Sometimes the World Race looks different than expected.
Just kidding, it always looks different than expected. This year has thrown so many twists and turns in the mix that I’ve grown used to taking each day with expectation for curve-balls and plot-twists. Unfortunately, this week, I’ve been thrown a really large, really expensive curve-ball. My malaria battle seems to not be over, and I’ve been in bed in my hotel fighting a pretty rough flair-up. I spent Monday hospital-hopping in hopes of finding a doctor that could help me, and after hours of frustrating conversations and unwanted games of charades (they don’t speak English here) I finally managed to get a blood test to see if the malaria was back. I waited two days for the results and was devastated to get a negative result, when my gut was screaming at me that I had it again. I was sure, and as the days progressed, I grew even more sure that I was fighting the parasite again, and began to wonder what the heck I was going to do.
Malaria is a parasite in the blood and is cyclical, and sometimes negative results can be false. Many squad mates on my squad got negative results multiple times before finally receiving a positive malaria test. My girl Ashley got four negative tests in Ghana before receiving a positive, and my friend Kayleigh got five negatives before receiving a double positive result, showing that the parasites in her blood stream had tripled and needed to be treated ASAP.
Because of my experience with this and because I’ve already “fought” it three times, I began to talk to my team about what needed to happen to get me healthy. My friend Ali who is here in Bijelo Polje with me was given a positive malaria test a few days before my negative, and flew to Serbia to be treated there because she was told they’d take care of her. A few days later she flew back, exhausted and discouraged because they were unable to help her, treat her, and she came back with worse news than she’d left. They accused her of suffering pain from “climate change” and said she had pneumonia, and neither of those things added up for her. Along with two other girls, the four of us were stuck wondering what to do, where we could get proper health care, and what would be the wisest decision to make going forward.
Ali and I are both flying back to America on Sunday to meet with our own doctors and receive the help and treatment we’ve both desperately wanted since first being diagnosed with Malaria back in May. This decision did not come lightly for either of us, and we both spent hours in prayer and conversation with our Squad, our mentors, and our coaches from AIM. We’ve determined that this was the wisest course of action, even though it’s heart breaking and neither of us wanted to leave the race early. I’ve shed probably too many tears while making this decision, it’s not been easy and I’ve struggled to know what to do, but my team and leaders have comforted and supported me through it all.
I am determined to receive the treatment needed and return to the field as soon as possible, though because both flights to and from the states are being paid out of pocket, I’m probably going to have to fundraise a little bit to get me back on the field. I don’t have a set date to return to the field and rejoin my squad, because I don’t know what medical attention or treatment I’m going to need, but I’m praying it’s quick and I can return as soon as possible.
I’ve had hundreds of people praying for me this year, it’s been incredible, and even though this race has thrown some unexpected turns my way, I am positive that the Lord has been with me through it all. I’m not done with this race yet, and I haven’t lost or thrown in the towel. This is just a little blip, and even though I don’t know what this is going to be like, I know that God is with me, and if he wants me to return to my squad in Europe or Asia, He will provide for me. He’s done it so far and He’ll do it again.
