PDX :)

Kerissa • June 11, 2013

My pastor has been teaching through the book of Hebrews in the Bible…and let me tell you, it has been such a wonderful sermon series full of encouragement and hope! I feel like that book was written just for me.  On Sunday, he shared an acronym he made up to give us a better understanding of why we go through suffering. (An abbreviation for our Portland airport is: PDX.)

We go through hardships in life to

Purify

and

Develop

us,

so that we can become

eXcellent.

I just wanted to share with you that bit of a gem!  It’s simple but full of truth! I hope it encourages you!

******

I recently started this new medication for my headaches, and I realized that I haven’t had nystagmus in a while!  Maybe that’s because there’s somehow a connection between headaches and nystagmus….or maybe it’s because I’ve been sleeping a lot lately. But whatever the cause, I sure am thankful that terrible symptom has lessened! In a couple of weeks, my pain dr. has to check my liver enzymes as this certain medication can cause an elevation in the transaminases..

My wheelchair fitting last Wednesday went great! It’s going to be an ultralight rigid frame…and guess what my color’s going to be? Acid green metallic.  I’m hoping it won’t be super bright, but I do want it to show up more than a darker color. Sadly, the chair won’t be ready for another 4-5 weeks…

My neurologist called this morning with the autonomic test results.. They’re normal! I had a hard time understanding why they’re normal (as I clearly have autonomic symptoms, but maybe they fluctuate), so I emailed her, and she just got back.   She said the autonomic tests that I had done only test some autonomic functions and are not 100% sensitive. She went on to say that it is, in general, extremely difficult to diagnose and treat autonomic nervous system disorders… Now I wonder what percentage of patients have “abnormal” results..


Still waiting on the mtDNA blood work…it’s likely going to take 2 more weeks to be completed. And, the doctors at Doernbecher’s metabolic clinic are currently reviewing my case before I can make an appointment.

Still lots of waiting to do!!

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