Johannesburg: Purely By God's Grace...

I met with the plastic surgeon and he gave me details on Kechi's progress. What he said hit me very hard because I had been expecting that Kechi's wounds would heal much quicker than this, forgetting that the Lord had revealed that the recovery would be long.

First of all, contrary to my thinking, the debridement was far from over. They had just done her face and parts of her legs. The surgeon said that all her wounds were infected and there was a particular bacterium that she had contracted in the ICU which they were very concerned about. The debridement would continue until there was no more infection. She was on antibiotics and would remain on them. She may need grafting on her forehead as the burns there were deep. The burns in her hands were also deep.

I knew she had been having fevers from infections but for the first time, I was actually realizing that things were a lot more serious than I realized. The doctor's tone put me on alert. It was as if he was telling me that things were pretty serious.

Now, it was not that I did not realize how serious Kechi's condition was, it was just that I was so sure that God was in control that I was not paying attention to the details. My mind was focused on the end, when I would take my fully healed child and go home. Maybe this was how I was keeping sane, I do not know. Thinking back to those days in Milpark, and looking at photographs, I know now that I held it together purely by God's grace.

I left a message for Ulo for a prayer request against the infection. When Mom called, I gave her the doctor's update and I know she was upset although she tried to be strong. Ulo and Dad called to reassure me, and I prayed for strength and peace...

To be continued...