Medical emergency… and a miracle!

Dear friends,

We normally would have blogged by now, we were scheduled to return to Haiti on September 6th. However, we had to postpone our fall move to Haiti.

A week before we were to leave, on Thursday, August 30th, Denise experienced an emergency medical situation… and a miracle!

While Denise was driving her and I, to our daughter Haley’s house, she lost sight in her right eye. We were meeting Haley to go with her to see the ultra-sound of the newest addition to the Snyder Clan. I took over driving and when we arrived at the hospital for the ultra-sound, Denise and I went to the emergency room instead. Sudden blindness in one eye is a sign of stroke.

After many test, scans, transferring to a hospital that is within our “network”, and spending the night, she was determined free from any serious, life-threatening event. In fact, she had experienced the first episode in her life of an “atypical migraine”. As we understand it, this is a form of migraine that manifest itself with only one, or two at the most, symptoms. Not necessarily a headache.

However, in one of these scans, at the very bottom edge of the image, a small growth was detected in her upper right lung. She was scheduled for a PET scan the following Thursday. Those results showed an 80% probabability of cancer, but only for that one spot.

Two weeks later, last Thursday morning, Denise had surgery that removed a two cm growth from her lung. As soon as it was removed it was biopsied; it came back positive for cancer. They then removed the top lobe of her right lung, along with 14 lymph nodes. They biopsied the lymph nodes, and they all came back NEGATIVE!

SHE HAS BEEN DECLARED CANCER FREE!!! NO radiation or chemo will be necessary. She may be ready to travel back to Haiti in as soon as four weeks. PRAISE GOD! This really is a miracle… though we may decide that she wait until spring… I will still travel to Haiti as soon as Denise’s recovory is secure.

And Denise is no longer a smoker! She has seriously tried to quit smoking over the forty-eight years that she smoked. However, this time she keeps telling me that while she still thinks about it, she is not anxious. Rather she is experiencing a sense of peace.

We are eternally grateful for the prayers of all the saints. And you all know who you are.

Denise came home from the hospital Saturday. She has been resting and sleeping. She is to avoid any exertion until the first of October.

Denise and I both thank each one of you, for each and every one of your prayers.

Blessings, M`eci anpil, Bob and Denise