Carissa's life story

On August 11th, after a long overnight train ride from southern China, a little girl with a severe heart condition arrived in Beijing. She was met at the train station by one of our medical staff who immediately assessed her. She was in heart failure so we took her directly to the hospital where she was admitted to PICU and placed on the ventilator. The next few days were scary. Carissa’s CO2 levels were way too high and the doctors considered doing a tracheotomy.

But they didn’t have to.

Carissa continued to struggle with breathing, but her CO2 levels had dropped to the 60’s and were much closer to the “safe range” of the 40’s. Previously they had been in the 90’s. Carissa’s pneumonia was getting worse, though.

The next day, doctors did a CT scan that revealed a narrow trach and a very narrow right bronchial tube. No wonder she fought so hard to breathe. The doctors told us that she would need a stent placed in her bronchial tube, so we signed the surgery papers for that to be done as soon as possible. When we went in to meet with the surgeons, they also told us that Carissa’s heart was quite enlarged and they were concerned that the pressure would be so high that the stent would not benefit her. But they wanted to give her a chance and so the surgery was scheduled for early the next week.

The day of the surgery the doctors put a scope down into Carissa’s bronchial tubes. Both sides were very narrow, about 2.8mm, very weak and flattened. She went into surgery where they hoped to place two stents in her bronchial tubes. Her situation was very serious and the doctors told us that there was a very small chance that the surgery would work and that we should prepare ourselves for her to die during surgery. But without the surgery she had no chance at all.

A miracle happened. Carissa made it through surgery. But that wasn’t all; the doctor who preformed Carissa’s surgery was Dr. Lui Xi Cheng, who just happened to be one of China’s top surgeons for this procedure. Carissa, an orphan, had one of the best surgeons in the country performing her surgery. She was not forgotten.

Three stents were placed into Carissa’s bronchial tubes, one in the right and two in the left. After the placement, her O2 level jumped from the dangerously low 50’s up into the 90’s. Carissa was moved onto a regular ventilator and her CO2 levels decreased even more. She is not out of the woods yet, but the doctors are encouraged.

To Be Continued…

October 10, 2011

" The condition for a miracle is difficulty, however the condition for a great miracle is not difficulty but impossibility.”

Carissa was at the point where, because of her heart, she would not get any better. But she was very likely to get worse unless surgery was done soon. So we checked her into another hospital in hopes that they could perform surgery on her right away. The report from the surgeons regarding Carissa was not good.

The surgeons told us she would need a minimum of three surgeries. They also said that there was too much fluid in her right lung and that she would not survive surgery. They recommended waiting and trying to get her lungs in better shape before attempting heart surgery. We searched for a second opinion. At another hospital, the surgeons would not even attempt her surgery. They said there is no chance she would survive.

Without a miracle she would not live much longer.

Amazingly, Carissa stabilized. Now was the time for surgery, or else Carissa would quickly deteriorate, the doctors said. She was transferred to Fuwai Hospital (one of the top cardiac hospitals in China). They reviewed her records, did an ultrasound and then the medical director and four other doctors met and decided her case.

Their words shook us to the core. Their conclusion was that there was no hope. So they sent her home to die. We received permission from her orphanage to bring her into the home of our nurse, where we planned to take turns holding her until she went home to be with God.

Though our hearts were broken, we knew that we were in the conditions for a great miracle, so we asked people to pray. And their prayers worked.

Carissa was held, loved on, and prayed for constantly from the moment she arrived home. Just a week after being sent home, Carissa’s lungs were clear, she was eating well, sleeping well and actually gaining weight. In the hospital Carissa O2 level was in the 30’s and 40’s. A week later it was in the 60’s and 70’s. Love was keeping Carissa alive.

The next week Carissa began to contract pneumonia, so we admitted her into the hospital. Within a few days she was released, amazing us and the doctors. We have watched Carissa being held and healed by her Father in Heaven and it’s has left us speechless. This little girl, whom medicine could not heal, is being slowly made whole by love. It’s beautiful to see.