Hope is on it's way!

You know the patient with the huge facial tumour that I wrote about a few weeks ago? Well, he’s now on the ward.  After a lot of discussion and decision making, planning his care, we admitted him to the ward and inserted a PEG feeding tube (a tube that goes straight into the stomach from outside the abdomen). We also gave him a tracheotomy so that his airway is secure. As we feed him and make him stronger for surgery, his tumour is also slowly growing, using the nutrients we are now pouring into his wasted body. It is a delicate balance though, giving him exactly the right amounts to keep his electrolytes balanced and calories that he needs to put on weight.

Our patient with his caregiver Mama and one of our amazing nurses, Hannah.

This man used to play football for the Guinea national football team and 5 years ago this tumour started growing. For two years now he has only been able to take liquids for nutrition.  We are quite sure it is a benign tumour, otherwise it would have killed him already.

The next few weeks stretch out in front of him.  They will consist of fattening him up, making sure he is as fit for surgery as possible and of course, loving on him, looking way past the tumour into the depths of his soul and telling him, he is worth every ounce of effort we put into his care.

It is interesting feeling to have a case such as his in front of you.  I can see the LONG road ahead of him, consisting of a massive surgery (more than 12 hours long, I would imagine) and then weeks of healing time and months and years for the skin and tissue to settle into a new shape for his face.  But as long as this road is, HE IS WORTH IT!  His life is worth fighting for!  I am joined by an amazing team of nurses, doctors and ancillary hospital staff and we are all behind him, helping him fight for his life.

Please join us in praying for these next few weeks as we work with him and for the right surgeons to be available to do the surgery. Pray that he is strengthened and will know the love that we share with him, because of the overflow of God first loving us!