We’ve had a lot of people checking in about updates regarding Kelly since the last newsletter. We really appreciate your love, concern and support of us! Just as a refresher, we let you know that we were having to wait for another MRI to see if the lesion has changed in the 2 months since the May MRI. This next MRI is scheduled for July 14, and we have a follow up appointment at Tampa General Hospital (TGH) on July 17th to discuss the results. So, we have been basically “on hold” since then. We are planning to send out an update to all as we’re able following that appointment .
In the meantime, we had a supporting church that had a connection to a different neurologist who offered to review Kelly’s MRI scans and he came back with the same conclusions as TGH- He doesn’t think the headaches are caused by the lesion, and lesion is something that he would continue to monitor with serial MRI’s. As also stated by the board of doctors at USF/Tampa, the lesion does not appear to have any characteristics of cancer, and could be something that Kelly has had since birth.
TMJ - Some Hope
Despite the positive feedback, she has continued to suffer from persistent symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, and lightheadedness, which seemed to be worsening at the end of June (after briefly improving in May). This has left us feeling a bit uncertain about how to proceed, and a bit frustrated. However, a visit to a chiropractor here has offered some hope (Shout out to Dr. McKeon in Lake Wales, FL). He noticed that Kelly’s neck and jaw muscles were extremely tight, and wondered if TMJ (temporomandibular joint) issues were contributing to her headaches. She does have a history of clenching/grinding her teeth. He has a masseuse in his clinic that does TMJ-specific massages, and referred her for that. The masseuse said her two main chewing muscles were in extreme spasm. After having the massage and given daily exercises to do, Kelly has finally felt relief for the last few days. Her lightheadedness (and other random things like eye twitches) have significantly improved. It’s still early, but she’s going to seek out a couple other treatments to help address this issue and we are praying she will continue to see improvement. She’s also gone off all pain meds in case some of her headaches were “rebound” (medication overuse headaches).
Despite a pretty rough June, we are grateful for the unwavering support and love we have received from our church communities. Every supporting church we've visited, along with several others, has either laid hands on us and prayed or offered prayers from the pulpit. This outpouring of love has deeply moved us and reminded us of the power of prayer. We are grateful for the love and care of the saints. The church has truly been the hands and feet of Jesus to us. We have learned the importance of sharing our trials and struggles with the body of Christ, who have been a loving and caring group of people, representing Christ well.
Additionally, we have been well cared for in the U.S., thanks to the financial gifts from those who have generously sent support. God has provided for us through all of you, and we thank you deeply for that.
Walking in Faith
As we sit down to plan our next steps, we are assuming the upcoming MRI results will be positive, and we are aiming to return to Kenya between July 22nd and 25th. Kelly is supposed to start back at work on August 1st, with students returning on August 8th. We have some options there to help continue with work on the TMJ issues.
To be honest, we feel a little anxious because we are unsure if Kelly will be able to handle a full teaching schedule. We are concerned that her health issues may not be fully resolved, and are uncertain about the next steps. However, we are determined to walk in faith and obedience, doing what God has called us to do in Kenya. We hope and pray that Kelly’s headaches will subside, but we also trust that God gives us grace, even amidst our suffering (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). We hold onto the promise in 1 Peter 5:10: "And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you." May it be so, Lord Jesus! Please continue to pray for us, for Kelly, and that God may be glorified through this, using it for our good (Romans 8:28). Pray for us that we will remember and hold tightly to the good and release the uncertain and the frustrating to God.
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