On
Friday the 14th of November, my husband takes a flu shot – his first
flu shot in 28 years of life. At 6:00pm
that same night, he gets cold and starts shaking minutes later. Eventually, he spikes a fever and then later
breaks a sweat. We pass this off as a
reaction to the flu shot – no big deal…
On Saturday, he takes it easy… I remember driving him to Target to buy
medicine to reduce “flu-like” symptoms; he came in with me, and we used our
wedding registry coupon for two free Archer Farms smoothies. Matthew remained at the snack bar, while I
tried to choose the “right” medicine. I
checked out and drove Matthew home. All
he wanted to do was rest.
Sunday
came, and we went to church. I looked
over at Matthew and could see his head pounding through his glazed over eyes. I wanted to do something, but there was
nothing I could do. He tried so hard to
show that he wasn’t sick, but at 6:00pm that night, it became impossible to
hide. All of sudden he begins freezing
and then he walks over to me at the couch and starts shaking
uncontrollably. I didn’t know what was
happening. He complained of a deep
headache and spiked a temperature over 102.
The next morning we woke up and the sheets were drenched with
sweat. What do you do when you don’t
know what is happening?
came, and Matthew stayed home. On
Tuesday, he tried to go to work… but found himself home in the early
afternoon. The same cycle happened at
6:00pm that night. Matthew visited with
the doctors he works with… but the problem is that malaria is uncommon in the
States; therefore, this was the one time Matthew would prefer medical care in
Mozambique. We went on Wednesday to the
hospital to give blood to be tested for Malaria; however, the tests showed that
Malaria was not in his bloodstream. Matthew
was referred to an Infectious Disease doctor who, at first, diagnosed him with
the spotless form of “Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.” Thankfully, later in the same visit, the
results from his third blood test came back to confirm Matthew had malaria. Matthew was careful in taking preventive
malaria medication, but the malaria had laid dormant in his liver since he
returned from Mozambique in June.
Matthew’s symptoms eventually became less intense and his energy returned.
this story not to scare people from traveling, because you know me – I want
EVERYONE to experience other cultures and learn from them. God revealing His LOVE for the world is
priceless. I share this story to reveal
God’s grace and compassion… God taught me many things – but here are three:
1.
God taught me that He holds not only the sick
person in His hands, but also the family.
As a wife whose husband was sick (although for a short while in the
grand scheme), God gave me compassion and a desire to pray for the spouses who
have sick-loved ones.
2.
Through this time of sickness, my love for
Matthew grew. Sometimes the hard times
produce the most fruitful times.
3.
I failed to mention that through this unexpected
time, Matthew did not have insurance.
Matthew went through four blood test and three doctor appointments (two
being specialist); therefore, the medical bills kept piling up. God tells us that He takes care of us, and
when we returned in January, Matthew received a letter that he received “Charity
Care” that covered 100% of the previous medical bills and any bills that occur
in the next 6 months. Because of the
stipulations placed on “Charity Care,” only God could pass us through. God not only gave me compassion for families
dealing with sickness, greater love for Matthew, but God also took care of
us. What more could I ask…
I give God all the honor and
praise!!
