A little over two weeks ago, my big sister Jill was holding an avocado in her left hand as she prepared dinner.  As she used her right hand to cut the avocado, the knife missed and cut her thumb instead.  And it was a very deep cut.  She severed a tendon in her left thumb, and exactly two weeks ago today underwent an operation by a hand surgeon to repair it.

Evidently, a tendon is like a rubber band, and when severed can stay close together or snap far apart (requiring the hand surgeon to make a big incision to retrieve it.  We praise God her surgery went as well as it could!  The tendon was close together and the surgeon repaired it easily.  It was quite the surgery.  Six or 7 stitches on the tendon, another 7 or 8 on the tendon sheathing, and I believe 17 on the outside of her thumb to close it up.  She was in quite a bit of pain for the first few days.  Her sweet husband Brett woke her every four hours for medication to stay on top of the pain.

Here was the sobering part of the conversation with the surgeon.  The thumb must be exercised quite often each day to work on mobility, but the tendon is especially weak from week 2 until 4 post-operatively.  The surgeon told her that even if she does everything as instructed, there is a risk that the tendon could snap again and she’ll land back in the operating room.  It is already a pretty intensive 12 week recovery as is!  Tough for a mama of 7 beautiful kids.

Today begins the start of the two week “high risk” period for it re-snapping.  Please join us in praying it will not!  And for daily grace for she, Brett, and their kids during this difficult three months recovery where she is one-handed.  They have no family close, so Brett and the older kids are picking up the things she can’t do.  And it is a lot.

We would so appreciate you praying for our parents too as they are in the trenches with us!

• Mom Chong’s knee
• A sweet time of rest for she and Dad Chong with Anita & Allen (Gabe’s sister) in Chicago this week
• Dad Page’s knee
• Continued healing for Mom Page (she was quite sick two weeks ago with what doctors think may have been viral bronchitis)
• Safe driving for Autumn & Greg’s family (my younger sister) as they drive the 24 hours back from visiting Jill & Brett’s family in CO

Just so you know, when Jill went to the ER, the doctors told her the three most common hand injuries are from avocados, bagels, and wine glasses.

Avocados: exactly like she cut herself.  So use an avocado tool, butter knife, or make sure to put it on the cutting board!

Bagels: folks using a sharp knife to slice it while holding it.  Do yourself a favor and put it on the cutting board!

Wine glasses: when she said this one, I didn’t even know what she was talking about.  The doctors told her that when people are washing wine glasses by hand, they can break and the force of your hand washing the glass can cause the bad cut.  (not sure how to avoid this one except use less pressure when washing!).

I realized I often cut an orange while holding it in my hand.  No more!  I’m being pretty disciplined to break out the cutting board these days.