Louisiana writes Kendra a letter of encouragement after Anna Grace becomes seriously ill from an allergic reaction to a spider bite.
This story is dedicated to Wayne Fazey; he lives here in Burleson, and he had an encounter with a brown recluse a few weeks ago and is still getting over it. His leg looks pretty nasty, but he says it looks better than it did. How, I can't see it; the area of the bite was pretty ugly!
Sunday, June 13, 2004~
Dear Kendra:
I was so sorry to hear of your little daughter, Anna Grace, being in the hospital. I was especially distressed to hear that she is very ill now and is fighting for her life due to a severe reaction to a spider bite.
When did this happen, and where were you when she needed to go to the hospital? Was the spider a light brown color with a dark brown "fiddle" marking on its back, or was it a shiny, solid black spider with a red-orange hourglass on its belly? If it was the former, the spider in question was a brown recluse, or "fiddle-back" spider; if it was the latter, it was the black widow. Both spiders are extremely dangerous, and they can make a person very ill in a matter of hours, especially if the person happens to have an allergic reaction to the bite. (My daughter, Ronee', is highly allergic to spiders, but thank GOD she hasn't been bitten by either the brown recluse or the black widow! But if she WERE bitten, she would get deathly sick, and there would be a chance that she could die. So we make sure that we don't do anything to attract these spiders, and besides, she hates spiders with a purple passion, so she and the spider make sure to steer clear of each other if they happen to be in the same general area!)
I was coming home from going to the store when my husband told me of your call and that it sounded extremely important. He said you sounded distressed; and I can see why. When I heard that Anna Grace was in the hospital, I was very upset at the news. I have already contacted Pastor Bilkey and the prayer team at my church, and they are going to be busy praying for your Anna, to make sure she gets through this crisis. So God is already on the job, and so are we at Christ Community Assembly of God!
I then got your email, stating of the situation, and from your words, things sound quite bad. I am sorry to hear that Anna is in critical condition and that right now, she is barely clinging to life. I pray that God watches over her, and I pray that He watches out over you and the girls, too. I also pray that He puts a hedge of protection and places His Healing Touch upon Anna and her bite from the spider. I pray that there are no complications, and I pray that she gets through this thing without any problems whatsoever.
My kids were upset to hear of Anna getting bitten, and they were especially aggrieved to hear that Anna had to be hospitalized, and she is now in ICU in bad shape. They will most certainly be lifting up your daughter up in prayer when we go to church in a few hours. I pray that you feel God's presence as you go see Anna, and I pray that He gives y'all strength and mercy as you weather this storm in your life.
So, Kendra, I wanted to let you know that I care, and if you need anything, anything at all, DON'T hesitate to email me or call me on my cell phone. I will be around, and I want you to let me know just how your daughter is faring. I also want you to tell your other girls that I am especially sorry about the news of their sister being in the hospital, and I pray that things improve for both her and yourselves.
God bless you, Kendra, and thanks for letting me know about Anna and her situation. Do take care, and know if you ever need to talk or even cry, I will make myself available to you somehow!
~With much love, your friend in Tennessee, Louisiana Mayrah.
P.S.: I have affixed a drawing of a brown recluse I got off the computer, so you know what one looks like. I hope the picture doesn't spook you, but at least it's better than the one my daughter, Ronee', put on her story about the brown recluse that she did about two weeks ago! The picture she used is very big, and it is creeeepy!
Great sensitive, caring, and educational letter. Thanks for sharing this timely issue of spiders with us. It will certainly help when we come in contact with one.
Reviewed by Connie Washburn
6/14/2004
Those nasty little critters. My daughter got bit on the fanny last summer by a Hobo Spider - relative of the Brown Recluse - she now has a golfball sized hole in her little round bumcheek. She is a nurse and so, lucky for us, got immediate help. I never realized these dangerous little bugs were in Utah - boy were we surprised!
Excellent write and pic Karen! This is very well told of a most dangerous event. I cared for somemone for several months who could not recover from a brown spider bite. She waited too long to get help. This is very caring and heart-wrenching story!
A page-turning novel about a relationship between best friends that is interrupted because of betrayal , deceit, sexual promiscuity and pregnancy happens!
Sunday, June 13, 2004~
