Dear Friends and Family,
This morning at 6:30 AM we picked up Mustafa, his mother, Ritiba and his father, Khaled. We made very good time so we decided to make a short detour to Jaffa right on the coast of the Mediterranean. This was the first time this family seen a beach other than on TV. Usually you need to tell the children not to get wet, but Khaled walked right up to the water's edge while the wave was out and before I could say anything he was knee deep in water to the whole family's surprise. It is surreal to watch a family for the first time on the beach,as they immediately bent over and started to collect shells. Our time quickly came to an end, but I don't think the joy and memories we shared will ever end.
We left the beach and arrived at Wolfson Medical Center and within 20 minutes the nurses were doing many different admission tests. The unsettling news for the family was that the father was not permitted to stay at the hospital, so it was a long quiet ride back to Bethlehem.
This is a very kind and fun-loving family, we could not be serving a better family this Christmas season.
Tomorrow Mustafa's heart surgery is scheduled for 9 AM, please keep him in your prayers.
Grace & Peace,
--
Hank R. Dannecker Jr.
CEO/President
CEO/President
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Friends and Family,
Below is part of the original report of Mustafa's journey to heart surgery.
As the story goes Mustafa was never diagnosed with heart problems until six months ago when he was playing soccer and passed out on the field. It turns out that during an Echo-cardiogram the doctor diagnosed an abnormal valve in his heart. His parents were told that he could have a heart attack at any time and may not survive if this flap of skin stayed closed over the valve area. So today the extra flap of tissue was removed as you can see in the fifth picture.
Tomorrow I will take Mustafa's mother back to the hospital and we may be able to see him awake for the first time after the surgery. It truly is a miracle story on Christmas day.
Blessings to all!
Below is part of the original report of Mustafa's journey to heart surgery.
As the story goes Mustafa was never diagnosed with heart problems until six months ago when he was playing soccer and passed out on the field. It turns out that during an Echo-cardiogram the doctor diagnosed an abnormal valve in his heart. His parents were told that he could have a heart attack at any time and may not survive if this flap of skin stayed closed over the valve area. So today the extra flap of tissue was removed as you can see in the fifth picture.
Tomorrow I will take Mustafa's mother back to the hospital and we may be able to see him awake for the first time after the surgery. It truly is a miracle story on Christmas day.
Blessings to all!
Hank R. Dannecker Jr.
CEO/President
CEO/President
PO Box 11711Jerusalem, 91116
Israel
T+972-2-5606880
F+972-2-5606881
hank@1newheart.org
www.1newheart.org
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you would like to support One New Heart, their homepage is linked on this site under, "Worthy of our support".
* Here is an update from Hank on 12-27:
Dear Friends & Family,
Mustafa is doing well although the nurses tell us that he needs to start getting out of bed and to move around more, even though he is in pain. They said it would aid in his recovery and actually help him to heal better and quicker.
Also, while we were talking to the nurses the surgeon Dr.Lior Sasson came in to check on Mustafa and explained different aspects of the surgery to us.
Below is the details of Mustafas condition called DSS.
Congenital obstruction of the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) affects approximately 3% to 10% of individuals with congenital heart disease, and discrete subaortic membrane accounts for 8% to 10% of all cases of LVOT obstruction in children. 1–3 This last condition presents as a membranous or fibromuscular ring below the aortic valve, either in isolation or in association with other congenital anomalies such as ventricular septal defect, patent ductus arteriosus, coarctation of the aorta, bicuspid aortic valve, abnormal left ventricular (LV) papillary muscle, atrioventricular septal defect, and persistent superior left vena cava. The condition is rarely diagnosed antenatally or in infancy but often manifests in the 1st decade of life with features of progressive LVOT obstruction, LV hypertrophy and dysfunction, or aortic regurgitation. The jet from the narrowed subaortic tract damages the aortic cusps and causes regurgitation; this damage may also render the aortic valve prone to infective endocarditis. 4Treatment is usually surgical. Despite adequate resection, there is a substantial recurrence rate among patients who have undergone operation for discrete membranous subaortic stenosis (DSS). Although membranectomy, with or without septal myotomy or myectomy, has been the accepted method of treating fixed subaortic stenosis, there are still controversies concerning operative methods and uncertainties concerning the recurrence of subaortic obstruction and the development of aortic insufficiency after repair. Our usual approach to DSS is membrane excision with resection of the septal myocardium.
Thank you for your prayers,
--
Israel
T+972-2-5606880
F+972-2-5606881
hank@1newheart.org
www.1newheart.org
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you would like to support One New Heart, their homepage is linked on this site under, "Worthy of our support".
* Here is an update from Hank on 12-27:
Dear Friends & Family,
Mustafa is doing well although the nurses tell us that he needs to start getting out of bed and to move around more, even though he is in pain. They said it would aid in his recovery and actually help him to heal better and quicker.
Also, while we were talking to the nurses the surgeon Dr.Lior Sasson came in to check on Mustafa and explained different aspects of the surgery to us.
Below is the details of Mustafas condition called DSS.
Congenital obstruction of the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) affects approximately 3% to 10% of individuals with congenital heart disease, and discrete subaortic membrane accounts for 8% to 10% of all cases of LVOT obstruction in children. 1–3 This last condition presents as a membranous or fibromuscular ring below the aortic valve, either in isolation or in association with other congenital anomalies such as ventricular septal defect, patent ductus arteriosus, coarctation of the aorta, bicuspid aortic valve, abnormal left ventricular (LV) papillary muscle, atrioventricular septal defect, and persistent superior left vena cava. The condition is rarely diagnosed antenatally or in infancy but often manifests in the 1st decade of life with features of progressive LVOT obstruction, LV hypertrophy and dysfunction, or aortic regurgitation. The jet from the narrowed subaortic tract damages the aortic cusps and causes regurgitation; this damage may also render the aortic valve prone to infective endocarditis. 4Treatment is usually surgical. Despite adequate resection, there is a substantial recurrence rate among patients who have undergone operation for discrete membranous subaortic stenosis (DSS). Although membranectomy, with or without septal myotomy or myectomy, has been the accepted method of treating fixed subaortic stenosis, there are still controversies concerning operative methods and uncertainties concerning the recurrence of subaortic obstruction and the development of aortic insufficiency after repair. Our usual approach to DSS is membrane excision with resection of the septal myocardium.
Thank you for your prayers,
--
Hank R. Dannecker Jr.
CEO/President
CEO/President
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