Care for Cristina

In the 'September Letter', I briefly mentioned Cristina - "a family [we've] been helping - the young mother of 3 suffered a major stroke [last November]... then [15 days ago] suffered another stroke." Read here for further details.

Cristina's husband, Fernando, had almost given up hope on having her make it through this last set-back. We  all went up to visit her and the family late last week. When we asked questions on how she was doing, we were told she's doing worse - which surprised us because she was starting to eat again and talk a little. Although she didn't always fully comprehend everything that was going on, she was doing much better in that sense than the previous week when Rachel and I had visited. So, after more questions, they told us that she had a 'cut' on her back. The cut turned out to be a stage-4 bed sore about 6x4 inches in size on her lower back! It was infected with puss, blood, and a lot of dead/dying skin. Along with the large sore, she also had a 3x2 inch one on her upper back and one the size of a half-dollar on her foot - both of which weren't nearly as bad. Trish is a trained nurse and was able to get together a list of things to make her more comfortable before we could get her in to the hospital yesterday. If she didn't get the largest sore takes care of, she would die from an infection before the after-affects of her stroke. Again, read here for her story with details leading up to now. 

Yesterday, the volunteer firefighters drove back to her village to pick her up for transport into the local mission hospital, where Dr. Tom, a missionary friend, runs the surgery department. Fernando's sister has been helping take care of the kids since her first stroke, so he was able to join her for the ride in and stay until evening. The hospital requires a 'caretaker' to be with the patient 24/7; Rachel and I volunteered to take the night shifts for the 3 days of her stay so that Fernando could be with his kids at night. Dr. Tom did a surface 'clean' in the ER before admitting her to the women's section of the hospital. 

I arrived at the hospital a little before dinner last night to settle in for my overnight stay. She can't move any part of her left side and needs to be fed by hand. Surprisingly to us, her appetite is good! She ate a full-sized portion for dinner and drank lots of water until midnight, at which point they only kept an IV on her. Because of her surgery scheduled for early afternoon today, she hasn't eaten or drank anything all day today. We were a little unsure of whether or not the nurses would keep her rotated from side to side (she can't be on her back because of the sores and it's extremely important to rotate sides to prevent other sores from developing.) For example, when I first got there, Fernando told me her IV had been dry for half an hr and I had to find a nurse to let them know she needed it replaced. However, I was pleasantly impressed by the night staff and our concerns were put to rest. The head nurse and her aid came in to rotate her every few hrs and kept her clean without me needing to ask them to. She was well taken care of. 


I had to sleep on the floor, because 3 of the 4 beds were filled with other patients. The only empty bed was positioned on the opposite side of the room of where Cristina was and I wanted to be available in case she needed anything during the night. She didn't sleep well all night because of the light they left on. She asked me several times to readjust her back pillow to help her breathing, and at one point she asked if the IV could be removed because it was bothering her. I was so amazed at the improvements she keeps making in alertness! Although she still doesn't always fully comprehend everything around her, she can have conversations now and remembered several names from the day before when we were at her house. Around 4 this morning, she finally fell fully asleep and slept soundly for 3 hrs until the nurses woke her up to give her a full-body bath. 

Fernando came back this morning and a little later, his sister, Tomasa, brought their children to the hospital to visit for several hrs, though they weren't allowed into Cristina's room. 
Dr. Tom had scheduled her surgery for early afternoon, but - it's Guatemala - things get delayed for oftentimes absurd reasons around here! Today, the anesthesiologist wasn't there when he was supposed to be. Originally, we hoped she would be out of the OR by 4 o'clock at the latest, but she didn't get in until 7 o'clock tonight. She was only in surgery for an hour and it all went well - praise God! Dr. Tom says she has a long road to healing completely, but if she is taken care of properly, and eventually with physical therapy, she should make a full recovery!! 

We are praying in faith that Cristina's story will touch many people's lives with the hope of Christ. There have been so many people praying and it's truly a joyful experience to see prayers being answered before our very eyes - even in the midst of the pain. 
Please continue to pray for Cristina and her family and share her story with others! We serve a mighty God and we know that with Him, all things are possible. 
Also, if you feel led to donate to help not only cover surgery and hospital expenses but to also help cover future costs for Cristina's care, follow this link to a page we set up to make that possible.