Heart Surgery Scheduled for August 24

Dear Friends and Prayer Warriors,

Melissa is scheduled to undergo her heart valve repair surgery next Tuesday, August 24. We will be arriving at HOAG Hospital in Newport Beach at 5:00 a.m. in the morning. Surgery is scheduled to begin around 7:00 a.m. and is expected to last four or five hours. After surgery she will be sent to Hoag’s Intensive Care Unit for monitoring. If everything goes as planned and her vital signs are normal, she will be discharged by the weekend.

It has taken us 6 months to reach this point. First, Melissa was referred to Dr. Aiden Raney, a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon. On July 1 Melissa underwent a trans-esophageal echo test which showed that her heart valve is repairable. The prognosis is very favorable with a chance of 80 – 90% that the surgery will be successful. If it is not, doctors will need to replace the damaged mitral valve. Melissa has been really busy preparing for the surgery with lots of tests needing to be run beforehand to make sure she is healthy and strong enough for the surgery.

We ask you to stand with us together and pray for Melissa’s upcoming heart surgery. This is a complex surgical procedure involving putting her into a deep sleep, shutting down her circulation and removing her heart to repair the valve. We believe that for all saints, prayer is very powerful when done in unity. Prayer works. Through all of us uniting in prayer, we can be assured that it will help Melissa’s surgery go smoothly.

Specifically, we ask you to pray for the following:

1. for the surgery team ... all of the doctors and nurses... that they will work in unity and harmony during the surgery;
2. for Melissa to maintain a strong and joyful spirit;
3. for the chief cardiovascular and cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr. Aidan Raney;
4. for the supporting cardiologist, Dr. Pravin Shah, who is teaming with Dr. Raney;
5. for Melissa’s post surgery recovery ... that she will be able to rest, tolerate the pain, and that her scar heals well;
6. for Michael, Marlene and the family, that we will have enough wisdom and energy to handle all things.

Thank you for your prayers, love and time. May God bless you all.

Emmanuel,
Michael & Marlene Yu