapid recovery from open heart surgery.

You may join our campaign to help sponsor more Iraqi children by clicking here.

Thursday
June 7, 2007
She's Come Far in 48 Hours

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When I arrived at the Wolfson Medical Center today to bring two Gaza patients home, Sidra's mother was sitting in the waiting area of the ICU. Although we neither one speak the other one's language (they speak Kurdish), her countenance revealed that the progress Sidra was making was very favorable. The reports within the ICU only confirmed what I had surmised from Um Sidra's face.

Sidra herself seemed a bit less optimistic, as I approached her bed. The last time she had seen me, I had reassured her that all was going to be alright. Now, feeling like she is, perhaps, made her doubt that what I had stated before was indeed truth. However, from my vantage point her progress was quite remarkable. I presented to her and her mother photographs of Sidra just after her arrival into ICU after surgery. This provided a stark contrast to the Sidra her mother and I now stood beside. As they studied the pictures, for the first time, Sidra saw herself as we had seen her only 48 hours before. She began to at least glance in my direction (I am sure she had had her doubts as to whether she ever wanted to again up to this point).

Even with the language barrier what it is, I began a prayer of thanksgiving to God for her progress. They seemed to understand what I was doing. Just before I left, I took the picture above, assuring them that I loved them and that all will get better day by day. Although Sidra probably has her doubts, our united prayers on her behalf will indeed be heard by our Father God, the greatest physician ever. Please join us, as we rally together in prayer, for Sidra's continued healing and progress.

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Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Reaching Out Her Hands

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I saw Sidra last week for the first time when I visited the Save A Child's Heart house, where she was with her mother and two other children. A child full of life and enjoying every minute of it. We had spent about 1/2 hour with them a week ago.

Today I had the privilege to visit her in hospital. (She underwent heart surgery yesterday.) At noon when she heard our voices in the ICU call her name, her eyes opened wide and she knew who we were. She reached out her hand to us and held our hands.

She was aware that her Mom was beside her. She recognised Simantov and called him to come near and give "five." We chatted to the doctor in charge of the ICU and he said everything went well and she is doing fine. I could see in Sidra's eyes, just wanting to be well and being her playful self again.

When her Dad phoned, she asked her Mom to put the phone to her ear so she could hear her father. You can see in her that she knew everyone she had come in contact with. When we eventually said goodbye, she reached out to each one, held their hand, and gradually let go.

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10:25 p.m. Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Sidra Is Stable After Surgery

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Sidra's surgery lasted from 8:30 a.m. to about 2:00 p.m. today. David visited her shortly afterwards in the ICU. He reports that there's not a trace of worry on Sidra's mother's face. The early indications are that the surgery was successful. She is now "stable," according to ICU staff at 10:20 p.m.

To read more about earlier today when Sidra's mother and her friends were anxiously waiting out the surgery, continue to the blog entry below.

Thank you for praying for Sidra, and for asking about the results of Sidra's surgery. It seems I couldn't update this page quickly enough to satisfy Sidra's many fans in several nations! You are faithful friends.

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1:00 p.m. Tuesday, June 5, 2007

One of a Kind
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As I write, Sidra is in surgery. Not surprisingly, when I visited the hospital this morning, I couldn't get any closer to Sidra than the O.R. waiting room sign pictured above. But I did get to spend time comforting Sidra's mother, Wahida, shown below with the wife of Yousef, about whom you'll learn more in the next paragraph.

Yousef and his wife (Jewish Israelis) were already there visiting Wahida, as they've been doing for a couple weeks now. It turns out that Yousef visited his homeland of Kurdistan three weeks ago, and stayed in a hotel which happened to belong to Sidra's mother's uncle. The uncle asked Yousef to take care of Sidra and her mother when he returned to Israel, and he has kept his promise to do so. Yousef and his wife have nine children, all of whom live near them in Kiryat Malachi.

I was grateful for Yousef and his wife's translation from Hebrew into Kirmanjit, the dialect of Kurdish spoken by Sidra's mother. Without this, we would not have been able to have any meaningful conversation.

I learned that the meaning of Sidra's mother's name is unique, or one of a kind. Let's keep Wahida and Sidra in prayer today--a one-of-a-kind day for a one-of-a-kind mother and daughter. More news to follow.

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Monday

June 4, 2007

Surgery Tomorrow
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Sidra's heart surgery is scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday, June 5. Alex, David and I will be traveling to the hospital tomorrow to be near Sidra and her mother. We'll take your prayers with us, and we'll keep you posted.

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Wednesday
May 30, 2007

Showing Off Her New Doll
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Our little actress was doing very well today. After warming up to some of our new staff members she was herself.

She was very proud of her new baby doll and was showing her off to everyone.

Sidra and her mother are still waiting for her surgery; urgent cases from Gaza and the West Bank are part of the reason for the delay.

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Thursday
May 24, 2007

Sidra Wants to Be a Doctor
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Sidra's mother is playing the waiting game. As part of this game we exchanged ideas about the future occupation of Sidra. Our conversation was stirred by the circus type antics Sidra was displaying as she held a banana in her mouth and wore a yellow plastic hat. There was a consensus that she would do well in the entertainment industry, perhaps as a comedian.

When we asked her right out what she’d like to be, she confidently stated, with the plastic banana still in her mouth, that she would like to be a doctor. Friends, let’s help her get to that bright, entertaining future.

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Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Sidra is Dancing
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After 15 days of waiting in Israel, Sidra, Arkan, and Zinar are still waiting. The mothers are sharing a room together at the Save A Child's Heart house, while sharing a kitchen and living room with other women from around the world. It isn't easy for them to be in one small bedroom with three bunk beds, but they seem to be dealing well with the stress of not having their own place.

Sidra greeted our little group in the same way she said goodbye to us. Jumping up and down and waving her arms from the playground until we left. She is so full of energy, gregarious, and funny. You would never think that she has a heart problem. She couldn't get enough of dancing and twirling with me, she dragged us all about, asking that we sit by her, she climbed into laps and desperately wanted to play with the camera (see photo at right). She found a mask to wear and tried it on a few of the other children. She loves to make Zinar and Arkan laugh and that sets her laughing too. She is really a delightful child.

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Monday, May 14, 2007

Sidra Still Spunky
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Yesterday Sidra was transported to Wolfson Medical Center to take PPT (blood) tests. This was quite obviously not to her liking (nor would it have been mine!). However, this procedure is very necessary for a more precise evaluation by the doctors. Thankfully, it was short in duration and soon she was back to her sweet little self.

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Thursday May 10, 2007
Feisty Sidra Attempts Escape from Nursing Staff
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Sidra had her first battery of tests today to determine her overall health condition as a treatment plan begins for her heart problem. It became obvious right away that she was very fearful of all the tests, so I tried to spend a little time with her at strategic moments to settle her. Her mother was worn out after a little while with holding Sidra down for tests, and shed a few tears herself over the intensity of her daughter's protests and "attempted escapes" from the nursing staff. Sidra remembered me from the December echocardiogram screening in Amman, so we enjoyed the trip from the border yesterday, making today's offer of comfort acceptable to this normally-feisty girl.

(Due to a camera malfunction today, the picture above is from yesterday's travel to Israel).

Please pray for Sidra in the coming days, as she will continue to have numerous tests to undergo. I hope she will quickly figure out that most of them are not painful, and that it is hard on everyone when she does not allow the nurses to get them over with. Pray for her mother to gain strength and courage to help Sidra through this life-giving process.

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Wednesday 5/9/2007
Sidra, Arkan, and Zinar Are In Israel!
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Click the play arrow to watch video of the arrival

It was a very long day for these precious children and their mothers as they traveled from Jordan to Israel. We greatly appreciated the help of the Israeli border workers assisting us, making the crossing as efficient as possible. The manager has gotten to know our work through previous crossings, and today offered to do anything she could to help.

After a snack as we drove, all of the children took at least a small nap (including Sidra, pictured below) as we travelled across Israel to the Mediterranean

coast, where our guests got their first glimpse of the sea.

We stopped for a meal, and at last arrived around 9 p.m. at the Save a Child's Heart house. After they were introduced to their new surroundings, they were quite ready to rest. Let us pray that they will rest well; one of the mothers expressed some feelings of fear over the strangeness of this new place. Soon I believe they will settle in and have the opportunity to see their children experience health to its fullest.

They will report for their first echos in the morning. Watch this page for an update. Thank you for your prayers as they begin their journey to healing.

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Tuesday 5/8/2007
Sidra to Cross Jordan Tomorrow

All the final permissions have now been given, and Sidra, Arkan, and Zinar are due to cross the Jordan River into Israel Wednesday, en route to the promise of new life through heart surgery. Watch this space tomorrow for details and photos of their arrival.

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Monday
4/30/2007

Enjoying the Wait

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Sidra, age seven, is playing with our children and is enjoying the time here very much as she and her mother await permission to enter Israel for her heart surgery. Sidra seems to be quite strong, and handled a local sightseeing excursion easily.
But then she suddenly gets tired, and you can see blue around her mouth and fingertips. Her mother reports, that she also gets a fever frequently. Sidra's mother has six children all together, three boys and three girls. She seems to have rheumatism in her hands and legs, and finds it hard to climb stairs. I most enjoy supporting and helping this family, as they seem to come from a very poor social background.

Sidra's enjoyed playing with our children and the two other Iraqi children traveling with her (she's pictured here with Arkan). But the families are eager to cross over into Israel; please pray with us that final security checks will be completed and they will be free to travel tomorrow.

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