Hamam: In Intensive Care

Hamam just woke up after receiving heart surgery. He's a little grumpy.

When you wake up after heart surgery, you feel a little rough. You might even lose your smile. 

Hamam is ignoring the new plastic front end loader on his bed. He doesn’t pay any attention to the video games that distracted him yesterday. 

The busy boy I knew before his heart surgery is quiet and still. He has some good naps. He doesn’t say much, except to call for his mom when she’s been visiting at other patients’ beds too long. 

While Hamam's mom gets a little rest, a friend sits with her son after heart surgery.

This intensive care unit is a small community. Moms and kids have dealt with a lot together in just a few short days. They’ve all been through fear, tests, and patient waiting. They watch each other’s children to allow time for a bathroom break or quick meal—comforting and distracting with “shush shush shush,” a seemingly universal language of moms.

But we’re happy to say that the surgery went well! Everything looks good for Hamam. And we’re all hoping that he’s up on his feet soon.

Hamam needs a little time to adjust after surgery...

It’s like a whirlwind here! And we have little internet access. As soon as we could, we uploaded a video of Hamam’s story. Over the next day and a half, we’re going to share our thoughts as we walked through the surgery with Hamam and his mom. You can read more of his story here.