“As for God, His way is perfect…” (Psalm 18:30).
God’s Perfect Timing was just that – PERFECT. My daughter Kristi was able to stay with me and accompany me (and my husband Marion) to the hospital while her husband Tim and the kids kept their scheduled flights. Kristi, Marion, and I left our house as soon as we could pack, and my sister, Mona, left her house at the same time. We all arrived at MUSC at 4:30 a.m., and our son Lee and his wife Jen arrived from Anderson later in the morning. The testing began immediately, but it was actually Thursday morning before the surgery was done, due to other surgeries from the same donor and extreme weather conditions in Charleston. We had a sense of peace about all of this – the “Peace that Passeth Understanding”, because we knew God was in control.
The surgeons told us that the kidney began working as soon as it was transplanted, and has been working great ever since! My recovery has been remarkable so far. The morning after the surgery, they got me up walking, going up four stairs, and going down the hall to ring the bell – a long-standing tradition followed by applause and cheers by the staff.
The doctors, nurses, and staff at MUSC were so nice to us. I stayed at the hospital three more days, then moved to the hotel arranged by the hospital for transplant patients, where a home health care nurse makes visits at night. Each day we returned to the hospital transplant clinic for infusions of anti-rejection drugs and daily blood tests. One spiritual lesson to be learned from anti-rejection medications is that we need a daily walk with God to ward off the attacks of Satan whose main purpose is to destroy our commitment and our walk with God. Just one week after my transplant, all my numbers looked good, and I was allowed to go home to continue anti-rejection and other medications (for life I might add), returning regularly for labs and visits with various doctors. Don’t ever forget the importance of the Blood! We had been prepared to expect to be at the hospital/hotel for up to 3 weeks, but God’s Perfect Timing allowed us to return home in eight days feeling stronger and healthier than I had in years.
(tomorrow—the rest of the story)
Faye Hanna
South Carolina
PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for Sam and June McVay as they transition from Spain to the FWBIM office stateside. Also remember their teammates as they adjust to ministry without this vital couple.
