Susan Reed:  

Life I am currently serving in Warsaw, Poland with the International Missions Board. My journey in 1997 (shortly after our 20 year reunion). As a single mother, I made a promise to God that when I was through raising my daughter I would commit my life to overseas missions. My daughter, Elizabeth, was 12 at the time. It was just a few months later that Elizabeth was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis 2, a neurological disease. We were told that her body would produce lesions on her nerves which would, from time to time, need to be removed. We considered this an inconvenience, nothing more. Two years later, in 2000, Elizabeth would have her first surgery. Two lesions pressing against a nerve in her upper left arm were causing numbness and loss of muscle tone. The surgery was a success. Later that year we moved to Kansas City. In 2001, Elizabeth would require two surgeries. In June, Elizabeth had surgery to repair a paralyzed vocal chord. Later that year, an MRI showed a sizable tumor on her upper spinal chord. The neurosurgeon told us that immediate surgery was required. So, on the first day of her sophomore year, Elizabeth underwent surgery to remove the tumor. Early indicators showed that the surgery was a success. Elizabeth had mobility in her legs and her vital signs were strong. It was not long, however, that she would experience complications, including intolerable and uncontrollable pain. Her case was an enigma to the physicians and nursing staff. Elizabeth’s legs grew weak and, despite rigorous physical therapy, she would be confined to a wheelchair. At an age when she had just begun to taste independence, she would soon require assistance in every area of her life. Two days before her 16th birthday Elizabeth was transferred to an area children’s hospital for physical and occupational therapy. For two months she suffered through hours of physical and occupational therapy. We had no idea how fast her little body w...Expand for more