One Day Closer to *OHIO*

Kerissa • April 8, 2013

My parents, sister, and I leave for Cincinnati, Ohio in approximately 5 days!!!  Sooo glad.  Looking back, I know I wouldn’t have made it to April 13th without God’s grace.  I’m so so thankful my appointments are just around the corner.  As much as I don’t want to admit it, my health seems to be declining.  My left leg weakness is getting worse, I’m having uncontrollable eye movements more often, my muscle jerking is getting pretty severe all over, and this fatigue is just plain awful.  All that on top of headaches every day makes me pretty miserable.  I’m so tired all the time, and I wake up late every day.  Because of that, I sometimes don’t have breakfast or lunch, depending on what I want to eat.  And soon after I wake up, my eyes start stinging which makes me want to go back to sleep!

Anyway, our flight leaves on Saturday morning bright and early at 6 am!  We have a layover in Salt Lake City but will arrive in Ohio as early as 3 in the afternoon.  Hopefully we’ll know by Sunday whether there’s a room available at the Ronald McDonald House which is just across the street from Cincinnati Children’s.

*I see Genetics on Monday the 15th, then Neurology (4/16), and lastly, Pain Management (4/17).  Each appointment is over 2 hours long!  Thursday and Friday (4/18-19) is left open in case the doctors order more tests or refer me to other departments.*

Love this song by Jeremy Camp because it really inspires me to keep walking this journey for God’s glory.  My prayer going into this next step is that, whether the doctors give me a new diagnosis or no diagnosis yet, God will be praised and honored.

“Reign In Me”

I have seen so many teardrops
Fall to the ground
I’ve held the hand of God’s children
Once lost and now found

I have walked it and I know
That my King is alive
And no other one
Has the love You provide

I want all who I meet
To see You through me
I want all that I speak to be You

If there’s anything that I would pray
It’s that the whole world would seek Your face
And in spite of who I can be
Please reign in me
Reign in me

I know it starts with the desire
To give You control
To lay down all my dreams
So You have my heart in full

Lord I know this weary battle
It begins on my knees
In everything I want You to be pleased

I can see the waters rising
I can hear the hearts reviving
Through You there’s nothing we can’t do

Let’s carry the people crying
And be a generation fighting
To lead the lost into Your hands

If there’s anything that I would pray
It’s that the whole world would seek Your face
And in spite of who I can be
Please reign in me, oh yeah
Reign in me, yeah
Reign in me, yeah

Reign in me, reign in me
(In my heart , in my mind , in my soul
Be the Lord of my life, take control )
[x2]

 

P.S. Stay tuned!  I’ll try to blog every day while I’m there and post pictures with each update.

October prayer request

By Kerissa Lee • October 19, 2025
Dear friends, At the beginning of October, I started taking a new medication for the autoimmune disease. I thought I was tolerating it just fine, but after several days passed, I began experiencing nausea, loss of appetite, weakness all over, and increased pain. 🙁 It’s like I’m experiencing another “mito crash.” I found out that this specific lupus medication affects mitochondria. That is, it causes an overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS). This, in turn, causes cell damage and oxidative stress. I sure wish the rheumatologists would have known about this before prescribing. But I have to remember that Mitochondrial DNA Depletion Syndrome is rare, and they’re not “mito experts.” Anyways, the last time I felt like this was back in May.. I’m so grateful to God that I haven’t needed to be hospitalized from this, but at the same time, I’m also sad that this happened at all, especially because I had such a nice stretch of stable health. I’d really appreciate your prayers, that this muscle weakness can resolve soon, and that this increased pain all over will get back to my baseline. Every time I have a “mito crash,” it feels like I’m fighting the flu which always sucks. The pain has been hard to bear. And whenever I’m in the thick of it, it’s difficult to remember that this too will eventually pass. 😢 Pray that I will endure and follow Jesus’ example like this passage from Hebrews 12:1-2– “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross...” Thank you all so much for praying for me. ❤️

Thank you! (+ a prayer request)

By Kerissa Lee • October 4, 2025
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness." James 1:2-3

Praises & Prayer Requests

By Kerissa Lee • September 3, 2025
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23