August 31, 2006

Leslie and I just want to let you know about an urgent prayer situation regarding Evi. On Thursday, Leslie was attending Ladies Bible Study and the kids where playing outside. Evi and three other small children were playing on a hammock that was strung between two concrete pillars. One of the pillars broke, falling onEvi and crushing her leg. Evi's entire left leg (bone, skin, muscles, tendons) was severely injured and her foot was completely crushed. We immediately took her to the nearest hospital in South Africa, which was completely incapable of treating such a major injury. A local doctor came to bandage her leg for the ambulance ride to
Bloemfontein about an hour and a half away. We even stopped halfway for 45 minutes as a Trauma paramedic met us on the side of the road to help getEvi stabilized. We arrived in Bloemfontein 4 hours after her initial injury at 10:15 AM. Evi was immediately X-Rayed and the orthopedic surgeon took her into surgery to access initial damage. The surgeon is fairly confident that he can save her knee and the leg above the knee, but isn't sure below the knee. The surgeon told us that this was the most horrific injury he had ever seen.

On Friday we took additional x-rays after the doctor installed initial pins in her leg during the first surgery. Surgery is now scheduled for 12 Noon (Saturday September 2) here in Africa. (That is 3:AM Saturday morning for those in Arizona) We are encouraged by the fact that there are thousands of people praying forEvi and the doctors as they prepare for surgery. After sending her x-rays to doctors at Boston Children's Hospital and Shriners hospital it looks as
if Evi's foot is beyond fixing. Pray that the doctor performing the surgery (Dr. Nel) will have wisdom as he repairs Evi's little broken bones. He is also very concerned about the soft tissue damage in her entire leg. There will be a plastic surgeon with him during the entire surgery.
God has performed many miracles in this process. If the pillar had fallen on anyone's head or chest, it would have killed them instantly. None of Evi's arteries were severed (an absolute miracle considering the extent of the injury) and that was the only reason that Evi made it to the hospital in time. The care we have received in Bloemfontein has been great and the doctors are top notch. We also have a large extended family of the missionary community in Lesotho. Please continue to pray for us as we deal with this situation. As parents we are devastated about our energetic daughter possibly losing her leg and probably losing her foot. We know that
it is going to take extended rehabilitation in order for her to walk again. But God is good and we are still praying for a miracle. We would love to hear from you and you are free to e-mail or call.

Love,
Danny, Leslie, Evi and Caleb