A Busy Start to Day 3!
We are back in Amman, Jordan with our partners Gift of Life International – Jordan and Chain of Hope. It is our third day in Jordan and the ICU is busier than ever! Our team only has two more days here at the Jordan University Hospital, and we are keeping the momentum going.
This morning there were many events happening in the ICU. The Jordanian TV came to the hospital to film interviews of those involved in the visit, and we had Rofan’s team of fundraisers here as well!
Hamza’s father interviewing for Jordan TV.
The ICU filled with children covered in Gift of Life International blankets, lying next to their teddy bears!
Rofan’s Fundraising Team
The two young men who raised money for Rofan.
Yesterday, we mentioned that Rofan had a group of people at a local school that raised $6,000 to donate to her for the procedure she needed. Today they got to come visit the hospital and meet Rofan herself!
The group that raised money for Rofan got to see her for the first time and discuss her conditions with Rob Raylman, Ruba Karadsheh, Saed Karadsheh, and Na’el Musharbash.
Though Rofan was still recovering and not very awake yet, the group was still grateful to have been able to help. When asked what their goal and vision was when they began raising the money to donate, one of the boys answered, “We just pictured saving a life and now here we are.” The two boys from International Community School are 17 and 18 years old and raised the money by hosting bake sales. along with other larger events. They said the event that raised the most money was their winter market.
The group pictured with Rofan, Na’el Musharbash, and Rob Raylman.
This winter market would have multiple vendors show up to sell their goods, and a percentage of all proceeds for each of the sales that a vendor did went to the school and Rofan! The boys also told us, “We hope that other people and schools see what we are doing and it encourages them to do the same. We want to start a ripple.” It is remarkable what these young men have done and we are grateful for their hard work and dedication to healing little hearts!
Haya’s Heart Healing Journey
Haya before surgery.
Haya, a Jordanian child, was diagnosed with a ventricular septal defect (VSD) when she was still in her mother’s stomach! Since birth she has required specialized care. Though she did not experience the blue tinting of the skin or trouble breathing that is common in children with VSDs, she did experience fatigue when breastfeeding.
To treat Haya’s VSD, the surgeon will open up her chest, locate the hole in her heart, and place a patch over the hole! This patch is usually made of Gore-Tex, the same material used to make your rain jackets and hiking boots waterproof! How cool?!
Haya will spend the rest of the night and day tomorrow recovering in the ICU with our fantastic team to keep her comfortable.
Comfort, Cuddles, and Communication: Keeping the ICU Calm
Speaking of comfort… The act of keeping patients calm and comfortable in the intensive care unit is crucial, especially in pediatric care. Did you know that when babies get upset, they squeeze and shut down? This can be critical to the healing of their heart. If they get upset and squeeze hard enough, they can tighten their heart so much that it can even lead to cardiac arrest.
Gift of Life International passes out teddy bears, blankets, and t-shirts to every child treated to help them feel relaxed and pacified. Our teams, both visiting and local, also take precautions to keep the children comfortable so that their stress does not affect recovery. For example, Elias (the first child to receive surgery this week), does not like to lay flat! Every time he was laid flat, he would begin wailing. That is, until someone would lift his back so that he was in a sitting position. Immediately, his heart rate, blood pressure, and saturation levels would go back to a good spot! He would even fall asleep!
Faris with his blanket and bear.
Hamza with his blanket and bear.
Another example of keeping children calm and comfortable is soothing a child when they begin to cry. Nurse Becky Howard spends a good amount of her day “shhh”-ing the babies in the ICU! She is almost as good of a “shusher” as she is a nurse!
Nurse Becky Howard comforting Faris today.
Once the children are healed enough for the parents to come sit by their side (usually within the first day), mom and dad can take over the comforting of their children. Until then, our team handles the situation with enthusiasm and love!
Dr. Saad Faroz comforting Faris.
Hamza’s father keeps him company in the ICU.
Almost There!
We are officially halfway through the week, having only two surgeries on Thursday left to go! The original plan (to have two surgeries everyday until Thursday) was thrown off track due to unprecedented circumstances, causing the team to have to switch surgeries around. Due to these changes, one surgery will be postponed until the next visit! Don’t worry, the child will be perfectly fine! Gift of Life International would not push the surgery of a child if it was not safe to do so. Stay tuned into the end of the week to meet one of our doctors, the Gift of Life International – Jordan vice-chair, and learn more about the diversity of our Gift of Life International team here in Amman, Jordan!
Brenda Small is the Operations Consultant at Gift of Life International. She assumed this role in 2012.
Brenda was inspired to help children in need with heart disease after her third child was born with a complex heart defect and underwent successful open-heart surgery in her first year of life. Brenda learned of Gift of Life International in 2006 at which time she established Gift of Life Los Angeles where she holds the position of President. Between 2008 and 2012, Brenda volunteered her time to help with Gift of Life International in addition to running Gift of Life Los Angeles.
From 2012 to 2022, Brenda held the position of Director of Operations for Gift of Life International. Today, she continues this lifesaving work as Operations Consultant. Brenda also implemented the Nutritional Program in El Salvador in 2008 which has now provided nutritional support to more than 250 children and their families. Brenda has traveled with many of the Gift of Life training teams and witnessed these precious lives being saved.
