Let me (Shelley) start at the beginning (and I’ll try to
keep this short)…
It was a Tuesday morning when the call came from the school,
something about Kayley’s been hurt in gymnastics class and something about her
knee and stitches. So, I hurry to ICS
and there is Kayley on the cot. I look
straight at her knee and think, “What’s the big deal, it’s just a small
cut.” But then I look at her face. Oh my.
We have a problem, Houston. There
is basically a hole in her bottom lip.
Ouch!
Apparently, in gymnastics class, Kayley was practicing 360’s
on the soft mat. She jumped higher and
faster than ever before (she loves gymnastics and is getting stronger each week)
and flipped in the air with such force that she could not control her speed as
she headed for the floor mat. Instead of
getting her legs straight out in front of her, she landed on her bottom with
her knees up. With the full force of her
momentum, her top teeth went through her bottom lip and into her own knee,
leaving a beautiful two teeth impression there as a reminder.
Ok, so with the damage done, the medical service came and
the stitches began. Eleven stitches
later, we headed home with ice and pain medicine. The dentist wanted to see her right away, but
thankfully, although the front teeth moved back, it does not appear to be any
serious damage.
As you can imagine, the swelling was worse on day two,
expected. But day three and four brought
little improvement, and this Mom began to worry. Day five found us at the clinic, seeking help
once again. The infection was bad, so
two antibiotics were given, the strong kinds, hard on the stomach.
Finally, a week after the incident, Kayley returned to school,
still having trouble eating and speaking well, but she was brave and returned
to classes. The infection cleared up, but there was still a big problem. The lip had not healed correctly, but what to
do?
A day later, God led me to the website of a local hospital, and I searched for a plastic/reconstructive surgeon. There were six on the list, but who to choose? All the doctor’s qualifications looked the same, and with no one to ask, I did the most logical thing. I choose the doctor with the name I liked. Yep, it’s the truth. I choose the doctor with the first name of “Christian.” I called and made an appointment and prayed it would work out.
A day later, God led me to the website of a local hospital, and I searched for a plastic/reconstructive surgeon. There were six on the list, but who to choose? All the doctor’s qualifications looked the same, and with no one to ask, I did the most logical thing. I choose the doctor with the name I liked. Yep, it’s the truth. I choose the doctor with the first name of “Christian.” I called and made an appointment and prayed it would work out.
Nine days after the accident, we visited the
specialist. We waited a good, long time
and finally at 6pm we entered the office.
Dr. Rivera took one look, heard the story and began to work on Kayley,
the whole while asking us as missionaries what we do and where we do it. We visited about micro-finance projects,
helping the poor, ending the cycle of poverty, compassionate projects, etc. and
45 minutes later, we were leaving the office with a new friend and Kayley with
5 more stitches.
David shared with the doctor that there are no coincidences
with God, and I shared how I make important medical decisions (based on first
names!). As we left, we made a follow up
appointment and asked about the payment.
The secretary said,
“You do not pay.” I
just stared at her and kept staring until she repeated, “You do not pay…the
Doctor said you are not to be charged.”
It took a minute to sink in, this unexpected blessing, but
it finally did. The tears wanted to
start, but I managed to stop them before being too obvious about it. I hugged the receptionist and asked her to
pass the hug along to the Doctor as a thank you. We practically floated to the parking lot,
not only pleased with the unexpected blessing, but so glad to know this journey
was coming to an end.
There are still more follow up appointments this week, but
the wound is healing as it should. At Thanksgiving
dinner with the crowd of 20 people, we shared our thanks to God for Kayley and
for God’s healing power. The scar on
Kayley’s lip will likely remain (hopefully not too noticeable) to remind us all
of God’s care, protection and leading during a tough time.
Thanks for your prayers for Kayley as she heals.
Blessings to all…
The Webbs
P.S. The next blog will be published very soon with ministry updates and many photos.
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