Day #8, February 25

Today starts in the OR with Eakam Jamal Jalal Bewanee (Akam) from Iraq.   Before we ever met this boy, he was well documented on the blog with his struggles to get form Iraq to Amman for this surgery.  Fortunately, he made it, was echoed last evening.  His oxygen saturations are in the 60’s. But despite that, he actually didn’t look as deathly ill as billed from the airlines standpoint.  I think that they are obviously not as used to seeing blue babies as we are, at what doesn’t look too bad to us (from a cyanosis standpoint) may appear to be one breath away from death to those not used to babies with heart disease.  This little one’s defect includes Double Outlet Right Ventricle, very severe pulmonary Stenosis, and Hypoplastic  Pulmonary Arteries.  Dr. Turrentine repaired the DORV with a patch and then reconstructed the right ventricle to pulmonary artery pathway with a monocusp patch.  We actually performed his entire repair instead of the original shunt to by him time that we had originally planned for.  He will not need future surgery at this point. We were so excited to be able to accomplish this, for many reasons, most of all that he needs no further surgeries and is completely pink now!! (check out the blog pictures from yesterday of him and notice how purple and blue his lips were)  Surgery went well and Eakam was up to the ICU by 12:30.  

 

Akam playing shortly before surgery

saturations now 100% Akam after surgery

The team with Akam

Akam after surgery...really pink now

The second case is Abdul Rahman Nader Sa’eed Abujeyab.  This is an 11 month old Palestinian child who lives in Amman.  Dr. Kal and Dr. Anne saw this patient in clinic just 3 days ago to make the diagnosis of an Atrial Septal Defect and a large Ventricular Septal Defect with high pulmonary pressure and failing to thrive.  He was an add-on to the mission schedule, and the family is extremely grateful  that there child was able to get care that would otherwise have not happen for a long time. 

Abdul before surgery

Our Jordanian medical student and Abdul

Nour looks great on the floor today. Is up playing with roommate Abdul this morning, before he heads off to surgery. She is going home today. She and her family are staying north of Amman in Irbil with friends, she will be checked on Saturday and then will go home to Syria.  Her father helped raise funds from friends in Syria to pay for the medical expense of Isr’a.  We are truly grateful and hope he can continue to raise awareness of the mission back in Syria and help contribute funds to future mission.  We can’t wait to see her again next year, hopefully to complete her repair (VSD closure). 

Noor looking very happy to be leaving the hospital

Naser is doing very well on the floor. Eating well, off oxygen today and will likely be discharged tomorrow. 

Naser getting better each day

Sadeen  looks fantastic today. Holding her own bottle, waving, smiling for her mother.  She is dressed in a beautiful pink sweater and looks like she never went through heart surgery 2 days ago!! She is being transferred to the floor today and could go home as early as tomorrow. It has been wonderful to see the change in her mother is less than one week.  We first met her at the reunion. She was clinging to Sadeen for dear life, crying, extremely worried for her impending heart surgery as any mother would be, asking so many questions. Today, 6 days later, 2 days after surgery, her mother is smiling constantly, making Sadeen laugh, she picked her up for the first time, and genuinely appears relaxed and at peace. Great feeling to see that. As moms (this  is Becky and Anne) we can relate completely to her on this level, no matter what the cultural differences are. 

Sadeen and um sadeen (her mother)

Sadeen...can you eat with no hands like me!!

Isra’a  had her lines, chest tube removed today.  She is off all BP medications. We are trying to get her up in a chair today. Her color looks amazing. Saturations 96%.  She is very shy, not too excited about all the commotion surrounding her.  Not sure she realizes yet how much better she is going to feel, really soon. She will be one we will look forward to seeing in the future. 

 

Ahmad, who had the ASD repaired yesterday, smiling and actually looks nearly as good as he did 2 days ago before surgery.  Going to the floor as well today and most likely will be discharged tomorrow. 

 

Omar is sound asleep this morning.  He settled down after some bleeding last night. He is able to eat today and that should help immensely. We will keep him in the ICU one more day. 

 

We said all our goodbyes at Al-Khalidi tonight, both to the staff and the patients and their families. We always feel sadness when we leave but now we know that we will always be coming back in the future. We have built friendships and bonds that have extended well beyond the mission. 

Numerous Rotary clubs have come together to jointly coordinate this trip.  Countless other companies and organizations have donated money or services to help achieve these goals.  And most importantly, to date, 61 children in this Middle East Region have received cardiac surgery who might otherwise not have survived.   Thanks to all who supported this project in the many various ways and for the continued following of the progress.  Tomorrow morning we’ll leave this place, but we’ll never forget those we’ve met here.  In’sha’alla and peace to all.

Leaving you with this lasting image...Sara and Maj'd before discharge

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