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.
