Good News Update: Prayers for Shaun’s Surgery, Comfort, and Family

Dear Family in Christ,
This is an update about my surgery this past June 22nd. It was successful and last week, at my 6 week post-surgery check up, my surgeon cleared me for resuming my normal activities without the neck brace. He was very encouraged by what he saw in the x-rays and says I am healing well. I am on an excellent road to a complete recovery and no more problems with my spine.
I am so very grateful to God and to all of you for your prayers and well wishes. It is truly great to be in God’s kingdom and part of His family, with loving, faithful brothers and sisters in Christ, such as yourselves. May our God bless and keep and protect each one of you and your families and to Him be all the glory and praise. I love you all.
Blessings and love,
Shaun

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[5.22.22] Dear Family, I’ve had some health challenges these last few months. Based on the nature of my physical symptoms, I have been to a neurologist and then a neurosurgeon at the Emory Spine Institute. After all the tests, x-rays and an MRI, I’ve been told I have spinal stenosis. It is the narrowing of the canal that the spinal cord is in. The walls of the canal are pressing up against the spinal cord and putting too much pressure on it. I had a similar problem back in 2008.That time was super scary because before the surgery I was practically paralyzed. A disc had popped out and was crushing my spine against the canal wall. This time it’s happening right above the area where I had spinal surgery to replace that disc with a metal plate back then. Another surgery is the only thing that will help because they have to go in, remove the pressure by widening the canal and then do a bone fusion to shore it up so that prayerfully it won’t begin to narrow again. The area where it’s happening is just above the place where the first problem was and what’s happening now is due partly to that and partly to arthritis.
The surgery is scheduled for August 9th. I wish it could be sooner but it’s a scheduling issue and I don’t want to change doctors at this point. So now I know why I can barely stand longer than a few minutes and why I can’t walk unaided for a long time and why I have super weakness, numbness and tingling in my arms, hands, fingers and toes. It’s all been very scary so I’m asking for your prayers. I will NOT be putting these details on Facebook but I share them with you because of the reasons I know that you will pray and I feel very grateful to have people like you in my life who I can confide in and who I know will keep me in prayer. I know that God’s timing is best, He’s chosen my surgeon and location and all the details for a smooth, uncomplicated and successful surgery so I can get back on my feet and continue to live an abundant life that includes full physical mobility. But please also pray that my symptoms don’t get any worse before August 9th. It seems like such a long way away for such a diagnosis but I know that 1,000 days is like 1 day to Him. In the meantime, I know He’s working on my trust and my surrender! I really miss everyone and hope to come to service soon, now that I have a walker. Please also pray for my mom, this is all very stressful for her. I’m so grateful for your prayers!!! Love and blessings to you all.

Shaun Seya