Home Again

Sorry for not updating everyone sooner. We came home from the hospital Tuesday night, just in time for the Rosh Hashana holiday on Wednesday evening. Wednesday was spent doing last minute cooking and getting used to Avigayil's new feeding pump at home. The company that gave us the pump told me that they were sending the disposable parts by courier but that the service was not working on Wednesday (the whole country shut down from Wednesday thru Saturday this week for Rosh Hashana). We would not get them until Sunday. The hospital gave us what we needed so that we would have in the meantime. Then, on Wednesday morning there was a knock at the door. The delivery man was there with our (very large) box.

I thanked him and said "I thought you don't work today". "We don't" he said. "But the company told us it was for a sick baby and we wanted to make sure you had what you needed before the holiday." I was blown away. This is the kind of kindness that characterizes life in Israel.

Thursday and Friday went well, but on Shabbos (Saturday) morning, we ended up in an ambulance racing back to the hospital. Why? Avigayil got a cold.

I. Kid. You. Not.

When preemies with lung problems get sick, they really get sick. She was vomiting (for an hour straight!), had a fever and her O2 sats where going down to 70. So, we called an ambulance and went back to our favorite place on earth.

Our neighborhood has an amazing organization called Hachovesh Har Nof. It is an ambulance staffed by volunteers who live in the neighborhood. When a call comes in, whoever is close drops whatever they are doing and runs to help. Within a minute of my calling for help the first EMT showed up at our door. Soon there were several more men running in breathless to see if they could help. The call had gone out, Baby with trouble breathing, saturations down to 70 (which really is very low). I was touched by the many people who dropped everything to come to our aide.

She and I where quickly loaded into the ambulance and taken away. Later in the day, one of the crew members even came by (after another hospital run) to see how she was doing. This is not the first time we have had to call them. In all, Hachovesh has rescued us 4 times. Twice for Avigayil, once when Shimmy broke his arm and once when Chavi split her head open in the middle of our historic blizzard this past winter. Every time they have been quick, professional, and extremely helpful. Everything is always done with extreame care and sensitiveity. I could never thank them enough.

We are home now and hope to stay that way for a while. Avigayil has an appointment for the pediatric day hospital on Wednesday. We still have some medications and equipment to pick up. Hopefully though, we can find time to just hang out in our PJ's and not go anywhere for a while. I think we have earned it.