For the past four decades, my life has been an epic saga of health struggles that have often threatened to drag me into the abyss of disease and despair. It all began when I was 22 and underwent my first nose structure replacement surgery, though a precise diagnosis remained frustratingly out of reach. By the age of 40, a tumor had developed near my left eye, and I was finally diagnosed with Wegener’s Granulomatosis—a formidable autoimmune disease known for its unyielding attack on the body.
Autoimmune diseases often behave like a relentless football team, pummeling their way through the body’s defenses. Now, at 61, I’m sporting my third nose structure, meticulously crafted from yet another rib bone and its cartilage. It seems my respiratory and nasal systems have become the favored battleground for this relentless foe. Along the way, I’ve accumulated nearly eight different conditions, though I consider some of them more manageable companions on this arduous journey.
In February of 2023, Long Covid rudely barged into my life, and it made a disconcerting encore appearance at the end of August. These days, I grapple with issues of balance and debilitating weakness. Hospital stays have become an all-too-familiar routine, like unwelcome visits from an old acquaintance.
Despite these relentless health battles, I’ve felt a spark rekindling within me, a yearning for creativity that refuses to be extinguished. I am clawing my way back to health, determined to embrace life’s challenges with renewed vigor.
October 2023 brought yet another dramatic twist to my saga when, while giving myself a routine insulin shot—a task I’ve performed thousands of times—I severed an artery in my stomach. The doctors said it was a one-in-a-million chance, and I came perilously close to death twice, requiring four large bags of blood to pull me back from the brink. It’s as if each of my many ailments insists on taking the stage for its own macabre dance from time to time!
But I’m not one to back down. I am fiercely focused on regaining my strength and health, preparing myself for the next round in this relentless battle. Life may throw its hardest punches, but I am steadfast in my resolve to rise, fight, and continue this incredible journey of resilience.
What about you? Are you facing a mountain that won’t move and your life feels oppressive? Email me for prayer or post and everyone can pray.
The Tent Maker Blog 