“Yes, I think we can try glasses.” Dr. Bowden, my husband’s eye surgeon told us just this week. We are so excited. I didn’t blog a lot in December because we got a call right before thanksgiving weekend, setting the time for my husband’s left corneal transplant. He was scheduled for the Monday morning the weekend after black Friday! It was very much a surprise, as we were unsure two weeks prior to that if things would work out to finish both corneal transplants in 2014. But with lots of prayers answered, my husband has finished his corneal transplants in both eyes. (I promise some pictures later)

2014 has been a very long year for both of us. In August of 2013, my husband got into a fender bender on the way in to work and he finally had to admit to me how many problems he was having with his vision. Since September of 2013, my husband has been out on company disability insurance and has undergone a lot! We were in the middle of remodeling his deceased grandfather’s old 1988 doublewide when work money was no more. With the help of family, you tube and the internet, we were able to fix up our little house and have a roof over our heads. It’s still not perfect a year later but it beats having a huge rent payment over our heads during this ordeal.

My husband had to lose 75 pounds just to qualify for the anesthesia for his right corneal transplant. This took months and was frustrating to both of us. Finally, with God’s help, he qualified for surgery during June 2014. However, with doctors out on vacation and a bad cornea sent to the surgery center, it was re-scheduled for August of last year. This was a scary process for both of us as we did not know what to expect. With lots of prayers, nerves of steel and plenty of eye medications…he made it. We made it.

And now after having had his right corneal transplant in December, we are excited about the road to recovery. The doctor is giving him temporary glasses. This is because of two reasons, to find out how my husband responds to them (computer usage, driving, etc.) and when his stitches come out his vision will change again. It has been documented that it can take one year and sometimes more for the corneal nerves to re-grow into the new cornea! He still has lifting restrictions, bending restrictions, no getting in the pool or submerging his face/eyes, and lots of other things we all take for granted. He has to keep his eyes covered with safety glasses even when he doesn’t wear glasses.

Our family has had a lot of changes though, we went from doing well financially to running through all our savings (even after the Dave Ramsey $1000). We had two vehicles and now we have one. We used to rent for $1,000 a month and now have a loan repayment of $200 a month. We have one bathroom with one toilet in the house! We still have a second bathroom that never got touched other than ripping down to bare studs! We have a rickety back porch, lots of caulking to finish (still) and probably a septic tank in need of pumping. But through it all…we have had food in our bellies, clothing on our backs, a roof over our head and God’s love in our hearts.

It’s been the toughest year I’ve EVER been through. But it has also been an enlightening year. I have lots more to share on this blog, lots more to say, a lot of ways to help and still a lot of improvements to make. My head is spinning with thoughts and ideas…so now it’s time to type it out!

Please feel free to follow me on google+ or pinterest. I will be updating my blog on many levels this year so come back…Sew Hungry For More.