July 9-13, 2009
I landed in Phnom Penh at 4:30 PM with five girls, Elizabeth, Maly, Maggie, Serah, and Monichea. We went to Bangkok for a mother-daughter home school trip. I was pretty exhausted and very glad to be back home. The dusty streets, the tuk-tuks, the motos, the crazy traffic were just what I needed. I missed it. Bill was at the airport to greet us, along with Catherine, John and Frances.
It was good to be home and see Dop-Mai (a neighbor) cup her hands, bow and mouth “Chum reap sua” to us as we passed her on the dirt road by our home. All the kids in our neighborhood were smiling and waving at us as we passed them by. Poh opened the gate. He too was smiling his bright-eyed greeting to me. I love Poh.
Ah, the smell of Gunthea’s spaghetti wafting in the air as I walked in. I was so happy to be home. I dropped my luggage in the dining room and was greeted heartily by my bullmastiff puppy, Buki. Rocky was wagging his body when he saw me. Ming, another house helper walked up with Jada and my heart was even happier. Here was Jada. She reached out to me and I took her and buried my face in her hair kissing her. One year old, the smell of the lavender baby oil was a warm welcome to me. She smiled a practically toothless smile and I noticed that another tooth was beginning to erupt. Three and a half teeth! Jada is so adorable and such a gift.
Before I knew it, Gunthea called us to dinner and we gathered together to eat. Bill thanked the LORD for our safe return and for the meal that he provided for us. Yummy! After dinner, Michael, our Khmer son from Asian Hope, showed up with some of his “disciples” as he calls them. He is leading a group of young Khmer men in a bible study. He plays volleyball with them on a regular basis. Some of them have been converted. Some of them are still on the outskirts watching.
They are all so respectful. Cambodia is such a warm place to be. Warm in an emotional kind of way–HOT in a physical kind of way! I love the people so much. I feel so privileged to be here. Before I knew it, after conversing for a while, Michael led everyone outside to play games. It was dark and everyone was laughing and running around. It was good to hear the sounds of home again.
I was talking with one of the young men inside when I heard some commotion on the porch. I heard Catherine crying and Michael carried her in. She said she stepped on a thorn and asked me to take it out. I looked at her toe and it had blood and dirt on it so I told her to rinse it off. She said she felt like she was going to vomit.
In my secret heart, I was a little irritated because I thought she was being wimpy. She went to the bathroom off our living room and I continued my conversation. Shortly afterward the young man decided to join Michael and his friends outside who were playing with our kids. I went to check my email and Bill came and sat behind me on the couch. He was getting tired. It was 8:30. He told me he was going to “shut things down at 9:15” and was going to nap until then. I was busily checking and deleting email. Before I knew it, an hour had passed and Serah came in calling Catherine. It was 9:30. Bill bolted upright. Serah was knocking on the bathroom door for Catherine. I assumed she had washed her foot off and ran back outside to play with the other kids. She didn’t.
Bill was up and banging on the locked bathroom door. He was about to kick it in when the door opened. I was at his side and Catherine was ashen. Her lips were blue, her eyes were rolled back and she fell to the floor. She was wet and cold. Bill was clearly shaken and so was I. Something was terribly wrong. We both knew we had to get her to the hospital. Her arms and legs were purple; she was not talking to us. She was dying.
Bill carried her to the car and I grabbed her as I got into the backseat with her at Bill’s command. I held her and Bill called back to her saying “Catherine talk to me, stay awake baby girl”. I began praying. “Jesus, you are the Living God, the Creator of all things, don’t let my baby die!” Bill was anxiously praying as he drove. Michael was managing the kids as we frantically left. Bill called him from the car and asked him to meet us at the Royal Rattanak Hospital, which was providentially close to our home. He was there in a heartbeat to help translate. The doctors did a look-see when we arrived. Catherine was sweating, purple and catatonic. The doctors shined lights in her eyes, looked at the wound between the toes of her right foot and showed me the two tale-tell fang marks left by an unknown beast.
My daughter lay there poisoned and dying before our eyes. They twisted a latex glove tourniquet around her right leg just above her ankle, but an hour had passed. How much poison AND what kind was circulating in her tiny frame? Thoughts of another funeral was circulating in my mind… Was I going to bury her next to Adrain or was I going to have to wrap her body myself here in Cambodia and bury her behind our house?
Bill called Dale Knutson. He is a pediatrician on our MTW team. He was at the hospital with us before we even knew it. He was so calm. He got to work immediately on trying to find the closest place with anti-venom. He was in communication with Dr. Ted Kuhn, the medical missions director who was familiar with snakebites from around the world. Now it had been two hours… time was ticking away.
The MTW team called around Phnom Penh in search of anti-venom. They didn’t have any on hand at Rattanak. They were preparing an ambulance to take us from PP to a province two hours north, Kampong Channang. There was supposed to be a snakebite center there. I did not feel too good about it.
We had visited Kampong Channang in September during our Vision Trip. There weren’t any modern facilities there that I had seen. The Khmer “hospital” we visited in Anlong Weng in September was mildewed. The stairways reeked of urine and were covered in dust. The beds were just rusted out spring cots with no mattresses, screen-less windows and families huddled around the beds with food brought from their homes. The IV’s resembled one-liter Coke bottles that were inserted into tiny bodies with thick rubber-like hoses instead of the familiar thin plastic tubing in America. I grimaced at the thought of our Catherine having to go to such a place. I cried out to God for mercy.
They put a modern IV into her at this hospital, transferred her to a gurney and loaded her into the back of the ambulance. Bill and Michael rode in the back with Catherine and I rode in the front. Nothing seemed to move quickly enough. All I could think about was the venom surging through her veins. Kampong Channang seemed a world away and not a good world either. I began to pray out loud. My eyes closed to shut the world around me out, my hands raised high and I voiced my prayers audibly with boldness and beseeching my God for her life. I “claimed” scripture in a different way during this supernatural prayer time. I envisioned the Aaron and Hur holding Moses’ arms up and as they held his arms up the Israelites prevailed in battle, but when they released his arms and they fell by his side, the Israelites lost ground. I prayed arms raised beseeching Jehovah Rapha, Emmanuel, Alpha and Omega—every name I could remember, quoting every scripture I could remember that was applicable to implore the LORD to save Catherine. I said if He could hold back the waters of the Red Sea to let the Israelites pass through, then surely he could hold back the venom from Catherine’s organs. I kept asking him.
I began to recount the unlikely ways in which my God had worked throughout history. Things like him using Abraham, old Abraham to be the father of many nations, Rahab—a lying prostitute to deliver the Israelites, David—a little boy to kill a giant…I began to sob in gratitude for his great goodness to me and to my family especially during the last year with all the death we had. My history was one blanketed in grace. I thanked him for the supernatural peace he gave me as I prayed and then, a gentle squeeze came on my shoulder from the ambulance driver. I stopped sobbing because I thought he might think I was freaked out. I wasn’t, I really was grateful and couldn’t help crying! I didn’t want this Buddhist driver to think I was hopeless, I was full of hope, and I was full of peace.
Dale Knutson kept calling about evacuation and anti-venom from Phnom Penh as our ambulance raced toward Kampong Channang. Bill and Michael were crying out in prayer in the back of the ambulance for Catherine’s life. John Roberts had met us at Rattanak hospital, his wife Sheryl went to our house to gather up our children to care for them in our crisis. We had just spent 3 days with her and four of her children in Thailand and had been knit to them in a beautiful way during that time and here she was ministering to me and to my children. Another precious providence.
John called his team and got people praying. Dale called MTW and everyone began to pray for us. We had people praying from all over the world. Missionaries everywhere were interceding for Catherine and for our entire family. Fifteen minutes into our ambulance ride, Catherine began throwing up blood. Her mouth was covered in blood—indicative of venom that induces internal bleeding. She vomited about ten times. It was constant and frightening. I had no idea she was doing that because I was in the front praying my heart out. I had shut the world out and was communing with my God.
Bill began to receive calls from fellow team members. Pastor Theng called and informed us that our Khmer congregation was interceding for us and that he was with our brother in Christ and director, Setan Lee. They were out in the province with the team of “Musicianaries”. Then we got a call from Dale twenty minutes into our trip telling us to turn back toward PP. He and the MTW team had located anti-venom through the US Embassy. We were to go to the SOS clinic in PP. Our ambulance driver turned us around and headed back.
I continued to pray for Catherine. Amazingly, she awoke from her unconscious state. She wasn’t talking but affirmed she could understand and had opened her eyes. Her body was still circulating the venom. This just increased my hope and I continued praying. Even though I began repeating what I had already asked, I didn’t care. My God heard me and Jesus was praying along with me.
I opened my eyes every once in awhile, the streets we were traveling on began to look familiar. I closed them again and prayed. “Lord, give the doctors wisdom, watch over Catty’s body, help me to pray, cause many people to pray!”
We arrived at the SOS facility. I hobbled out of the ambulance, Bill and Michael emptied out of the back and the team of ambulance workers and the Rattanak Doctor followed. We all filed into the facility where Dale Knutson and John Roberts were graciously waiting for us. Dale was on the phone, John was there to help in any way possible and then to my amazement the quiet driver with his surgical mask on bowed and genuflected and said “Knom jiuh Chreestian”, “I am a Christian”. My heart was pierced because in my secret heart I had thought him to be a Buddhist, and had looked down on him–but then I was so grateful to discover I had a Khmer brother who was probably praying alongside me the whole time!
John Roberts was standing next to me when the ambulance driver genuflected and his eyes widened as he smiled too. Another sweet provision from the LORD. Catherine was taken to a small, clean room and lifted onto another gurney. Blood covered her mouth. She began to rouse. Still no medicine had been given to her and it was midnight. Three and a half hours since the bite. Catherine was talking to us. We asked her what she remembered. She said she remembered vomiting. I was surprised she was waking up. I began to wonder if she had been bitten by a snake at all BECAUSE she woke up. The Khmer doctor examined her toe and there the tale tell fang marks were. She had indeed been bitten by a snake and we had no idea which kind.
About an hour into our stay at SOS, the head doctor arrived. Dr. Megan Thomas from Australia. She had such a kind nature about her. She was very sober about Catherine’s condition. Then she told us about her experience working as a trauma ER doctor in Australia and caring for several bite victims there. How perfect is that? She was knowledgeable about SNAKES!!! ANOTHER provision! Jesus is so good. He gave us a snake doctor! Dr. Thomas removed the latex glove tourniquet and wrapped Catherine’s leg starting at the bite site, a bit tightly at first and wrapped up her leg and back down again, explaining that this method was shown to be beneficial in keeping the venom from penetrating the lymphatic system any further. Dr. Thomas was concerned because we still didn’t know what type of snake had bitten Catherine. She then told us that they didn’t have anti-venom that covered all snakes, they had to determine which kind of snake had bitten her. By this time the doctor could conclude by Catherine’s symptoms that she had been bitten by a snake that had hemotoxic not neurotoxic venom. This was another good providence. She could have died much earlier from a neurotoxic exposure.
Catherine was bleeding out of her gums and she had blood in her urine. Dr. Thomas could not determine whether Catherine was bleeding out of her stomach, but the vomiting of blood was indicative that she probably was. There was no equipment at the SOS facility to see inside of Catherine’s body and the blood tests were very limited. She did the external tests of tapping on her belly. We needed to get her out of Phnom Penh and to Bangkok ASAP.
Dr. Thomas said that Catherine would have to be air lifted to Thailand and was working to get approval and to get the ball rolling. In the meantime, Bill stayed behind with Cat while Michael and I went back to the house to gather up some things for the trip. I drove while dinghy from lack of sleep. I rushed into the house to gather our things and Michael stayed outside and searched for the snake.
I gathered our passports and clothing for me and for Bill, crammed them in the suitcase I hadn’t emptied from the trip I had just returned from. Then I went into Catherine’s room. I made my way over to her bed. I had to look at the three beds in the room to determine which one was hers. The basket of stuffed kittens so lovingly placed made it evident that this bed was Catherine’s. I felt a pain well up in my heart. I went to her armoire to get clothes and couldn’t tell if I was at the right one either because I didn’t really pay attention to what her belongings looked like. I began crying because I didn’t really know my own daughter. A neat stack of things lay on her bed. A journal with “Cat” written on it was on her bed. Would I loose this little girl without having really known her? “Jesus, please forgive me. Give me more time with Catherine…” I prayed. God was wooing me toward repentance.
Michael’s call from downstairs broke into my prayer and my thoughts. He was yelling up to me that he found the snake! Six hours had lapsed and I was a little skeptical that this was THE snake that bit Catherine. We found cobras on two separate occasions in our kitchen—at least that is what our Khmer neighbors and friends told us they were. They were brown and the snake Michael found was bright green with a red tail. The head was triangular—a sign that it was truly venomous. It looked rather small and it turns out it was a baby. Baby snakes cannot control their venom and can be more fatal.
We found a plastic bag and stuffed the snake inside and tied it off. We hurried back to the hospital. Dr. Thomas took the snake and researched by phone and by computer. She found the snake Michael had killed fit the profile of the snake that probably bit her. It was a Green Pit Viper. The fang pattern matched the snakebite on Catherine’s toe. God was gracious to allow Michael to find the snake after so much time had lapsed. Another miracle!
The SOS facility “just so happened” to have anti-venom for Green Pit Vipers! Dr. Thomas told us earlier that they couldn’t just administer just any kind of anti-venom; it had to be snake specific. Now we had a snake that matched her bite and the profile of her symptoms. We were told that they shouldn’t risk using the wrong serum because it could just make her condition worse. So Dr. Thomas had to consult the doctor in charge to make sure she could give Catherine the Green Pit Viper anti-venom. Time was ticking away. After two more hours we got the go ahead to administer it.
While they made the necessary preparations to administer the anti venom, Catherine was bleeding heavily from a gash in her lip when she fainted in the bathroom. Now the Khmer doctor assisting Dr. Thomas was preparing to stitch her lip. He applied a local anesthetic—an ointment I thought he was using to prepare her for an injection to numb her out completely, you know, like at the dentist. NOT SO! All my poor baby got was the ointment which did nothing for her pain. She cried out in pain, tears running down her face and I stood by helplessly watching this doctor stitch her lip.
This is the real world in Cambodia. Primitive conditions compared to Dallas. It was eye opening for me to sit by as they stitched her lip with no real pain relief. I guess most Khmer are resilient. Catherine had a special calling to be bitten and subjected to so much pain and confusion. She really handled it with such grace.
Dr. Thomas returned and informed us of the risks of administering the anti venom and we consented to treatment. Three vials of Green Pit Viper anti-venom were given to our tiny daughter. Then we waited. She did not have an allergic reaction. Then Dr. Thomas told us that we were approved to go to Thailand and should be out of country by 10AM.
A doctor from the emergency evacuation company came out to explain the procedures and left to coordinate efforts between the Bangkok and Phnom Penh officials. At 10:45 AM the ambulance arrived to take us to the airport. We were transported and loaded onto a plane for a one and half hour flight to Bangkok. Two E.M.T.’s and Dr. Therapol from Rattanak hospital were on board with us. Catherine vomited up blood twice on the plane. We landed in Bangkok at 12:30 and were taken by ambulance with a team of E.M.T.’s and Dr. Therapol to Bumrungrad International Hospital. Bumrungrad is a state of the art facility. We came into the ER greeted by a doctor who took over Catherine’s care. Dr. Therapol departed saying “God bless you”. I wondered if he was a believer too! We had exchanged phone numbers on the plane and planned on getting together for dinner sometime after our return.
From the time we entered Bumrungrad, the disparity between the Phnom Penh facility and Bangkok were so very stark. Bill wondered out loud about the poverty stricken in Cambodia and specifically about the care our dear neighbor Sokea would receive if she were bitten. Sokea is a poor neighbor girl about 9 years old who never attends school, wanders barefoot in the tall grasses by our house and in no way could ever afford to be air lifted out of Cambodia for care like our sweet Catherine was. She would likely die if it had happened to her. This is another thing we need to pray about.
Sleep deprivation was setting in heavily on both Bill and me. I was getting punchy and Bill was dinghy. I was so irritated and he was so spacey. What a combination! God has such a sense of humor sometimes. He allowed us to go through this trial too! I called a couple of friends to be praying for us too. I didn’t want to be divided from my husband over such trivial emotions. The Holy Spirit was so gracious to speak so loudly to my heart that it wasn’t worth the division anger causes. I needed Bill and he needed me. I admitted that I was getting irritated and asked him not to take it personally, he graciously told me he wouldn’t. God gave me the BEST husband in the world for ME!!
While I waited with Catherine in the ER, Bill went to see if we could stay at the hospital guest quarters and purchased a Thai sim card for our phone. During his absence, they decided to move Catherine to ICU. That irritation was surfacing again as I looked for Bill to return. I had to fight against it again. Then he showed up just in time! Thank the LORD for his tender mercy.
We escorted Catherine up to ICU and kissed her goodnight. We had been awake for 40 hours straight and had to get rest. Bill gave the ICU nurse our phone number and we left for the evening.
When we returned in the morning, a nurse was at Catherine’s bedside gently combing out her hair. Catherine was almost purring! All along this journey, God graciously gifted us with such caring people. Catherine’s foot was purple and swollen, and she was running a fever. The nurse elevated her foot and gave her IV antibiotics and something for the fever.
I had been hobbling around in severe pain the whole time. I didn’t know if I was having a Lupus flare or what. My legs were so swollen and I was so incredibly stiff. I could barely walk. I bought a cane while I was here with Sheryl Roberts, Kara Diedert and our girls because I was hurting so badly. Now it had progressed and Bill had to push me in a wheelchair. He made an appointment for me to see a Rheumatologist while we were here. I went to the appointment and they did blood work and a UA. I was told to return on Monday at 1:30 to see the results and go from there.
Catherine was then moved to a regular room. We were thinking she should be getting out because she looked so good. Her face was a little puffy and her foot was still swollen and was going to be unwrapped. The prayers began again. We weren’t sure how much venom was trapped under that bandage and how it would affect her. They did more blood work to see how well her blood was coagulating. Her platelets were still well below normal and her toe was looking necrotic. She was in severe pain every time they changed the bandage. Then we got a look at her toe again. It was necrotic. Catherine sobbed and tears ran down her face as she arched her back. She didn’t wail but was in tremendous pain as they wiped the wound and re-applied the bandage. She was still bleeding heavily from the bite wound.
We got her blood work back only to discover her blood clotting ability was still well below normal. We were told we had to stay another 5 days for observation and to make sure her clotting returned to normal. So here we sit waiting. Gratefully waiting. Bill returns to Cambodia tomorrow to be with the children. I will remain behind with Catherine. We are so grateful for the prayers of all the saints. This was such a testimony of how the LORD works in adversity and unifies the believers around the world.
I have been so encouraged during this trial. I have also been very convicted of my need to engage with my children on a deeper level. Bill had asked the LORD to give him passion in prayer. He prayed “whatever it takes” during my visit here last week. Then God answered in a most peculiar way. The LORD has proven once again how GOOD and FAITHFUL he is. He is healing me from my disconnect. Please pray for me to fight against all the temptations to be comfortable. Pray that we would be servants and have servant hearts. We just want to glorify God, not steal His glory either.
He is the One who is good beyond measure and able to save both the physical body and the soul. We pray this story would increase the faith of the saints who have been faithfully praying AND for those who do not yet know Jesus Christ personally, that your heart might be softened and hungry to know him. We pray that Christ would reveal himself to each of you who take the time to read this. He ordains ALL things—even the simple reading of a story. May Christ richly Bless each one of you. Amen.
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Dop Mai in the center. Sister Danika on her left.
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Poh and his kind old face.
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Michael Meng–our dear son in the LORD. Our hero, prayer warrior, faithful brother.
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Dr. Dale Knutson…
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Our dear Pastor Theng from our Khmer church.
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Catherine bleeding from her mouth at the SOS clinic
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Dr. Thomas cleaning Catherine up after wrapping her leg.
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Dead Green Pit Viper next to Catherine’s bandaged leg.
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Close up of viper’s head
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Catherine after the anti venom with “souvenir” box.
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Preparing to load Catherine on plane to Bangkok Hospital.
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Dr. Therapol. Catherine is behind him on the left and EMT with her.
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Sokea and her mother. Our dear neighbors!
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Catherine in a state-of-the-art room at Brumrungrad Hospital
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Modern photos on the wall…flat screen tv
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Catherine in her “regular” room eating ginger glazed salmon, fresh tropical fruit, fresh squeezed juice, lying on 500 pinpoint sheets with a down comforter!!
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Her blackened toe, necrosis setting into the bite wound.
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This is a picture of our family crammed into our 15 passenger van! We had 15 people passengers, a Boston Terrier and a Chihuahua on the way to Colorado to meet Setan Lee and his wife Randa of Transform Asia (formally Kampuchea for Christ) and Jordan Fisher of Asian Hope. Then we went to say goodbye to the Aspen house while we were in the Colorado neighborhood. It was great!
