(Elder Moises and Elder McKeon)
A few weeks ago, Elder McKeon was playing a little game of soccer on P-day. During the game, he planted his foot and turned awkwardly, resulting in a serious knee injury. His knee cap had gone from being on the top of his knee (where it belongs) to the side of his knee. Derek immediately put it back in place, but was still in a great deal of pain.
The next day, Derek tried to go out and walk on it, but it was extremely swollen. He then called Sister Ferrin (the mission president's wife) and explained to her what had happened. President Ferrin made a trip to see Derek and gave him a blessing. All of the missionaries also participated in a fast on his behalf. Derek scheduled an MRI and was forced to wait in his apartment until he had results.
Our family received an email explaining what had happened. In the email, Sister Ferrin told us that if the knee required surgery due to torn ligaments, Derek would have to be sent home. Needless to say, Derek was rather discouraged by the news.
Our family was also rather devastated. We knew that it was such a leap of faith for Derek to go, especially since our dad had just been diagnosed with terminal cancer just a couple of months before he left. We also fasted and prayed that the ligaments in Derek's knee would heal and he would be able to stay on his mission.
(Elder McKeon saying goodbye to Sister Aledo and Sister Carvalho from his district)
A couple of weeks after his MRI (the medical system down there is rather slow), Derek was given the pictures from the MRI. He was able to e-mail them to Dr. Hansen (our good family friend and orthopedic surgeon). Dr. Hansen told us that the ligament had been torn (when his knee cap moved to the side of his knee), but because of the way the ligament was torn, it was not going to require surgery. Instead, Derek will just have to wear a knee brace for 4-6 weeks and use crutches until the scar tissue around the torn ligament is able to help heal the injury. There was also a piece of cartilage that broke off and is just kind of floating around his knee, but it shouldn't cause him any problems. Oh, and he can't play any sports until he gets home.
(The new knee brace)
Elder McKeon was transferred to the office (which he informed us is not as rewarding as teaching), but he is grateful that he will be able to finish the last 9 months of his mission in Brazil. We feel so blessed to have family and friends that were kind enough to offer prayers on Derek's behalf.
So there you have it. The last few emails have just been exchanging medical information, which is why I haven't posted anything on here. He really does appreciate any and all emails and letters sent his way, so if you have a minute, please write him a little note. It would mean a lot to an elder stuck in the mission office:) You can also send him a message on Facebook, and I will make sure to send it to him.
Thank you all again for your love and support!
Love,
The McKeon Family
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