We are always so thankful to you who support us both through your prayers and your financial support. This sustains us through all sorts of challenges!
This month we have lots of good news to report for all your efforts! Two months ago we told about several patients with very serious problems and asked for your prayers on their behalf. The first was Nick, a 16 year old MK (missionary kid). He had a tumor pressing on his spinal cord and aorta, causing a rapidly progressing paralysis. Recently we received an email from his parents. Nick had a repeat MRI after his course of chemotherapy to see if the tumor had shrunk enough to allow another operation to try to remove the tumor completely. The tumor is gone! At least the MRI shows no residual tumor at all! Please continue to pray for Nick, especially that there isn't even one cell of cancer left, and that he will regain the ability to walk normally.
We also asked for your prayers for Ana Maria, a 2 1/2 year old twin who drank a hospital cleaning solution and had a respiratory arrest, but was resuscitated and air-lifted to a very specialized hospital in Paris and later transferred back to the United States. In addition to burning her esophagus, she also was discovered to have an exceedingly low magnesium and a serious heart/lung problem called "pulmonary hypertension." Not even the French or American specialists could explain why Ana had these problems in addition to the esophageal burns. But now Ana's esophagus seems to be completely healed (although she will still need some follow-up upper GI x-rays) and her latest ultrasound/echocardiogram showed that the pulmonary hypertension is gone! The cardiologist asked the parents if they had done the test on the wrong twin! Her magnesium is better, but not 100% cured. Please pray that the whole family can return to Romania soon, with no serious medical problems. And please thank and praise God for His wonderful works!
A third patient, Florentina, a 34 year old mother of two with an obvious cancer, but no adequate medical care through her previous doctors, received a biopsy at the hospital where Gabi's husband works and started on chemotherapy. She came to the office while we were gone and was feeling much better, with a much improved hemoglobin, etc. Again please pray for her continued healing!
We were back in the United States from October 4 through the 26th. We attended the American Academy of Family Practice Scientific Assembly in San Diego Oct. 13-20. The rest of the time we visited family and friends in Minneapolis, and searched for and found almost all the medical supplies that we really wanted to bring back with us. Like a year's supply of large catheters for Flori for his feeding tube and a heat sealer for our sterilization equipment. The "Sanitary Police" said if we had a heat sealer system, we could store sterilized instruments for 2 months instead of just 24 hours! The sealer costs about $600 here, but Global Health Ministries had one that had been in their warehouse since 1997, for free! We have become expert packers. All of our suitcases weighed 69.5 to 70 pounds exact, the limit for overseas air travel. Three of the 4 suitcases were for the clinic, including lots of books and literature that we received at the AAFP conference. We know that many people wanted to get together with us while we were back. We're sorry--there was even less time than usual and we ask for everyone's understanding.
We had specifically asked for prayer for doctors to come over to cover for us while we were gone. Again, the Lord answered those prayers wonderfully! While we were gone, Dr. Jantz, Dr. Dunbar and Dr. Hillman came from the United States and Dr. Dickey from Scotland. It was a great comfort to know that experienced Western doctors were here to continue caring for our patients and also to help train the Romanian staff. The staff appreciated them as well. We were able to meet and personally thank only Dr. Dickey, a Family Physician from the "Outer Islands" of Scotland who came to cover the last week that we were gone. We enjoyed having an extra couple days to get to know him before he left.
Our clinic also received enough support to pay the salaries this month, still mainly through donations, although the practice is definitely gaining momentum. One faithful supporter donated funds specifically to buy a chair for drawing blood. There is also enough for a small bonus for the staff that hopefully with continued support can become a permanent pay increase.
The only not-so-good news that we can think of this month is that Dr. Gross's mother is sick with several chronic medical conditions that are getting worse, and he and his family are going back to Guatemala for at least several months. If and when they can come back to Bucharest and start working in our clinic all depends on his mother's health. Please pray for Dr. Gross and his family and for much wisdom and discernment for them as they try to take care of his mother and still return to Romania.
There's still so much left to be done, so many challenges, especially with the medical and medical education "systems" (or more correctly "lack of system") here. We know that the problems are far bigger than the two of us or our staff. But we hope that we can make things better for some, in some small way, and serve as a model for others. And we know that God can make little things into big things, and big problems into little things or nothing at all. These last two months provide some very concrete examples that prayer works. We are always so very thankful to you for your prayers as well as your financial support. And we are also so thankful to God Who answers those prayers and Who provides for all of our needs.