The good news is that there is not a lot to tell at this point in regards to our team. The bad news is that our team has been affected by this virus, and many people around us continue to be.
In the middle of May, Claire, one of our teammates, came to work with a rash on her face. She had been eating a lot of mangoes and her house had been fumigated, so she assumed that it was connected with either one of those. Over the next few days the rash got worse so she decided to go to the doctor, who took a blood test and confirmed with 75% assuredness that it was the Zika. The other options were chikungunya or dengue. He said that although the local government was not making it public, many people in the town were experiencing the same symptoms and they all lined up with Zika.
About a week later I got a headache, fever, and then a day later the rash- red, hot, raised bumps that start on the face and move south. This was followed by swollen, painful joints. This whole process took about five days and then it appeared that I was in the clear.
During this time Brandon, a fellow team member, came down with the virus, also. I did not know about his experience because I had been at home, and he was just returning from a short trip to the US. He had been infected here in Nicaragua but has started the symptoms in the U.S.
The morning that I thought the virus was behind me, I went to Spanish class and started to feel a weird feeling in my thumb joint. In the course of an hour it spread through my hand and wrist- a numb and tingling feeling. By the end of class, it had moved into my other hand.
Stephen had been talking to Brandon who had heard about the connection with Zika and Guillain-Barre syndrome; a syndrome where paralysis can be localized or spread throughout your body. The worst case is not being able to breath due to paralysis. Brandon was experiencing this numbing in his hands and feet.
I called Stephen on my way home from Spanish, and he told me about Brandon. I told him that I was experiencing that, too. The fear here is no 911 type services, being an hour from the first capable hospital, and not having a vehicle. Things that might feel minor in some cases become a little more serious. That is when Stephen contacted you all to pray for Brandon and me.
I headed home and throughout that day the numbing moved up my arms. We had read that if it starts in your feet then it is more likely to move throughout more of your body, so the plan of attack was to head to the hospital if that started. Brandon has a car, so we all stayed in touch in case we things changed.
Over the next few days my numbness subsided, and Brandon’s numbness took a few more days. Thank you so much for your prayers! I credit the quick turn around and encouragement during that time to so many people around the world lifting us up in prayer!
The after effect has been a lot of tiredness, still some random pain, and a lack of focus at times.
As many of you know, I was scheduled to leave for the U.S. on May 26th for my niece’s graduation. I was able to go, and got to recover with my family and the comforts of America- air conditioning, cars, comfortable chairs, and good food!
The bad news was that the day after I arrived, I got a call from Stephen saying that he was starting the symptoms, and he was on his own! He slept through as much as possible. Thankfully, he did not get the numbing since he was by himself.
So the fall out for us here in Masatepe has been increased numbers of people getting the Zika virus in town and now it is spreading to other communities, I-Teams chose to cancel our five interns for the summer to keep them from getting the virus, and our two short-term teams that were coming in October have postponed until the dry season. These were disappointing results since I was really looking forward to connecting with these people.
The biggest change though is in regards to Hannah, Brandon’s wife, who is pregnant and was visiting her family in the US when Claire came down with the virus. She was due to return in the end of May. She will now be staying in the U.S. and will be able to deliver her baby there. It is hard to not have her here as part of our team, but it is a blessing that she has not had the risks that can come with pregnancy and Zika.
“We make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps” (Proverbs 16:9). Sometimes there are things about that I do not like, but it is good to know that Someone Else sees the big picture and knows what is best.