One step forward, two steps back (again)

Kerissa • February 6, 2014

Hey, friends,

Just a quick update!  Thank you so much for all your steadfast prayers and support as I continue this incredibly long journey..  All of you so encourage me. <3

My big neurology appointment was originally scheduled for next Tuesday, but it got moved up to this morning!  That and having a sleep medicine follow-up as well this afternoon made for a busy day.

Based on my latest clinical symptoms (mainly, new right arm weakness and cognitive issues), my neurologist is wondering if I had a TIA (mini stroke)..  Definitely wasn’t expecting this.  She already put in an order for a brain MRI and cervical spine MRI which will be my 10th and 11th MRIs….too many!  Again, she’s not positive I had a TIA (but there are some things that point to it), so she wants to be safe rather than sorry.  I’m so thankful that the Lord is in control no matter what!  I couldn’t do any of this without Him!

Dr. G also put in an order for me to have somatosensory evoked potentials done again.  I had this long test done back in January of 2013, but she wants to repeat it to re-evaluate my spinal cord because I have very hyper reflexes which isn’t normal.

My sleep medicine appt. went great!  Dr. H is so sweet and one of the most personable doctors ever.  He’s also the youngest out of all my doctors—only 18 years older than me!

“Trained faith is a triumphant gladness in having nothing but God–no rest, no foothold, nothing but Himself–a triumphant gladness, rejoicing in a very fresh emergency that is going to prove Him true.  The Lord Alone–that is trained faith.” ~~ Lilias Trotter

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