I am writing with amazing photos and news regarding Filomena!

In my last update on February 23^rd I gave the details of Filomena and the amazing response that came in for her to be able to be flown to Zimbabwe. I was also able to share some of the exciting improvements to her health in just the first few days that she was there. We had a few missionaries who had to leave the country to renew their Visa’s and so they went to visit and brought home some photos. The reason for the title of this update is that the reduction in the size of the tumor is nothing short of astonishing!

These were taken Feb 27^th the only treatment she had received was for pain and infection.

Here is a timeline for what has been happening since my last update. It has been quite a challenge to get clear information. Lovemore calls regularly but the connection is always bad and he has a heavy accent. We feel as if we actually understand about 25% of what he says on average and there are the rare occasions where it might be 50%. Our best method of communication is by text message. They have no access to a computer or email there. Clarity in communication is an ongoing prayer request!

Feb. 22^nd - Filomena had a biopsy done and it was sent off to a lab for diagnosis.

She has been on antibiotics and a strong medication for the pain. The medications are causing her to have stomach problems and diarrhea. This causes her to not be able to eat enough although she is now physically able to eat.

Feb. 27^th – Three missionaries were able to visit and brought back these photos. We sent a camera for them to document her improvements but we will not be able to get those until they return or someone else makes a trip there. The photos speak volumes! The reduction in the size of the tumor is drastic! She is somewhat groggy from the pain medication and this shows in her photos.

Mar. 4th – I received word that her arm was swollen and that she is still battling with some fever. They are going to give her another type of antibiotic to address this.

Mar. 6th – This days news was that the new medicine was working powerfully and that Filomena was now able to eat enough.

Mar 8^th – Results came back from a HIV test –NEGATIVE – Praise God! I did not know that they had taken this test but I was very relieved to hear it. In my research on the suspected diagnosis of Burkitt’s Lymphoma it was mentioned that these tumors often affect HIV positive children because of their compromised immune system. It also said that a great deal of the time it is with children who have had many cases of malaria which also compromises their immune system. Filomena is covered with scars from what appears to be mosquito bites. I do not recall if this was noticeable in the photos I have sent in the past.

Mar 9^th – I got a text saying that Filomena is feeling better and can now do some things on her own such as going to the bathroom, eating, washing out plates and cups, and that she is drawing pictures and etc! (As an artist this makes me smile. I brought her pens, pencils, colored pencils and paper as a gift when I met her at the hospital here in Beira.)

Mar 10^th – They received special assistance from the Mozambican Embassy so that they would not need to return to the border to renew their Visas. They only had 30 days on the one they got when they left the airport here. They will now be allowed to stay up to six months without returning to the border. This is a great blessing in many ways but first in that they will not need to leave Filomena behind to travel to the border or possibly need to take her from the hospital to the border also. It also is a blessing in that they will not have the trouble and the expense of having to cross out of the country.

I was also informed that the infection in Filomena’s arm had gotten very serious although previously I was told that the new medication was working powerfully. They did some type of surgery to clean out the wound and stop the spread of this infection. From what I can understand this was at the site where she has the needle inserted that allows for IV’s to be hooked up. She is on more or is continuing on antibiotics.

The results came back from the biopsy. It has been confirmed that yes she does have the Burkitt’s Lymphoma. Here is the link that I posted in the last update. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burkitt%27s_lymphoma We have been told by the founder of the KidsCan program at the hospital that this is a very treatable form of cancer and that it responds very quickly to the treatments. Once the infection in Filomena’s arm is healed she can begin to receive the chemotherapy/radiation treatments! I will emphasize at this point that she has not had any cancer related treatments yet, just antibiotics and pain medication. This again is the reason for the title of this update.

Natural and Supernatural Healing?

It certainly appears that there have been both types of healing at work thus far!

Mar 11^th - I got a call first thing this morning from Lovemore. He said that they have found a place to live. It was offered to them at no rent for 6 months but they have to pay to have some items removed first. It comes completely unfurnished so they will need to get all basic necessities. This is a great lead in answer to prayer. They have been sharing the room at the hospital with Filomena thus far. They (Pastor Salmo and Lovemore) will now have a place to alternately retreat to as well as a place to prepare food.

Thank you so very much for all of the prayers, financial assistance and continued inquiries about her. I can not say enough how very thankful I am to see her being helped, to literally see this precious little girl snatched from the door of death.

Prayer Requests-

• Please continue to lift Filomena up in prayer. She has come a long way in a short time but there is still more that needs to happen for her to be an overcomer in this situation.

• I ask for prayers also for her father, Pastor Salmo and our dear friend Lovemore as they support and encourage her and live out this undetermined temporary life in Zimbabwe.

• Please pray also for Pastor Salmo’s wife and other children as they too have extra difficulties in having their husband and father away for such a long period of time.

• Please pray for KidsCan in Zimbabwe and Andrea Whatman the founder. Her inspiration for this endeavor comes from being a survivor of childhood cancer at a time when the survival rate for what she had was 4%. She is another real treasure in this amazing story of Filomena’s journey back to life.

• Please pray that there will be clarity with the information that needs to be shared.

• Please pray that we will get all things in order to be able to make the payments from the special fund for Filomena with Iris to the hospital in Zimbabwe. This has been another area where there have been great challenges in communication with those in Zimbabwe.

Thank you so very much!

God bless you!

Laura

Posted Thursday, 11 March 2010 at 11:36 pm in Thoughts & Communications

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