Prayer request

Kerissa • August 20, 2020

Hi, friends,

I haven’t updated in so long, but I could use your prayers.❤ I shared this on social media last week but will share here for those who don’t know.  Last Tuesday, I was up all night with horrible, cramping abdominal pain, and I couldn’t fall asleep until after 6 AM.

I had an appointment with my GI dr. today, and I told him about what happened.   Given my GI dysmotility, he said it could have been a partial bowel obstruction….   We also discussed something called “intussusception” which is when the GI tract basically “telescopes” into itself, but that would be last on his list and the only way to diagnose that would be to get a CT scan during the episode.

Anyways, I haven’t been feeling my normal still, and it seems like I’m going through a “mito crash” which is a decompensation episode that can happen with mitochondrial disease.   My eyes are really droopy, I’m exhausted, weak, having bad pain, and not tolerating food as well….my stomach will get really distended which makes me look 6 months pregnant.   A few years ago, I had a mito crash that landed me in the hospital.   But, obviously, I don’t want to go there, so my GI dr. is going to talk with my primary care dr. to see about getting some IV D10 (dextrose) and infusing it through my central line for a few days or so.   D10 can be helpful for mito crashes.

So that’s where things stand currently.   It’s been hard, but I’m trying to wait on the Lord.   I just feel so crappy.

Thank you all for your love and support.   I know this too shall pass!  I lettered the quote above when I saw it on Instagram, and it’s so encouraging.❤

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