And the plot thickens...

We are all so thankful for the tireless work of Dr. David Karam, the neurosurgeon in El Paso who performed experimental stem cell therapy on Mom a few weeks back.  (You can catch up on previous blog posts in the archives to see what that was all about if you're a late comer.)  Dr. Karam didn't just do the treatments, take his payment, and send Mom and Dad on their merry way.  He has, in his words, "...taken a very strong personal interest in this case..."  and we fully recognize that this is a God send!  You'll remember that Dr. Karam and his team were concerned and confused about the outrageously high levels of metals, particularly cadmium, found to be in Mom's system.  The doctors tested Dad when he was at the clinic in Juarez as well, concerned that since my parents have been married close to 40 years they may have shared a common exposure to these toxins. Dad was clear, thankfully, which added to the mystery of it all.  Dr. Karam and his team in El Paso/Juarez are confounded as to her levels, as well as when/where/how/why she could have had such an exposure.  He has since sent Mom's labs to some metals experts at Emory University and the Centers for Disease Control, both in Atlanta. He has had several conference calls with these doctors on Mom's behalf, and has consulted with another expert doctor from the University of Berlin in Germany. It seems doctor Karam will stop at nothing, and tomorrow morning, he is flying from El Paso to Atlanta to meet with experts at Emory and the CDC for the sole purpose of discussing Mom's case. The hope is that they will be able to pinpoint the source of Mom's exposure, and to determine the best course of treatment to remove the metals. These doctors, experts all with years of experience and education, are not convinced of Mom's diagnoses based on all that they have seen. This could potentially be metal toxicity, not ALS, and that gives us more hope than ever that something can be done to help Mom! 
I'm writing this to ask all of you to pray, especially tomorrow. Pray for Dr. Karam and the doctors at the CDC and Emory, for wisdom and understanding. Pray that they can solve the mystery of all of this and plot a course for Mom's treatment. Pray that she doesn't have ALS at all, and that the metals can be removed so that Mom can be well again. Thank you all for your love, support and prayers. Shannon
"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen."  Ephesians 3:20-21