"I'm blind in one eye and can't see out of the other" used to be a funny saying. Now, for me, it's reality. I still laugh when I say it, though, just to stay on a positive note in spite of the update I now write.
I recently went to Portland, Oregon to meet with Dr. Mark Terry at Devers Eye Institute. He's a cornea specialist. He was the first to do this type of surgery (DSAEK-a type of partial corneal transplant) in the U.S. and second in the world. He has a 98 percent success rate. He's very likable and knowledgable but does not have a god complex like many in the medical field. His evaluation of my eyes was that my Fuchs has progressed to the point of needing a corneal transplant. My left eye should be done first and soon as I'm now legally blind in that eye under the glare test. (that means in real life situations...not the artificial, ideal conditions of a normal eye test) My right eye will be done following a successful recovery of my left eye.
I knew this was coming, but a sort of disbelief still hit as I contemplated what it truly meant. I get a cornea transplant or go completely blind. I get my eye cut open, a layer of my cornea peeled off "like wallpaper from a wall" and a new layer of donor tissue put in or lose my sight completely and permanently. What a horrible thought! And what a wonderful thought! It's scary, and yet it's a cure for my disease. There are many eye diseases that cannot be cured; I thank God that mine is one that can. It's amazing what surgeons are able to do these days.
The problem now is...money. It's a pre-existing illness for my plan, so it's not covered at all. Each eye will cost approximately $30,000 plus the travel costs to Portland, and food & lodging for the week of the surgery and post-surgery appointments before I'm released to go home. So, we're working on researching all avenues because time is of the essence. I sometimes worry about the provision for this upcoming necessary surgery, but I serve a BIG God and I know He has a plan for my eyes and has promised to provide for my needs. He loves me very dearly so I keep trusting in His perfect will and timing for all of this. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills and the gold in every mine so the amount of money I need is nothing to Him.
Please be in prayer with me for this. For God to provide the financing I need. Also, please pray for my mother as she recovers from her first corneal transplant recently and as she prepares for another one in October. I believe in the power of prayer. Thank you! I appreciate your support more than you know.
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