By Kerissa Lee
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January 3, 2026
Dear friends, As I reflect back on 2025, January started off looking very bleak. I had just recovered from yet another “mitochondrial crash” in December 2024, but my neck weakness was still significant and unresolved. I mentioned this many times, but I’ve never before experienced such severe muscle pain in my neck—it felt like my neck was doing a constant “plank exercise” 24/7. I cried so much and needed relief. 😭 Before this, I also truly took for granted how vital neck muscles are for ALL movement. Even simply standing requires neck strength to hold the head up. I was confined to my bed and the recliner because the neck weakness/pain was so debilitating. At the beginning of January was my long-awaited appointment with the neuromuscular neurologist at the University of Washington. But, the outcome was very disappointing because he simply took these symptoms to mean mitochondrial disease progression. My eyes are watering and my nose stings as I type this with emotion because I didn’t know (like I do now) what the following months would hold. I really did wonder if I was starting to die because not only did I have this disabling neck weakness but I also experienced severe nystagmus every single day (it never happened this frequently before). The brain is what controls eye movement, so my brain wasn’t getting enough energy needed for the simple act of moving the eyes. In February, after several blood tests came back with more “bad” autoimmune markers and I also started dealing with unusual joint pain in both elbows and shoulders, one of my doctors had me start taking 2 powerful antioxidants: N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) and Liposomal Glutathione. NAC, specifically, has shown that it can be beneficial for Lupus, an autoimmune disorder. We weren’t sure yet if my symptoms were early signs of Lupus, but my doctor recommended these antioxidants anyways for the mitochondrial depletion. When May came around, I once again had another “mito crash” with significant muscle weakness all over my body (not just in my neck), droopy eyelids, nausea, and increased pain. I was so thankful, though, that we were able to manage this one at home and I didn’t need to be admitted! Even more amazing was the fact that this was the month I noticed I could slightly lift my head half an inch off of the pillow (when lying down). Was God healing my neck? 🥹 June was a big month. As many of you know, 2 separate muscle biopsies show that I have Mitochondrial DNA Depletion Syndrome, but the doctors still can’t pinpoint the genetic mutation responsible for this depletion. So the OHSU metabolic team and I all wrote letters to apply to the NIH Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN). And God answered the first of many prayers as my case was surprisingly accepted. 🥲 I don’t currently have a recent update regarding this study as they told us it could take months or even years for anything to happen if anything happens at all (I should email them for an update). Last I heard, the team was analyzing all of my raw genetic data. At the end of June, my internal medicine doctor referred me to the Complex Pain clinic since I was still experiencing so much pain and needing high doses of pain meds. The specialist started me on Buprenorphine, but it’s been a rough go of it. It definitely helps the pain to become more manageable (another answer to prayer!), but it also causes horrible insomnia which I’m still dealing with. 😞 My sleep specialist said I’m basically experiencing a bad case of chronic jet lag—I’m simply exhausted and cannot fall asleep until 4:30-6:00 AM! 😭 A previous blog post shares about the “catch 22” I’m in. I’d so appreciate continued prayer for my sleep. It’s been very hard. :( July through September was amazing as I noticed that my neck weakness had improved a little more each day to the point that it eventually fully resolved….!! I truly could cry tears of joy and gratitude! 🥹🥹 Even my physical therapist started noticing that I didn’t have to hold my head up with my hands when moving around! God answered everyone’s prayers, and I fully believe he miraculously healed me in this area!! Yes, it could be that the 2 antioxidants helped, or it could be that I had finally recovered 9+ months later from something like Viral Myositis of the neck from fighting a viral infection in Hawaii in October 2024. My doctors just don’t know fully. But I am in awe at God’s lovingkindness and great mercy. 🥹❤️ 2 verses come to mind... One is from Ephesians 2:4–“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us..” And the other is Philippians 2:27–“Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him..” The phrase “But God” sticks out to me. It reminds me that God is the one who has a plan and purpose for our lives, and it may be totally different than what we think is best or what we’d like. I don’t know what I would say or how I would act if the neck weakness still persisted to this day.. It would be extremely hard, and I know I would struggle greatly mentally and spiritually. But I also know 100% that God would faithfully sustain me like he did during those long, dark months from October 2024 to May 2025 and on.. God’s mercy continues to be so evident as I’m physically in even better shape than I was back in 2023. 🥹 Aside from my sleep, I’m doing so well that I might even have to find a part time job sometime down the road! I don’t know how long this “stable” period will last, and I know life could quickly change again in the blink of an eye (like it has in the past).. But, while I’m stable, I’m having the MOST JOY feeling quite “normal” and being strong enough/having the energy to babysit my almost 6-month old foster nephew. 💙 He’s over 17 pounds now, and every time I hold him, it’s such a GIFT from the Lord to have the muscle strength for carrying/lifting him! I wanted to end this on a joyous note by sharing one last thing that happened in 2025–the opening of my Pain With Purpose Shop around my 33rd birthday this past October! ☺️ It’s a joy selling my handlettered designs (just a heads-up, my card inventory clearance sale ends on the 5th!). 😊 It’s also SO special that my church’s Care Ministry can send encouragement cards I’ve designed to those in our church body who are experiencing suffering. This gives me a little purpose since it’s sometimes hard not to feel useless living with a chronic illness (I’m sure many of you who are suffering can definitely relate..). 😢 Unless something major happens again, I think this might be my last health update for a while as I’m so enjoying this stable season—I continually thank God for it and don’t want to take one moment for granted! I love you all and am so grateful that you are here with me in the valleys and on the mountain tops. 💚
November was a pretty busy month with Thanksgiving and other things going on, and I was waiting and waiting to hear “the plan” from my surgeon..
