God is working miracles thru Clay
An update from Dr. Bob ~ Clay is hanging on against tremendous odds. Had successful surgery today and much more to come. There are so many challenges to his trauma team, but God is still in charge, and we wait upon Him with trust and hope. God bless, Bob
Following is a copy of the email alert that was sent out via our “online newsletter”. You can subscribe to receive updates like this and the outbreak in Haiti by subscribing in the upper, right-hand corner of our website. Your information is secure. It is never sold or traded. It is only used to send out out online newsletter and updates.
Gentlefolk:
My grandson, Clay Lunsford desperately needs your prayers. I had just picked him up at the Nashville airport Sunday morning after his return from his first trip to Haiti during his fall break. (He is a senior in high school and lives with Betty and I). Betty remained in Haiti to help our first ever surgical team to do several elective surgeries at Jolivert.
On Sunday evening I loaned him my pickup to go into town and share his Haiti adventures with some of his friends. He lost control of the vehicle on a gravel road, which left the road, climbed a bank, then rolled over about four times. Clay was thrown out of the truck which then landed on his head, completely crushing the frontal portion of his skull. He was airlifted to the trauma center at St Mary’s in Evansville, but after an eight-hour surgery there, the neurosurgeon felt he should be transferred on to the level one trauma center at University of Louisville. This was accomplished again by helicopter two days ago and he is now in the ICU there clinging to life with much difficulty.
Much brain tissue and skull fragments were lost and if he recovers will be facing numerous additional surgeries over the weeks to come. Plus the prognosis for his brain damage is extremely guarded as you can imagine. He also lost his right eye, and it is not yet known whether he will ever regain vision in his left.
It will take a whole series of miracles….and yet, they have already begun as thousands all over the country are praying for him. Unbelievably he is not comatose, but able to respond to simple commands and even play “thumb wrestling†with his dad. In spite of all my years of dealing with severe head trauma in the ER, I have never seen anything quite like this. A clear message that prayer works, God hears, and God heals. Please ask your church and your friends to hold him in your prayers over the coming critical days and weeks.
You can keep up with Clay”s condition at his CarringBridge website located here.
Obviously, Betty left Haiti immediately on hearing the news and we are now at his bedside along with several other family members. She left Dr. Yago Arrafat and his able crew to complete the surgeries, which they did with no problems arising. Our new OR at Jolivert has now been officially christened and stands ready for more surgical teams as the need arises. Yago was especially pleased with the new modern electrocautery unit so graciously donated by the Bovie company. It will help bring modern surgical techniques to Haitians throughout the northwest for the first time ever.
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