Dear friends,
Many of you are aware of Joyceline, the little girl who needed to have a shunt surgically implanted into her brain cavity to control the build up of cerebrospinal fluid, which was the cause of her severe difficulty and semi-comotose state a month or two ago. The pressure on her brain from the excess fluid is the main reason she required a wheelchair and possibly the cause of her visual problems.
Several of you were gracious enough to send a gift to help with the costs of the surgery, and I am certain that many of you have been holding her in your prayers. I do not have many details, because in this culture, the folks do not ask questions, but here is the latest information from Nungu Anna, Magdalene’s sister and the “head teacher” at the CEFED School. She called me at about 7:30 last night with this information: The surgery was done on August 8 after the fungal infection had cleared up. On Monday, August 11, Joyceline was discharged from Mbingo Hospital to return to her home in the Santa area. Everything went well with the surgery. After “some time” (that’s as specific as Anna could be), Joyceline will begin some physical therapy to strengthen her leg muscles and, hopefully, relearn the skill of walking, something which she has not been able to do for 8 years.
Sorry that I cannot give more specific information. We are going to try to get more details from Dr. Sparks, the US doctor who did the surgery. But we can praise the Lord that things are looking very positive for Joyceline.
Thanks again to those who have prayed and those who helped with the medical costs. As soon as it is possible (the school is currently on break until mid September) I will send a photo of the “new” Joyceline.
Blessings to all!
David
