Treasure

Proverbs 31:10-12

A few years ago, I was diagnosed with a progressive kidney disease called Chronic Kidney Disease. One of those illnesses that gets progressively worse no matter what you do. The Nephrologist said that dialysis was an inevitablility.

Around Thanksgiving of 2020, my wife and I got COVID. I ended up with COVID pneumonia and spent two weeks in the hospital, 4 days of which I was in ICU. The COVID did further damage to my kidneys.

In late 2021, fluid began to build up in my ankles. It quickly went up my legs and to my chest. It got around my lungs and was crushing them. I could not breathe. The Pulmonoligist sent me to the ER and admitted me to the hospital where they were able to drain fifty pounds of fluid off of me. I ended up on peritoneal dialysis.

A few months after starting dialysis, I went blind in my right eye. My eye doctor sent me to a retinal specialist, who in turn sent me for a biopsy of my temporal artery to test for Giant Cell Arteritis. After the biopsy, I threw a blood clot and had a TIA (basically a stroke).

Then, my dialysis wasn't working like it was supposed to work and I began to lose the use of my legs. I ended up using a walker, nearly in need of a wheelchair. My Nephroligist started me on hemodialysis

I ended up in the hospital almost every week for a while with fluid in my lungs because my kidneys did't work anymore. My Nephrologist adjusted my dialysis prescription and the fluid build up stopped. I started getting stronger and no longer needed a walker or cane and could stand up by myself.

I am still very weak and my poor wife has to do literally everything.

My point in all this is to say that I hit the jackpot when I married my wife. She is what I call a Proverbs wife.

She does everything and never complains or gets short with me for not being able to help. Words are too clumsy to say how thankful I am to her and how much I love her.

Through all of what we have been through, we both determined to trust God no matter what (1 Peter 1:6-7). Cheryl's sense of humor has remained intact. She promised that she would not be like Job's wife (Job 2:8-9).

God sent her to me because He saw all of this coming and decided to bless me with Cheryl (Proverbs 12:4, Proverbs 18:22 and Proverbs 31:10-12). She is all those things and more.

God is AWESOME!