A baby girl's life was saved at Hadassah thanks to oncology treatment, which began when she was only two weeks old, after doctors diagnosed a very large and rare tumor in her abdomen that endangered her life, and fought to cure it.
A week and a half after the birth, the mother of Hila the midwife noticed that her new granddaughter's stomach was unusually hard.
After many tests at the emergency room, it was discovered that she was suffering from a very large tumor in her abdomen, which put her in immediate danger of death.
Dr. Dror Raviv, a physician in the Department of Pediatric Oncology, has been fighting for her life, and today she is healthy and intact.
"The baby came to the Hadassah Mount Scopus emergency room when she was about two weeks old, after the parents noticed that her stomach was getting bloated and the girl was not eating well," Dr. Raviv said.
"After many tests, which included CT and MRI, a pediatric emergency team on Mount Scopus discovered that she was suffering from a very large tumor in her abdomen.
She was immediately transferred for further treatment to the Department of Pediatric Hemato-Oncology in Ein Kerem, where we identified that she suffers from a disease called neuroblastoma, a tumor typical of infants under two years of age.
The tumor that was discovered was very life-threatening, caused significant pressure in the abdomen and required immediate treatment and treatment. "
The baby's journey to recovery, when she is two weeks old in total, began at Hadassah.
"The care of small children is sensitive, but in such a tiny baby, of course twice as sensitive," Dr. Raviv emphasized.
'We decided in the first stage to give her chemotherapy, and after a few treatments we examined its effect.
We found that the tumor did not respond to treatment at all, so we tried another treatment.
This is a rare case of liver tumor, which included two lumps, which continued to grow and endanger its life - a small lump and metastases that occupied the entire volume of the liver.
This is a rare condition in which such a tumor causes a life-threatening condition at such a level, and the fact that the tumor did not respond to the chemotherapy treatment surprised us greatly.
We were in a difficult dilemma regarding the type of treatment, whether to give additional chemotherapy cycles or other treatments.
We have consulted with specialists and other medical centers around the world and received recommendations for different types of treatments when it is important to remember that each has its own symptoms and risks.
In the end we decided to continue with chemotherapy - but a different treatment, and we insisted on giving him a chance to act, as this is the least dangerous option.
Fortunately, the treatment proved to be successful.
Her condition gradually improved until we could release her to her home.
The tumor was absolutely aggressive, she is a real warrior and we were the warriors by her side.
We are happy that today she is healthy and whole. '
The baby's parents, who live in Ma'ale Adumim, did not believe that such a medical condition would be welcomed shortly after the birth of their daughter.
The baby's mother, Hila, described: 'She was born in late October, and since she was born she has not been comfortable at all.
We were sure it was a matter of character, she had passed all the tests properly and nothing unusual would have appeared on his face.
We did not know that she was actually suffering and the discomfort was due to pain.
A week and a half after the birth my mother told me that her stomach was too hard and that it did not look right to her.
This is my second child, I assumed her stomach is hard because of gas or body structure, since they saw nothing after the birth and all the tests.
That evening, she had already started vomiting and we realized that something was wrong, and the next day we found ourselves in the emergency room at Hadassah Mount Scopus. At the screening, they performed extensive tests, checked for intestinal obstruction and were sent for an ultrasound - where it was discovered that the liver was enlarged. When we returned to the emergency room, we asked Dr. David Rechtman, director of the pediatric emergency department at Hadassah Mount Scopus, to check her as well, and after conducting tests, he told us that we should prepare for a long time and that she would not go home soon. After three days in the pediatric ward on Mount Scopus that included many tests, the doctor who treated her and the gastroenterologist told us that the baby had a tumor in her abdomen, but in the same breath said that it was treatable.
We were completely shocked, we were broken, it was a severe concussion, it was a terrible disease in itself and even more not perceived when it happens at such a young age.
We were told that an MRI scan was needed to confirm the diagnosis, and if it was indeed a tumor, we would move to the Pediatric Oncology Department in Ein Kerem.
We were transferred to Hadassah Ein Kerem, a ward that specializes in treating children with cancer, where Dr. Raviv, the doctor who treated her, explained that the baby was in a very dangerous condition and needed to be treated as soon as possible.
Really within a week of hospitalization, she started her first chemotherapy cycle.
When she did not respond to the first treatment it was a real fracture.
But we did not give up.
The medical staff did not stop looking for the best solution, consulted with medical centers all over the world, and we too did not lose hope and kept trying to figure out what to do next.
Just then, miraculously, Dr. Raviv decided, after very hard deliberations, to give another chance to chemotherapy of a different kind, and in the last cycle of treatment there was an sudden improvement, the indices stabilized and she began to eat more, seeing that she was really progressing.
Eventually, we were released home after three months of hospitalization.
Today she is in good condition, and we are grateful for every part of the arduous journey we went through.
About half a year since we were released, our daughter fills in all the developmental gaps - she crawls upside down and even goes to daycare.
It is inconceivable to see over and over again her abilities, the restoration she has undergone and is still undergoing, the hair that has grown, the lashes and eyebrows that have lengthened.
We get excited about every little thing she does, and are happy to present and hold her always knowing it is not obvious, and just as we went out with her home the opposite could have happened.
Today we can look ahead and focus on the positive in life, knowing we have gone through the impossible.
Because of the long period in the ward, we were privileged to get to know all of the ward physicians and the nursing staff.
Everyone took care of her all the time, we had a listening ear and the connection that was created was unique - the nurses would visit even if they were not responsible for her on the same shift, the doctors Dr. Sigal Weinreb, Dr. Hoodia Cohen, Dr. Adi Nitzan Lux, did Above and beyond taking care of her, and the service girls in the ward helped us a lot with all the little things.
This experience is traumatic on every possible scale, for any parent no matter how severe the disease is in their child.
I was afraid to connect with the fear that at any moment I might lose her.
I did the everyday things, and kept waiting to hear the moment when they would say there was improvement, but instead we went through another cycle of chemotherapy.
I was afraid of what the outcome would be and I had no control over the situation until with the help of the psychologist and the nursing staff I changed my perception, I lived day in and day out without thinking about what would happen next, I realized no one was to blame and I had no one to be angry with.
I gave my daughter the best she could even if it was temporary, even if her fate was predetermined.
Today I see the special connection we have, the power she gives, her inconceivable optimism, innocence and wisdom.
The calm and quiet she had while coping was a miracle for us.
So small, and so powerful, people go through a lifetime without discovering inner strengths as she discovered at her age. '
The baby's father added: "When we discovered the disease I was broken, but I also realized that if I did not act quickly, I could lose my daughter at any moment.
I knew I had to maintain optimism and composure otherwise it was almost impossible to survive such a long time in a hospital.
Staying in the Department of Pediatric Oncology was difficult, along with the new title added to us 'Parents of a Baby with Cancer' it is not easy.
"This ward is not simple, we have been exposed to a unique team, people who do sacred work. The intensity of the work and the sensitive situation in which they find themselves requires the medical staff - nurses and doctors alike, to have high emotional intelligence. The treatment and the stay become an unbearable mental difficulty.
"We were hospitalized during the corona period, meaning there were no more family members with us in the ward, just me and my wife. Not everyone who enters this whirlpool gets an end like ours, I pray that everyone will recover and there will be no more children to suffer, and I am also glad that I get to get up every morning and see my daughter's bed full and not empty, I get a smile from ear to ear and laughter Rolling - the most beautiful tune I've ever heard in my life. "