At eight months old, our baby Yosef had RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) which lasted for about two weeks in his system before he collapsed and was rushed to the Emergency room on December 3, 2019. He had a profound dehydration and doctors found out his heart was enlarged. On that same night, he was airlifted to MUSC hospital at Charleston,SC where his condition worsened rapidly, he was intubated and was hooked on a lot of medications, he was sedated and very unstable.

      Yosef is diagnosed with Dilated Cardiomyopathy, a condition where the heart is enlarged and cannot pump blood effectively. His body was very sensitive to any changes, causing his lactic acid to rise. Doctor’s last option was to put him on VAD (Ventricular Assistive Device) they call a Berlin heart, which is a bridge for transplant. It was a successful operation and he is now on a heart transplant waitlist.

     Yosef has been in the hospital for almost 2 months now. We are currently staying at the Ronald McDonald house which is a walking distance from the hospital. A week after his major operation (December 12, 2019), he was moved to the step down unit and has been doing very well since. He is now 10 months old, able to sit down with little assistance, does tummy time, trying to reach his milestones with the help of his Physical Therapist. There have been improvements with the functions of his heart but as of now, a heart transplant is still the best option.

     We are thankful for his amazing team of doctors and nurses. They took really good care of him and have been very supportive to our family. It was a tough journey, as a parent it was hard watching our son fight for his life. But Yosef proved to us that he is indeed a strong boy. His big brother Yoel has always said that to him since he was a newborn and now we know why. We are thankful we have a God who hears  prayers, we are thankful for our supportive family, church mates and friends. And we are thankful to everyone who joined us in our baby Yosef’s journey to recovery through prayers and encouragement. May God bless you all.