Well… actually… not well…

…since Wednesday in the evening I’ve been under the weather – I think it was the mild version of “mosquito fever” that is going around… that comes with headaches… eye aches… everything aches… On Friday we hosted a team from Saskatoon – they dug/built Mery an outhouse… and divided into groups to visit some of our other students… but then on Saturday and Sunday we were able to lie low at the property…  Today I’m feeling basically back to normal…so I’m  happy…

…but actually… not really…

While I was trying not to complain about my head aching, I couldn’t help but wonder how GIOVANNA – the girl with the brain tumor – could bear her pain – when mine wasn’t that bad but it still made it hard to concentrate on anything else… 

It took her a very long 12 hours to be admitted into a hospital on Wednesday to await for her operation… Her MRI shows that the tumor is very wide spread…  In the public hospital they don’t need to find their own anaesthesiologist… but they still need all of the medications – from sterile gloves, anesthetic, catgut, IV fluids, etc, etc… 

I phoned her this afternoon… she can barely say anything…  They are supposed to operate tomorrow morning… BUT… the dad was told that if he didn’t get the medications together in time, he’d have to just take her home!  

One of our volunteers who is a nurse, was there this afternoon, trying to figure out how to help…  A pharmacy that helps El Jordan at times offered to give us the meds, for us to pay what we could now and the rest later…

Everything seemed to be in line… when a doctor came to let Giovanna’s dad know that the special piece of equipment that they use to cut open the scalp for surgery had burnt out… If we wanted the surgery to happen, we’d have to rent one of these special saws and have it brought in for the surgery!!!!

Can you imagine?  Anyhow… when I went up to see Giovanna she looked like she was sleeping peacefully – but she couldn’t open her eyes nor respond… Later she opened her eyes… but I don’t know if she recognized me…  She is losing more and more control of her body…

Please pray for Giovanna…  They apparently don’t expect to get the whole tumour because it is so spread out…  Pray that God will provide everything that she needs and that the surgery wouldn’t be delayed any further…  Please pray for an extraordinary recovery… so that she’d have a chance to come to El Jordan, get to know God and be a good example for her little boy…and her friends…

We appreciate your prayers… especially for tomorrow (or today)…

We’ll let you know how the surgery goes… 

Thanks again…

Lots of love,  Corina – for Marco and Keiden…  and Giovanna…

UPDATE: April 26, 2011 @ 2:00 pm

It is about 2 in the afternoon... Giovanna still is in surgery... there was a bit of a problem this morning... the guy who rents the saw for the surgery came out (Giovanna was already in the surgery room) and said that it cost $300 – not the $100 that was understood from the night before!!!  In the end the guy let them go ahead with the surgery... but the price still hasn’t been settled... and I’m not sure what time they ended up starting the surgery... Please continue praying for Giovanna...  Thanks...

UPDATE: April 26, 2011 @ 9:30 pm

Just wanted to let you know that Giovanna came out of the operation this afternoon... her dad said that they were operating for almost 7 hours...  She is in Intensive Care right now... so hopefully tomorrow they will know more about her responses etc...   The guy with the saw was apparently just trying his luck on earning an easy extra couple hundred dollars... because in the end he accepted (not without a bit of complaining) the $100 that the dad had set aside for that...  Appreciate your prayers... and we’ll let you know if there is any more news...   Thanks again...  Corina for everyone involved...

UPDATE: April 27, 2011 @ 10:30 pm

I was talking with Giovanna’s dad this evening... Giovanna got out of ICU this morning... and into a regular ward...  Her dad says she wants him to take her home!  Pretty amazing after how many hours of surgery!!!  God has been merciful... and my prayer is that Giovanna can see and understand that...

Thanks for praying!!!

Corina