Iraqi Boy Receives Life-saving Surgery in Israel

The Joshua Fund continues to bring Iraqi children to Israel for life-saving heart surgery. We do this by funding an evangelical Christian ministry that: 1) identifies the children in most need; 2) flies the children and at least one parent to and from Israel; 3) hosts their stay in Israel; and 4) arranges for Israeli Jewish doctors to provide medical care.

One recent example was Aram, an 18-month-old boy. Please pray for this dear little child and his family.

Aram was petrified of the hospital when he first arrived. He screamed and cried during the admittance procedures. Aram was then called to have his surgery ahead of other children only three days after arriving. This was unusual, and meant that his heart condition was so bad that the doctors wanted to proceed immediately. His mother, Shownim, was understandably concerned for her son.

Surgery took about three and a half hours and seemed to go well at first, and Aram and his mother were in very good spirits. Unfortunately, Aram did have some post-surgery complications. He had congestion in his lungs and developed a fever a few days after his surgery. It turned out that Aram had an upper respiratory infection that caused the buildup of mucous and the fever. He was treated with suction, antibiotics, and a decongestant breathing treatment. Although his condition wasn’t serious, his mother cried because she thought Aram’s illness was due to his cardiac surgery.

By God’s grace and excellent medical care, Aram’s condition improved. On the day he was discharged, his mother’s face was full of joy and pride. All signs of Aram’s infection were gone, and every now and then he would let a smile shine through those beautiful brown eyes. Everyone noticed a difference in Aram’s behavior as he became more adventurous, walking and exploring on his own (something he was not able to do with his heart condition). After he had his stitches removed, he left the hospital telling everyone, "halas moostachefa!" (which means, “bye, bye, hospital!” in Arabic).

Please pray that as little Aram grows stronger he and his family would know that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob loves him beyond anything his heart could hope for, dream of, or imagine. Please also pray that the Lord would bless this dear family with true peace, hope and forgiveness found only in Jesus Christ.

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