The Trip of a Lifetime

"It seems like a dream..." is all that Aleyda could say as I took her to the US Embassy to apply for her medical visa. It's all she could say as Alli and I went over last minute travel plans with her in our office. It's all she could say as we loaded her up with luggage and spending money. And, it's all she could say as she boarded the plane with one of our fellow missionaries and flew to the US "...it seems like a dream."

And in fact, it is a dream, a dream come true; a miracle. After 21 years of constant back pain Aleyda Zepeda Duron, a kindhearted, patient, sweet girl from rural Honduras will have life changing back surgery to repair her congenital scoliosis. Aleyda is familiar with the medical world. She has seen doctors all her life. They repeatedly scheduled her for back surgery and repeatedly canceled it. Finally, when the doctors were ready to do the surgery they discovered that Aleyda's scoliosis had progressed beyond their surgical capabilities and was too severe to operate on in Honduras. When Aleyda could have lost hope, she did not. Mission Lazarus became aware of her situation and after almost four years of waiting, hoping and praying an amazing organization in the US, ChildSpring International, found a facility in Georgia to preform Aleyda's surgery, post op follow up, and physical therapy free of charge. A miracle indeed!

Aleyda is scheduled for surgery tomorrow morning at Northside Hospital in Atlanta, GA. Like most lifesaving surgeries, this procedure is very long and difficult and will result with Aleyda being in a great deal of pain afterwards. So, please, please keep Aleyda in your prayers and ask that the miracle would continue in that she would have a successful surgery and swift and easy recovery.