FBC Family, I want to let you know of two medical issues on my plate these days. First, I’m scheduled for outpatient hand surgery on Monday, May 23, to shore up an arthritic thumb (I blame 50 years of hoisting coffee mugs). I’ll be in a hand cast for a month, followed by two months of physical therapy, and will be hoisting coffee mugs with my other hand for a while.
The second medical issue has come as a bit of a jolt, and I ask for your prayers as I adjust to this "new normal.”
Six weeks ago, over a 24-hour period, I experienced a rapid decline in the auditory function of my right ear. Appointments with an audiologist and ENT confirmed a diagnosis of Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss. An initial three-week course of oral steroids was ineffective, so last week I received the first of three steroid injections through my eardrum in hopes of restoring at least some of my hearing in my right ear.
Tim and I welcome your prayers. I am feeling a real sense of loss and grief. I need to name that with you. And… I feel deep gratitude for all the support systems—relational, spiritual, medical, economical, technological, etc.—available to me. I do feel the presence and encouragement of God, closer than my last breath and heartbeat. St. Julian’s words echo in my mind and heart: “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.”
I heartily thank you for your prayers while I was on a recent 10-day pilgrimage in Assisi with twenty other pilgrims from around the world. Our time spent walking in the footsteps of St. Francis and St. Clare was rich and meaningful. Grazie mille! I look forward to sharing stories from Assisi with you in the weeks ahead.
In the Great Love,
