As it is Friday evening, I should start with ‘Shabbat Shalom’.It is just after 11pm and Maria has been fast asleep for the past three hours. I’m sure she is exhausted from a day where she did not have any sleep due to her level of activity, with a few walks around the hospital complex. There is also quite a bit of storm activity outside. I think the ear plugs are doing her wonders!
Today was a rougher day pain-wise as her face continues to swell up. Both eyes are almost closed over as at bed time. We both had a laugh during our walks as people would either stare or look away. Maria was deciding whether to greet them with a “Shabbat Shalom” or poke her tongue out. It’s good to see she still retains a sense of humour. I have attached a couple of photos to the email, taken during one of our strolls.
In addition to the pain from the increased swelling around her face, she is being driven crazy by the dripping sound of fluid inside her head draining through the base of her skull (she calls it water torture).
Psychologically Maria said she is fine. She admits that in part this is because everything has happened at such a rapid rate and hasn’t had the opportunity to completely sink in.
The head surgeon (Head of Neurosurgery) here at Tel HaShomer Hospital has been a real blessing. They did an amazing job (removing a significant amount of the tumour without causing any brain damage), given the location and size of the tumour. We spoke with him this morning and given Maria’s progress, he expects that she could be home as early as Sunday. We also intend to play a role in that assessment.
Client service is not high on nurses’ priority lists in Israel (the Israelis and expats will appreciate what I mean), although they are really kind-hearted deep down. Most are Russian and Hebrew speakers only. This is helping my Hebrew develop, albeit slowly. This evening Marina (one of the Russian nurses) came in with a needle that she briefly explained needed to be inserted into Maria’s stomach area. Maria said that she expected it would be painful. The nurse scoffed, showing us the size of the needle point, at which time she jabbed it into Maria with some force, causing her to let out a controlled scream. The nurse walked off, while Maria and I just looked at each other and laughed. Apart from panadol/acamol/Tylenol (covering a multinational audience) and a cocktail of anti-seizure tablets taken each evening, Maria is on nothing else.
This is also a challenging time for Ben & Gabi, but even in the midst of adversity, they have been a real blessing. I have appreciated their tough questions, which I think I have managed to date, due significantly to watching and learning from a dear friend who had a similar experience in a tougher situation than ours. That experience has prepared me for now and the time to come. I am hopeful that I can have the necessary wisdom as I require it.
Gabi is a bit unwell, with a possible virus. Please keep her in your prayers. Dear friends are looking after Ben and Gabi over this weekend, which is really going to help as we prepare for Maria’s discharge.
Maria’s sister, Effie, will fly out of Sydney tomorrow (Saturday) and join us 33 hours later (arriving 10pm Sunday evening) to stay for three weeks. That will be an enormous help, especially as we will probably meet next Sunday with the doctors to learn of the pathology results.
I feel humbled by the ongoing support of everyone. I will try to get around to individual responses to emails, when time permits. The prayer, offers of support and acts of kindness has allowed us to get on with facing this challenge head-on.
I’m going to sleep now, on the arm chair next to Maria’s bed. After three days with very little sleep, I think I could sleep anywhere.
Love and blessings
Troy (on behalf of our family)
