From February, 1997
I don't have a very good picture of Doose. He's the one on the far left in the photo, while Gabriel is sitting on my lap. When Doose was born in 1989, his father, Dr. Jonathan Karshima, was in Evangel's physician training program. Soon after he was born, missionary doctor Bev Truxton discovered that he had a heart defect with a loud murmur. As he grew and kept having problems it was clear that the hole in his heart (VSD) was large. In a developed country it could have been fixed fairly easily, but not here. Medical expenses made it impossible to go abroad, though. So Doose's parents gave him the best care they could, gave him medicines when needed, loved him, and prayed. Dr. Karshima, now an Ob-Gyn specialist, has been our acting medical director at Evangel Hospital for the past two years.
An
hour from now, at 1 A.M. on February 7, Doose and his parents will board a KLM jet and
begin their long trip to Chicago, where specialists at Rush Medical Center will evaluate
Doose's condition and decide whether surgery is possible. If it is, they plan to go ahead
with the operation, which is tentatively scheduled for February 12.
Doose's parents are very grateful for the way God has worked through so many people to make this trip possible after so many years of waiting, wondering, and praying. The Rotary Club and Rush Medical Center are fully sponsoring the medical care. The transportation costs for Doose and Jonathan were provided by an anonymous donor. Someone even provided money for an extra ticket so that both parents could go. Others have provided food and money for clothing and groceries.
Please pray for the Karshimas during these weeks. None of the three has ever been in the US, and leaving Nigeria for the icy cold of Chicago, and a whole new culture, will be difficult. We don't know yet whether the defect can still be corrected. As we stood in a circle this morning before they left, Dr. Karshima reminded us of the way they have been trusting in God for the past eight years. "Doose is in God's hands, we're confident of that."
Thanks for praying for the Karshima family. We'll keep you posted on their progress.
(Doose returned to Nigeria after successful surgery. Click here for the story as it unfolded.)
