Last full day in Cincy, Ohio! : Day 7

Kerissa • April 20, 2013

Can you guess where we went today?  It was such an incredible experience that we’ll never forget!

But…..I’m only gonna show one picture for today!  You’ll just have to check back next week for more pictures!

I had another great Genetics appointment this morning! Dr. S gave lots of good recommendations/tips on how to better manage Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. She also had us meet a Cincinnati Children’s expert on mitochondrial disorders. He is the dr. who will be looking at my mtDNA to check for deletions, duplications, etc. All the doctors I saw this past week had a conference together to talk about my symptoms and all the possible diagnoses. They said I’m a very complicated case. : They’re still considering Mito, but they also said all my symptoms could be a form of Dysautonomia.. So Dr. S gave the names of a couple of experts on this particular condition who practice in Oregon.  I have lots of appointments coming my way when I get home!

Me and my genetic counselor, Krysten.  She is so so sweet and a big help!

We had our last dinner at the Ronald McDonald House this evening! Sob! I’m gonna miss all the wonderful families we’ve come to know! I’m especially going to miss this super cute 2-year-old who’s waiting for a bone marrow transplant. He always has a huge smile and such chubby cheeks! Ronald McDonald came to see all the families in the dining area.  He’s so good with kids! I was able to get one last picture with him.

He gave me a sticker.

October prayer request

By Kerissa Lee • October 19, 2025
Dear friends, At the beginning of October, I started taking a new medication for the autoimmune disease. I thought I was tolerating it just fine, but after several days passed, I began experiencing nausea, loss of appetite, weakness all over, and increased pain. 🙁 It’s like I’m experiencing another “mito crash.” I found out that this specific lupus medication affects mitochondria. That is, it causes an overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS). This, in turn, causes cell damage and oxidative stress. I sure wish the rheumatologists would have known about this before prescribing. But I have to remember that Mitochondrial DNA Depletion Syndrome is rare, and they’re not “mito experts.” Anyways, the last time I felt like this was back in May.. I’m so grateful to God that I haven’t needed to be hospitalized from this, but at the same time, I’m also sad that this happened at all, especially because I had such a nice stretch of stable health. I’d really appreciate your prayers, that this muscle weakness can resolve soon, and that this increased pain all over will get back to my baseline. Every time I have a “mito crash,” it feels like I’m fighting the flu which always sucks. The pain has been hard to bear. And whenever I’m in the thick of it, it’s difficult to remember that this too will eventually pass. 😢 Pray that I will endure and follow Jesus’ example like this passage from Hebrews 12:1-2– “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross...” Thank you all so much for praying for me. ❤️

Thank you! (+ a prayer request)

By Kerissa Lee • October 4, 2025
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness." James 1:2-3

Praises & Prayer Requests

By Kerissa Lee • September 3, 2025
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23