It
has been a wonderful summer; yet it has been one of my most challenging
summers. In late April, I got vertigo, and shortly after recovering from that,
I woke up one morning with double vision. From there, it has been a complicated
and frustrating healthcare journey through medical doctor, optometrist, ophthalmologists
and next week, I’ll see a neurologist. The good news is that both eyes are
working fine on their own; the bad news is that they don’t track together. So I’ve
developed a system of six pairs of glasses with a blocking shade on the
appropriate lens – two for reading, two for long view, and two for sunglasses –
and I can be seen trading them out often throughout the day. But I need to
share a most extraordinary “Godwink” that happened a few weeks ago – after an
exam by a top ophthalmologist specializing in nerve and double vision issues. While I don't qualify for surgery or any other therapies, his tentative diagnosis
was that my symptoms seemed to align with a condition called myasthenia gravis.
If this is confirmed by the neurologist, there may be medication to treat this
condition. As I was leaving his office, one of my dear prayer partners, Leslie,
texted to say she had a friend who was going to call me. (I hadn’t shared with
her the possible diagnosis.) The next call was from a woman named Joan who
started the conversation by saying “Deb, I understand from Leslie that you are struggling
with double vision. I wanted to call and share my story with you. I think you
may be on a similar journey. When I was in my early 70’s, my husband and I were
serving a church in Upper Michigan, and I woke up one morning with double vision.
After three years of frustration and visiting doctor after doctor, we moved to
the Twin Cities to be near our children, and I was finally diagnosed by a neuro-ophthalmologist
with myasthenia gravis. He prescribed medication which I took for about three
weeks, and when I woke up that morning, my eyesight was completely restored. I’m
now in my 80’s and my eyesight is fine.” I was totally flabbergasted at what I
was hearing, and at the same time, joy was beginning to replace the
disappointment that had been in my spirit. Joan continued: “How many doctors
have you seen?” When I responded, “Four, and going to a neurologist in
September,” Joan continued: “Then you are absolutely at the right place in your
journey. I’m calling to encourage you and tell you that there is hope.” Isn’t
that amazing? God shows up in the microscopic details of our lives, and through
the kind act of a stranger, He delivered a message of hope to me. In Joan’s act
of reaching out, we quickly moved from strangers to kindred spirits – bound
together by shared experiences and our shared faith that God will indeed keep
his promise for good in our lives. I’m so grateful for Paul, supportive family and
friends, and for incredible surprises of joy. We walk in hope.
During
this journey, it’s most fun for me to paint the Lilties – those small watercolors.
And this time of year, it’s been glorious to watch the Sandhill cranes, geese
and small birds gathering and practicing for their journey south. This week’s
painting, Taking Flight, a 4” x 6” watercolor, captures a gaggle
of geese lifting up from the lake.
