On Monday, January 29th Brenda Gordon was in a freak accident while on a Sport X Change Men's softball ministry to Panama. While spectating at a game she was hit in the face by a pitch that went straight through a tiny hole in the fence. The softball was going approximately 65mph when it struck her left eye and caused multiple fractures. She is undergoing surgery soon after the swelling comes down. They are going to rebuild her eye wall and socket and repair the fractures in her cheek bone with titanium mesh and screws.
Full story below...
The game was in a small town in the mountains so she was taken by ambulance to a small hospital in the nearby city of David Chiriqui. There they were able to find a Neurologist who came and determined that there was no life threatening trauma to the brain. Tuesday she was taken by plane to Panama city where a specialist was found who could perform surgery on the broken bones in her face. Before the surgery can be performed the swelling has to reduce and they had to determine how bad her eye was . She was admitted to Santa Fe Hospital in Panama City on Tuesday evening and began treatment to reduce swelling in her head. With further CT scans of her skull it was determined that she has 3 major fractures on the front of her face (near her eye) and multiple fractures in the walls of her eye socket. On Thursday the Ophthalmologist was called in to determine if her eye will survive the surgery. Because of the broken bones her eyeball is falling and her vision is threatened. The Ophthalmologist did give good news that her eyeball does look strong right now as far as what can be seen. After surgery she will have a long follow up with care of her eye and vision.
On Saturday, February 3rd Brenda will have extensive surgery on the bones around her eye. Titanium mesh and plates will be attached to hold her bones in place. Please be in prayer as this is a very specialized surgery with a tough recovery expected.
Although Brenda has medical travel insurance there have already been many outside expenses to get her to proper care. In Panama everything, including the surgery, must be paid in full in advance. This is customary in many countries but makes it difficult up front. Because of the nature of the accident and the urgency to get the needed care Brenda will be going through all treatment here in Panama city and will be here for at least 3 weeks if not longer.
Please consider giving any small donation to help cover the many expenses that will not be reimbursed by insurance. We trust that God will meet all of these unexpected needs and we know that through all of this He has a plan.
"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28
Brenda is in good spirits and feels held up in prayer by those who have already been praying for her. She is peaceful as she prepares for surgery in the morning. She has many family members near her and much love surrounding her. We expect her to be back to her amazing sweet self soon after this is all over.
Thank you from the entire Gordon family.
We will keep posting updates as things progress.