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July
9, 2007
By
Dorsey Burk
It’s
been a bumpy six months. This will sound like the Perils
of Pauline.
My wife Bev was hospitalized in January for a fungal (yeast) infection in the
blood. That necessitated a new IV line. In March she began running an extremely
high fever. That led to the discovery that the fungal infection was back—if it
ever totally left—and had damaged the aortic heart valve. After a couple of
weeks of Amphoterecine, a.k.a. “Ampho Terrible,” she was released from the
hospital on April 12, but returned daily to the Cancer Center to continue the
Amphoterecine therapy.
The
Amphoterecine infusion continued until May 27. A trans-esophageal
echo-cardiogram showed that the Amphoterecine had effectively killed the fungal
infection on the heart valve and heart surgery would not be needed. (The doctors
did not think she could survive surgery to replace the valve, and the best
medical alternative was the medication.)
Except
. . .
After she returned from her nephew’s wedding and niece’s graduation on the
West Coast, regular blood tests showed that her kidneys were failing. This was
Tuesday, June 12. Instead of following the doctor’s order to go immediately to
the ER for possible dialysis, Bev and I went to church.
She felt fine. Jason Scisco, Pastor Tracy, and others prayed for Bev after the
service. There was a strong anointing. On Wednesday morning, two of her doctors
called quite upset because she was not in the hospital. One said that if
something was not done about the kidneys, she would be dead within 48 hours. She
still felt good. More blood tests showed that her kidney function was getting
worse, so she finally returned to the hospital. Her creatinine level was 7.5; it
should be 1.0-1.8, some say .8-1.4. The kidney damage was a direct result of the
Amphoterecine treatment. She still felt good.
Her kidney function improved, and she was released from the hospital a week ago
last Monday. The next day, she began running a 103.2 fever and was admitted
again to the hospital. She had double pneumonia. She felt terrible! Her
breathing was difficult because of all of the fluid in the lungs, a.k.a.
congestive heart failure. She was put in ICU last Thursday for a few days. One
doctor said her lungs were “trashed.” She’ll be on three different
antibiotics for another week.
God has heard our prayers, however, and she is improving. The pneumonia seems to
be clearing up. Her blood oxygen levels are up. She is feeling better, even
though one doctor said it may take up to six weeks for her to fully recover from
the pneumonia. On Monday her creatinine level was down to 1.9. The renal
specialist did not think it would ever get that low because of the damage to the
kidneys.
Should
Be Dead
Two of her doctors have stated that she’s a medical miracle. The fungal
infection in the blood, the kidney failure, or the double pneumonia could have
easily killed her. She told Dr. Hermann that it was only because of prayer. She
replied, “But I’ve never seen it work so often!”
There are times when a person is too sick to pray and when the caregivers are
too overwhelmed. That’s when they must rely on friends to intercede. The
Gospels record the story of the four men who brought their friend to Jesus. The
Bible says that when Jesus saw their faith, He healed the sick man. Thank
you for being a friend and praying for Bev and me.
The Bible also tells the story of Job. The scriptures say that God “turned
the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends” (Job 42:10). It’s
easy to focus on your own pain and needs and become self-centered. I thank you
for your continued prayers for Bev and me, but I ask you to join me in praying
for Robert Fuller, Lonnie Brown, and their families. We want to be their friends
too, as they face their own crisis.
God is a God of miracles. What seems like a medical impossibility is only an
opportunity for Him to demonstrate His power and might. Bev and I look forward
to the day when she is completely healed, and her health is restored. We look
forward to similar testimonies about Brother Robert Fuller and Brother Lonnie
Brown.
Thank you for being a friend. Thank you for praying.
ninetyandnine.com
©
2007, Dorsey L. Burk
---------
Dorsey
L. Burk is the Executive Assistant for the Foreign Missions Division of the
UPCI. |
