Yaela was born at 24 weeks of pregnancy weighing 465 grams. She was born early because I had very severe preeclampsia and ended up in intensive care.
It was only a week after the birth that I saw Yaela for the first time. My husband took me in a wheelchair to the neonatal unit, where a nurse was waiting for me by the incubator, and then I saw her – a small, black, hairy creature. The nurse spoke, and to this day I have no idea what she said to me. I just got dizzy and my husband held me back, because I kept swaying. The doctors said there was no way she would live, and every day we were afraid that the neonatal unit would call to tell us that it was over. Day after day passed without a call, and I kept coming. One morning I decided that this was it, the girl would live, and so she did.
After 40 days, they wanted to remove her breathing tube with a drug that affects the head, and it didn't work, so they put her in for surgery. After the surgery, Yaela recovered and slowly gained weight, but really slowly. In between, she received blood transfusions and of course all kinds of infections. The days weren't easy.
We stayed in the maternity ward for exactly 5 months. Months with a lot of difficulty, ups, downs, 3 surgeries, even from which I didn't think she would survive. Every day I came – I would sit next to her from morning to night, praying and talking to her, singing to her a lot.
We were discharged home at 5 months old, weighing 2.900 kg, with oxygen 24/7. We stayed home all day and did not entertain – except for the grandparents, no one came into our house for a year. Checkups with a drop of milk, a doctor, and weekly physiotherapy were done at our home. We only left the house for frequent hospital visits.
At the age of one year and 9 months, Yaela entered a therapeutic setting. The adjustment was very difficult, because until then she had not seen anyone except us. Slowly she opened up and blossomed there. She learned to sit and crawl. It was difficult for her to feel touch with her hands and feet and deep touch.
At the age of one year and 10 months, she began to wean herself off oxygen – for half an hour, an hour at a time, and so slowly she only slept with oxygen (even in kindergarten).
Towards the end of the year, the unbelievable happened – she started standing with support. It was very exciting and simply unbelievable for us! She also started swimming amazingly, with a companion of course. At the beginning of the second year, at the age of two and nine, Yaela started walking with a walker. In between, the kindergarten prepared a communication booklet for her in which she signs us with pictures of what she wants, and that's how she communicates, because she still doesn't speak. They taught her sign language. At the age of three, she already says a few words and understands much better what she wants and signs us complete sentences through the booklet. She loves walking with the walker, she even ran with it. At the age of three and four months, we weaned her off the oxygen – and that was a big sigh of relief – happiness!!!
Our Yaela, for us, is a superhero, a warrior and larger than life! She taught us what true love is, patience, happiness, fighting, tenderness, heroism and the appreciation of our lives. Despite the difficult path we are going through and will continue to go through, and with the great faith we have in ourselves, we are sure that with her strong will, Yaela will reach greatness and prove to the world that it is possible – and everything!!
