These updates are taken from facebook, so if you have been following our page there you are fully up to date. Otherwise please read them through, or skip to the last one to get the most recent information.
Wednesday:
What an amazing day. No, we don't know which hospital she will be going to in the States yet, but what an amazing day!
Meghan had many visitors today. One group were the girls from her 9th grade class. Each of them read a letter they wrote to her personally, each of them then knelt around her bed and prayed for a specific thing - physical, mental, doctors, hospital, etc. Finally, they all sang "How Great is Our God" to her. I cried through the entire thing, but was able to video it. I will share a link to it soon. It was truly inspirational and exactly what Meghan needed today. It is a must watch.
If there is anything God is teaching her through this ordeal is that she is beautiful and that people love and care about her. We have been so overwhelmed throughout this whole thing. Overwhelmed by the Body of Christ. Overwhelmed by God's grace. Overwhelmed by God's love shown through so many of you. I was talking with a fellow missionary tonight and he said that his entire mission knows about Meghan; that people on the other side of the world are emailing him to find out, "How is Meghan?" That's so cool!
We had two more doctors come this evening to assess Meghan and see what they thought. Both felt that her condition is serious, but can be corrected by standard surgery. This was great news as we thought that the surgery would be very invasive. Please pray that the US doctors agree and that she will have a less invasive surgery. Continue to pray for the hospital to open up. It's hard to actively wait on the Lord, but we know He has a perfect plan for Meghan.
Meghan is now back on Facebook. In the picture, you can see that she has her hand behind her head looking at the computer. What you can't see is the milkshake and fries on the other side of her. Her appetite is returning and she was much happier today. I know it was because of the visitors she had.
Thursday:
Well, today is a day I'd like to forget. Meghan spent most of the day sleeping. When she was awake she stared off not really knowing what was going on. She has so much pain that they are giving her Lyrica to sleep in addition to the pain medication she already has. That's what causes her spacey look. As a father, I'm really struggling. As a Christian, we're hanging in there and trusting.
We found out that the air flight we thought we had is not going to work out. This limits our options as to what we can do in the United States. We're looking at at least $20,000 just for the flight. Philadelphia has accepted her, but they are snowed in and cannot admit her. Miami is requesting a deposit BEFORE they will accept her. We hear the deposit would be at least $200,000. Of course, I have that just sitting around the house...
We've been speaking to, what many here call, the best neurosurgeon in Guatemala. We understand this would be a big cost as well, but perhaps not even as much as the medevac alone would cost to go to the States. We've been praying for God to close doors and it seems many of our options are closing as far as the States go.
With all of that said, we have been humbled by many of you asking how you can financially support us. Many have asked, "How much do you need?" Well, we simply just don't know yet. We do know that it is in the THOUSANDS. We've incurred many charges already just being here in the hospital in Guatemala. The best way to support us financially is to go to our website and donate to "The Bradleys - Meghan" in the “Additional Specifics” box. The website is http://foundationformissions.com/donate/
Thank you in advance for any money you can help us with.
Friday:
First, let me say Happy Valentines Day to my wonderful wife Lisa Workman Bradley. She has been so strong through this entire process. What a great mom!
The Corkscrew
Growing up we went to Myrtle Beach many times. I loved going to the amusement parks. One park had a roller coaster called the Corkscrew. I loved it. Beyond the big opening hill there were three successive loop-d-loops. Up and downs, twists and turns. What kid wouldn't love it. I'd ride it over and over again.
Well, at this point, I'm pretty ready to get off the Corkscrew and get back to steady ground. It seems that after praying, seeking, researching, and calling, a trip to the United States for surgery is not an option. We prayed for closed doors and we got them. Our surgeon friend in the US said this, "If you pray for closed doors, you have to accept the closed doors." I agree. We've had nothing but open doors here in Guatemala and see this as pulling into the station of the roller coaster we've been on concerning where to have the surgery done.
Today, we will be transporting Meghan to another hospital. It is even more state-of-the-art than where we are now, and this is a pretty cool hospital. We have talked with a doctor who is considered the best spinal and orthopedic doctor in Guatemala, and he speaks perfect English. (Thank God...) They will do another set of MRI's today to see exactly what is going on. PRAYER ALERT - we believe that God has and will continue to heal these bones. Let's shock the doctors with a totally different AND BETTER MRI reading! Pray for the MRI results today.
If she still needs surgery..., then he will perform the surgery here in Guatemala. We're still going to need at least $20,000, but we know that our God owns the cattle on a 1000 hills. (Psalm 50:10 "for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills."). The world is full of money and we know He will provide. If you would like to help please visit the following website and type "Meghan Bradley" in the comments.http://foundationformissions.com/donate/
I can't say enough about our daughter Emma Bradley. She loves her sister so much and has been such a great help to us during this time. It's truly amazing to see how people step up in times like this. I'm truly a blessed dad and husband.
God bless you all!
Another Friday Post:
Meghan Update:
Well, the day started out great. Lisa and Meghan both received Valentines which they loved... However, this has been a day of transition. We left one hospital and were moved to another. The new hospital is absolutely state-of-the-art. The doctor is amazing. After explaining everything to us he said, "The only thing I ask of you is that you pray that God would guide my hands." He was very humble. The staff are incredible. God has us right where He wants us.
The new doctor ordered more MRI's. He showed us that he found yet another fracture on T8, and he feels like it is very unstable. We are thanking God for closing doors to the United States. We could have done more damage during the flight. Meghan is now resting but in a lot of pain because of the move. Today I asked if she was scared, and tears began to stream down her face. I pray that I could be as brave as she has been this past week. She's tired, scared, and in so much pain.
The good news is that we have a great doctor who will be performing the surgery either tomorrow morning, Sunday morning, or Monday morning. He is awaiting some supplies that will fit Meghan. PLEASE PRAY that this would be ushered in quickly and the surgery could happen tomorrow. We were told the price of the surgery. We're looking at about $40,000. If God speaks to you to help fund this, please go tohttp://foundationformissions.com/donate/ and type "Meghan Bradley" in the comments box. Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement.
I pray that in all that we do and say we would honor God through this. At times, it's hard to understand the plan especially when things seem to go in the opposite direction of our prayers - like the MRI reading, but we have confidence that God knows what He's doing - like cancelling our flight to the States.
God bless you all!
Well, the day started out great. Lisa and Meghan both received Valentines which they loved... However, this has been a day of transition. We left one hospital and were moved to another. The new hospital is absolutely state-of-the-art. The doctor is amazing. After explaining everything to us he said, "The only thing I ask of you is that you pray that God would guide my hands." He was very humble. The staff are incredible. God has us right where He wants us.
The new doctor ordered more MRI's. He showed us that he found yet another fracture on T8, and he feels like it is very unstable. We are thanking God for closing doors to the United States. We could have done more damage during the flight. Meghan is now resting but in a lot of pain because of the move. Today I asked if she was scared, and tears began to stream down her face. I pray that I could be as brave as she has been this past week. She's tired, scared, and in so much pain.
The good news is that we have a great doctor who will be performing the surgery either tomorrow morning, Sunday morning, or Monday morning. He is awaiting some supplies that will fit Meghan. PLEASE PRAY that this would be ushered in quickly and the surgery could happen tomorrow. We were told the price of the surgery. We're looking at about $40,000. If God speaks to you to help fund this, please go tohttp://foundationformissions.com/donate/ and type "Meghan Bradley" in the comments box. Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement.
I pray that in all that we do and say we would honor God through this. At times, it's hard to understand the plan especially when things seem to go in the opposite direction of our prayers - like the MRI reading, but we have confidence that God knows what He's doing - like cancelling our flight to the States.
God bless you all!
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