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Grandma Donna Wrote,

A email from Kieva,

Email I received 11/25/ 2025

I copied a portion of the email and pasted it here. 

I wanted to let you know that right now my baby and I are still in the PCICU. He had open heart surgery about a week and a half ago. He did pretty good for a bit, then crashed. He was intubated and they found he had some sort of pneumonia but they don't know why. All viruses he was tested for came back negative. A few days later he was off of the vent but that only lasted a few days. 

Kieva gave me permission to post a photo of Jacob.

Please help keep Baby Jacob, Kieva and their family covered in prayer through this difficult time. This photo was taken before his heart surgery.  Grandma Donna 

Abba, we ask that you cover this family with your comfort and healing. Please give them courage and strength. Bless the doctors and nurses caring for them and grant them wisdom. Amen. 

Absolutely!  What a difficult time for baby Jacob and his parents!

As we in the U.S. give thanks this week, let's remember this precious baby and give thanks for him, for his medical providers and his family as well as prayers for comfort, healing and meticulous, loving care.

He is so precious. I will add him to my morning and evening prayers. May God give you strength and peace as you travel this valley.

Kieva, you, baby Jacob, your family, and the entire medical staff are in my prayers.

wat een moeilijke tijd voor hen allen. En ja gebed is een krachtig wapen in deze strijd. We zullen hen zeker gedenken in onze gebeden. Veel liefs uit Nederland

 @Kieva I am sending prayers for you to stay strong during this difficult time. Baby Jacob, you are in my prayers this evening and every day. May Jacob be healed by a loving and caring team of doctors and nurses. Amen

praying for precious baby Jacob, as well as his mama and all the medical staff that God would give them wisdom and answers. Praying for strength to endure this excruciating time of waiting and peaks and valleys. Love, prayers and hugs. 

I am praying as well.  

You are certainly in my prayers for you, Jacob and the rest of your family. It’s hard to understand why we have to go through these challenges. But know that The Lord will always be beside you lifting you up. His Grace and Mercy are all encompassing. He will never give us more than we can bear. That’s His promise in the Bible. I’m praying that He will give you strength, wisdom and courage for each new day. 
May His blessings follow you everywhere's you go. 
When you need anything go to Him in prayer. He will always be there beside you every step of your journey. 
God bless each one of you and know that others are praying for you as well. 

Bless him! Please know that many doctors involved is a good sign; they want to give him the best chance possible. Constant attention from nurses, I see that as a sign they believe he will make it and therefore  are putting everything they can behind him.

Awww, bless him. I too, am saying a special prayer for little Jacob and his parents, who are dealing with this anxiety and worry. I think if the doctors are optimistic, there is the best chance that he will soon be going home. In any case, special prayers are being said. 

prayers!!

In my experience medical staff keeps optimism on a short leash so if they're showing it then they probably have seen similar babies do ok with the prescribed regimen. 

I had a nurse friend years ago who would often be assigned to sit by a baby who was most fragile and just watch.

Jacob is so precious!!

I will also being praying  for baby Jacob and Kieva. May God give you both strength and healing ????Please keep us updated . 
May you all also have a wonderful thanksgiving this week. 

Heavenly Father, 

You knit Jacob together in his mothers womb, there is nothing about him that is hidden from your eyes. We lift Jacob before You, asking for your healing touch. Give the Dr's eyes to see what they need to see. Give them wisdom to assist with Jacobs healing. Direct their thoughts to the correct answers.  We know that nothing is impossible for you.

We also lift up Kieva, Father, give her your peace  knowing that you have her son in the palm of your hand and will carry him through this valley of the unknown.

And we thank in advance for the answered prayer. 

In your Sons' blessed name....... AMEN

What a wonderful harvest!  Seems a lot more meaningful coming from your own garden!  Happy Thanksgiving to you Grandma Donna and family and to all here.  Praying especially for Kieva and Jacob and family, raising them up in prayer, thanking God for the wonderful people He put in place to work around the clock to heal Jacob.  We look to God during turbulent times, and thank Him for His gift of life and peace through Him.  God is in control.  Praying also that Jacob will be able to come home soon.   In Jesus' name, Amen.

Deep and loving prayers for baby Jacob and Kieva, family and medical staff.

Lisa W in her prayer spoke of Jacob being held in the palm of God's hand.  I have heard it phrased  in maybe a hymn as the "hollow of His hand".  That suggests a very safe place to be.  When you think of the palm of someone's hand you see a flat outstretched surface.  When you think of the hollow of a hand you see a hand cupped forming a "hollow"  in the middle, the thumb curves around on one side and the four fingers  curl around with one creating a wall on the other side and the other three fingers curve over the top forming sort of a shield.  All in all, a very  safe place to find yourself----- shielded from harm on all sides. 

Take care and stay optimistic.

Victoria

Dear Kieva know that our Abba (Father God, Creator of all things) knows you and your precious son Jacob by name. I pray for you both for healing, comfort and strength.  I am truly sorry you are going through this time of uncertainty.  Nothing hurts a Mama’s heart like not being able to protect her child.  You feel powerless’ I know.  I am praying and will continue so long as needed.  Much love and warm hugs.
Sara

Thank you everyone for your prayers and thoughts and thank you Donna for posting this. I had not expected this when I emailed you earlier. This morning was really hard for me. Last night was filled with anxiety. All our ears were tuned to the monitors for the first signs of his vitals dropping. The docs and nurses had their responses down so well that they'd swoop in seamlessly, bag him, and pop his vitals right back up within a couple minutes. But the fact that that had to happen over and over again was really hard to witness. My hopes were really low by morning. I have a bit more hope this evening. 

Today he got his heart surgery stitches out and the scar looks really good. I am shocked at how good it looks and expect it will hardly be noticed in a few years.  Also his lung is no longer deflated (turns out it wasn't an actual collapse. I didn't know there's a difference between a collapse and a deflate) and his hands and feet have color to them and are warm now. So we had a few things that brought hope back. I hope to see him awake again in a day or two and maybe off the ventilator by next week. 

 Jacobs Down Syndrome and rare gene mutation (MYH7) is making treatment an extra challenge for the docs. As far as I am aware there are no documented cases of anyone having both of these diagnoses together.  Both of which affect his heart in different ways. He had a complete AV Canal defect from the Down Syndrome and thickening of the septal wall (particularly the left side of his heart) due to the gene mutation. The treatment for one can compete with the treatment for the other if I understand right. Unfortunately these docs can't look back to other cases like this one for reference because there simply aren't any. There are a couple similar cases but not with this documented gene mutation. So I know he brings extra challenges which raises my level of concern. 

Thank you all again for your prayers. These doctors in particular need them so much. God knows the structure of his heart and the plans He has for Jacob. I'm praying for strength to accept any answer that comes. 

God bless

Kieva, you are the mom that God wanted Jacob to have. This is the journey He wanted you to have together. My prayers for you both & the rest of the family and the staff. 

Praying for your precious little boy, and for you dear mother. xxxx

What a lovely reminder to give thanks for all of our harvests this year. Our harvest of knowledge about 1930 that helps us make the most of what we have, too! :) 

Kieva A -- What wonderful care Jacob is receiving! They really know their job, don't they? Only God knows tomorrow, but I think the medical staff is sharing their confidence with you. :) I pray that you are released from anxiety. You really love baby Jacob, and of course you do! :) Big hugs to you! 

Sending thoughts and bright blessings across the sea for baby Jacob and his family, such a precious soul.

Happy thanksgiving to our US neighbours, I hope you have a good time celebrating with your loved ones

Sending prayers for Jacob and his family.   

Victoria W,

The saying of " God  has you in the palm of His hand" comes from the Bible, Isaiah 49:16

I am sending prayers to Baby Jacob and Kieva.  His medical team is watching out for him and it is encouraging to hear his progress.  

Happy Thanksgiving to those celebrating.

I've prayed for sweet little baby Jacob, your family, and the doctors to have the skills and wisdom they need.

Complete healing.

In Jesus Precious Name.

Baby Jacob is so precious. He reminds me of my Baby Harry, now 12 years old. I've spent many fearful nights in PCICU, Kieva. It's hard. It's frightening. But, you and Baby Jacob are so strong. 

My son has Hypoplastic Left Heart, which required 3 open heart surgeries. Each one was harder than the last. I remember the incessant beeping of the machines, the pitiful whimpers of pain, and the chest tubes. IYKYK. Those chest tubes are the worst. 

Even though he's 12, I never stop worrying about him. But you do learn to cherish every moment. They're our most special gift.

Melissa: Bless you, too. And I hope you and your boy Harry have a lovely Thanksgiving.  

Thank you, Claudia.  A very happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate here!

I wish Jacob, Kieva, and their family all the strength and hope in the world. Everything will be alright!! 

I myself had two babies in intensive care for months at a time and know the fears and doubts, but also the joy over every small improvement.
Living in Kyiv right now certainly makes the situation much more difficult than it was for us back in Germany.

My thoughts are with you.

Thanksgiving plays almost no role in Germany. There are services in churches, but it's not a family holiday. Families here get together at Christmas and Easter. Then there are regularly traffic jams on the roads, and the trains are so crowded that many people have to stand in the aisles for long stretches.
That's why our family decided that we always meet shortly before or after the holidays. It's more relaxed for everyone and brings just as much joy.
We'll probably roast a duck for Christmas if I can get one cheaply. Since I use everything and boil the bones later, one bird is enough for 8 to 10 servings.

We normally buy beef for Christmas. During good years, we'd roast a tenderloin. Considering the price of beef this year, we decided to buy an extra turkey at Thanksgiving and freeze it for Christmas. I'll buy a small ham for my daughter who doesn't like turkey, and all will be well. 

My husband grew up eating turkey on Christmas, so no hardship for him. We both grew up eating Pierogies on Christmas Eve. Since they're easy to make and cost effective, we'll continue that tradition this year.

I just don't see the value in spending so much money on one meal. I looked into buying a quarter cow, but I want to sample their meat before I make such a big investment. Sometimes, I don't care for the taste of grass-fed beef.

My dad used to complain about the commercialization of Christmas when he was alive. This was back in the late nineties! I can't imagine how he'd feel these days. I had a nice talk with my 12 and 16 year old. I told them they will get more practical gifts this year and maybe less than past years. I just don't agree with the senseless spending and never ending clutter. 

I meant only to copy the quote regarding your dad (in the nineties). I heard my parents say that in the seventies and eighties! It is true though, that Christmas and other holidays too, are seemingly competitions between people and corporations to go buying a lot of stuff. On the news, one rarely hears about a nice service or a special presentation of music but we always hear about how much spending is being tracked. Just last week I heard that Christmas shopping was down this year due to the tariffs affecting goods. I also remember my mum being astonished at goods going on sale in September in America, whereas in her country Christmas was apparent two weeks before the actual date! Then, shop windows and bakeries and the like would be decorated beautifully for the coming holiday. But yes, I think that too much emphasis is on gift-giving (not that we should not have any!) instead of the spirit of the event. Although actually we should keep the spirit of Christmas alive all year round! Here at our house we give one gift and have a nice dinner. We usually have a turkey and dressing, and a choice of apple or pumpkin pie for a treat; we don't eat too many pies and cakes anymore. We have no children; but any gifts I give outside the home to special people are well considered and often home made. I don't agree with senseless spending either.

I meant to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving Grandma Donna and Charles and prayers for precious little Jacob's healing. Please strengthen his parents during this very difficult time too, amen ~ Linda x