Good news! Update on Rachida

After a long wait, I have an update on Rachida. And it’s an encouraging one! She and her grandmother Kadi arrived back from Mali on Saturday and I was able to go and see them on Sunday. Rachida was happy that I came to visit, though she didn’t remember her mom anymore and didn’t seem interested at all in her new baby brother. I can’t imagine how that must break her mom’s heart, especially after all she’s done for her! But this is about good news, so we’ll not think about that right now.

The good news is that the second doctor they saw in Mali seems to really care, really know what she’s doing, and is treating Rachida. And she can now see a little bit! I was skeptical at first, since they’d ask her to go get things she already knew the placement of and she’d be able to go and pick them up. I figured it was just a good memory. But then I/we started asking her to pick up things that she didn’t know the placement of, and though sometimes she couldn’t find them, sometimes she’d look around and you could tell when she saw it since she’d start heading that way. So her eyesight isn’t good, but it’s definitely better than any of us thought possible!

Some more good news is that the doctor in Mali said that even though there is improvement, the treatment is not over. She’s supposed to come back at the end of the month for more treatment, and was told that she may continue to have appointments on and off for up to three years. That tells me that the doctor is actually serious about getting rid of the cancer, and not just making it “good enough” to give the family false hope. Thank you, God, for a good doctor! The treatment she is undergoing is some kind of chemotherapy laser that is applied directly into the eye. Don’t ask me how it works, but I’m sure if you looked it up online you could find out more details.

Also, I want to thank you for your prayers for their time in Mali. Kadi’s report was that the people of Mali were overall very nice and helpful and generous and that she was encouraged by them. Normally people say Burkinabe people are nice, not necessarily Malians. So I believe that it’s because of your prayers that God raised up and placed people in their path to help them all along the way. Thank you for the vital part that you are playing!

There’s the update and a few pictures. (She is so ticklish that I got some good laughs and smiles out of her by tickling her!) Thank you for your prayers and please keep them coming. Her health and their eternal salvation are neither one guaranteed yet, but we see God working mightily. Thank you!