Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a lovely day here in Hawaii today with balmy weather, and a late evening rain shower than cooled the mid-80s temperatures down to 72 very quickly. The temperature drop was a welcome relief from the heat wave we’ve been experiencing since our arrival. Perhaps this hot fall season is finally going to break, and temperatures get down to normal  for this time of the year.

We are delighted to have our family together in Hawaii for Thanksgiving this year. Our oldest son, Link lives here in Kailua-Kona on the big island, and our other son, Lance, who lives in Austin TX brought his new bride over to be with us. My brother, David, and his wife also live in Kailua-Kona, and my mother, from Noblesville, accompanied Lea and myself on the trip. We have a large, dedicated and loyal, church family here that was very supportive, financially and through prayer, during our time in Hartford. It is wonderful to be here with them, too, during this holiday season.

We are giving thanks for many reasons this year. One of them, of course, is that Lea is still with us, after many miraculous recoveries in Hartford CT during her 180 days in the hospital July-Jan. Another is that she survived emergency hip surgery after falling and breaking her right hip yesterday, and it appears at this point that there is no damage to her delicate abdominal skin graft or internal organs.

I can only attribute the lack of a catastrophic hernia in her stomach to God’s mercy. The skin there is so thin it just simply should not have survived a fall of that nature. I think it was due to supernatural healing. In great anguish,  I placed my hands on her abdomen as she lay on the stone floor, immediately after her fall, and cried out to Him for mercy. I knew that if her abdomen ruptured it would be fatal, and if her organs became dislodged it could cause life-threatening infections.  I pleaded with Him for mercy, and, Glory to God, her only injury, other than scrapes and bruises, was her broken femur.

She and I were doing a little house cleaning at my son’s house, and she missed a step while reading a label on a bottle of cleaner. She completely forgot about there being a step up into the utility closet, turned, and walked off into space. She banged up her right arm badly, broke her right hip, and jammed her right (bad) knee. The knee was already bad enough that it caused her to have to use a walker or cane in the first place. We were not able to get her knee replaced prior to the illness which landed her in Hartford Hospital, and it hasn’t been possible since her discharge because it was felt she was way too weak to be able to handle the anesthesia required for that kind of surgery. Now, that surgery has been pushed back even farther.

The emergency hip surgery was performed Nov 22 at Kona Community Hospital, Kaelakekua, Hawaii, just south of Kailua-Kona by Dr John Bellatti. Dr Bellatti gave her a spinal block, rather than using a general anehthesia, due to her delicate respiratory system. The surgery required only a 1 1/2″ incision to implant three screws to reattach the ball to the femur. So, now she has recovered from the initial surgical procedure, and is resting pretty well. I slept in her room last night, but have returned to my son’s home for some much needed rest. I plan to rejoin her for breakfast in the morning. 

The family plans to bring Thanksgiving dinner to us at the hospital. We are looking forward to the get together. I’m not sure the meal will ever be able to compete with the ones the caregivers at Hartford Hospital put together for us, but you can be sure you will all be lifted up to the Lord for blessings during our get together.

I just wanted to take a moment to post a quick line or two to thank each of you for your prayer support which made it possible for us to make this trip. Thank you, too, for lifting Lea up for comfort and peace as she goes through yet another physical trial. May God’s protection encompass you and your family during this thanksgiving season.