UPDATES

We are awaiting a call from Dr. Singer to proceed with  further treatment.Donnie had to go to Washington Hospital in October for an outpaitent surgery. Then back to Bethesda, MD for several more procedures in Nov. They were told that they would have to return to Bethedsa in January. It is now Feb. ,ansd they are still awaiting a call.

It is a very long, hard process and even though it is taking a long time we are hopeful that it will be finished in 2008, or at least "look" finished.

The pins  that were placed in Donnie's forehead have reall been giving him a rough time. There is, after a year, a lot of oozing and pain.This problem, according to Dr. Dufresne, CAN and WILL be addressed! GOOD NEWS!

There has been a fund set up for Donnie's reconstruction.If you would like to danate to help Donnie get his face back, please send your check, money order, etc to "BARRETT ROAD BENEVOLENCE FUND/DONNIE FRITTS"

Send the donation to:

      Barrett Road Benevolence Fund  -  c/o Eleanor Silvers         172 Brian Drive  --  Calhoun, GA 30701

You will recieve a reciept for your donation at the end of the year for tax purposes.

You must make sure to put "Donnie Fritts" somewhere  on the check for it to be put into the correct account.

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      On Feb 2, 2007 Dr. Ross made 4 incisions in Donnie's face. One cut between his eyes and 3 cuts on the outer corners of his eyebrows. He then drilled 7 holes and placed the implants into the holes and then stitched him up. He was out for most of that day and evening.His eyes were swollen and there was discomfort.

Donnie and Sharon attended Rivermont Baptist church on Sunday Morning. Their good friend, Tina Krajacic drove all the way to Merrifield and picked them up then took them back to their room after Pastors' Jerry and Joann Young treated them to dinner. Donnie, of course, ate in the car. Donnie was swollen and in some pain but was, surprisingly, energetic and excited to be able to visit with their friends in Front Royal, VA.

On Feb 5, Dr. Dufresne made 2 cuts, one on each side of Donnie's left eye. He lifted and worked with the bottom lid, trying to fix it so that it will close. There was swelling and discomfort after this surgery but again, Donnie did much better than he expected.

Beth Harris, though on crutches, took them to all their Doctor appointments and to both surgeries.She picked them up and dropped them off at the airport. They feel honored and blessed to have her in their lives. She is a wonderful friend!

On Feb 8-9 Donnie was seen by Dr. Singer who stretched out his top lip even more. He says that the next few visits will be with him and that he will be working hard to get Donnie's roof of the mouth started.

They told Donnie and Sharon that the next procedures should start on June. They need to give the implants time to heal.

Dr. Ross said that Donnie had good blood flow in the area where Dr. Dufresne had rebuild Donnie's forehead in Sept 05!! He said that the area where he drilled the holes was just like bone.! The surgery done in 05 was a success!

Donnie and Sharon have recieved a bill from Dr. Ross for $8000.00 for the surgery her performed on Feb 2, 2007. Mike Yates has paid part of that, paid another $1000.00 to Dr. Stevens.He is in the process of paying down all of the past due medical bills. He believes that the God who started this process will see it through to completion. Donnie and Sharon believe it with him.

Donnie is doing well since the surgeries. He has good and bad days. He is anxiously awaiting the day when he will be whole, not for how he will "look", though he will look good, he needs all of this to be done so that he can breathe more easily and can go out without worrying about catching everything. Without a nose you are more open to the elements. With a mask, you are continually breathing IN your air that you are breathing OUT. There is a lot of discomfort and that often produces discouragement. It is hard but Donnie and Sharon believe that God is in control and will see them through it all!

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 Thank you to all who have contributed. Dr. Larry Stevens has done over $5200.00  of work on Donnies teeth , and that is a discounted rate! Donnie had a lot of radiation damage and needed a lot of work! All of these procedures are necessary to rebuild Donnie's face. It is painful, time-consuming and expensive.

There is SO much more to re-do someones face than to just stick on a nose! There were 3 tumors, stage 4 cancer in Donnie's face, a whole lot had to be removed, not just his nose, roof of mouth, top lip, forehead and part of his brain, but most of his facial bones were removed as well. You can't just put a nose on without rebuilding the face first!

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We presently have Dr. Stevens paid down to approximarely $1650.00. Dr. Singer is paid in full. Dr. Dufresne is paid in full. The money put into the account pays  the medical bills what it can, when it can , to keep the creditors somewhat satisfied. Medicare pays for a lot of the bills. Medicaid will not pay for ANY type of dental work and Dr. Stevens, Dr. Singer and Dr. Ross are all in the dental field. Medicare did pay part of the bills for Dr. Singer's work but in January Donnie had to fill out a paper showing that he understands that Dr. Singer no longer accepts medicare. His office was losing over $700.00 per patient using medicare.

Donnie and Sharons credit is negatively affected because of owing so much "all the time" to these (and other) doctors. Hopefully one day they can get that straightened out as well.

We appreciate your generosity and hope that you will help Donnie realize his dream of having a face again. It is very hard. You can look at his photo's and see that his life is very hard, minute by minute, day by day. They are doing the best they can and need our continual prayers!

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       Donnie was seen in August 2006 by Dr. Ross who measured Donnie's face in preparation for the upcoming Osseointegraded implant surgery.This is the Dr. that is in charge of the next surgery.

At that time, Dr. Dufresne injected bone putty into Donnie's forehead. Donnie did very well as he was injected with the numbing solution then the bone putty. The area between his eyes has to be strong to hold the implants that will be put in during the next visit.

Dr. Dufresne will be repairing Donnie's left eye during the next visit. Donnie is losing vision in that eye as the eyelid will not completely close and it is causing damage to the cornea.

Drs. Dufresne and Singer will be making the old incision area around the place where the nose was, smooth. The area has hardened due to scar tissue.

Dr. Singer worked to stretch Donnie's top lip. He added over 1/2 inch on this visit. It is still somewhat irritated but healing.

Dr. Dufresne said that things seem to be settling down well since the surgery last Sept. There is an area in the forehead where there seems to be a linear depression where the previous incisions in the bone were made.He filled in those areas on Sept. 8, 2006.

He says that the shooting pains Donnie has been experiencing are from the nerve endings that are still recoveringfrom all the cutting they have done. His face has been completely removed twice now.This is Donnie's 3rd forehead. 1 made by God.

He says that he thinks things are going well and that once these procedures are completed on this next trip and after the implant surgery is completed then the facial prosthesis shoud be straight forward!! Donnie will have to heal for 6 months following this next surgery. In the 6 month waiting he will have to be seen by Dr. Singer a couple times to work on the roof of the mouth. Unless you have lived without a roof of the mouth you cannot know how difficult it is!

 Donnie went to Coosa Diagnostics the last week of September for 3D reconstruction CT scans. The people there are always so kind!

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Donnie had all of his blood work done the last week of Sept., 2006. All is well! NO cancer!!!!

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          Dr. Dufresne, www.cdufresnemd.com , removed bones from Donnie"s skull and placed them between his eyes so that Dr. Ross will have a solid base to put in the implants in the surgery schedualed for Feb 2, 2007. He used a mesh screen and bone putty to rebuild Donnies whole forehead area.They also created a top lip area that will be perfected later on.

     Dr. Singer,( who made a temporary roof of the mouth for Donnie, in November) www.michaelsingerdds.com , attended the surgery as well as Mr. Robert Barron, www.prosthesis.com . They all, working together are hopeful that Donnie will ,one day, be "normal" again with God helping them to "re-create" what cancer took away.

 Donnie and Sharon have been staying at the Bethesda Marriott on their recent visits. Christine McDaniel and the whole staff have been amazing.

 Donnie and Sharon have to return to DC  for Donnie's next surgery.It has been and continues to be a very long and tiring process. Donnie gets tired of the wait but is also excited about what the doctors will eventually accomplish.

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It took God 9 months to form Donnie, it is taking MAN a lot longer to re-create what God made!

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We are all hoping that Donnie's face will be restored soon. There is no way to put an actual time on the procedures because it is all very complex but the doctors say that it is going well.

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A VERY special thank you to Belmont Baptist!!

!! How can Donnie and Sharon thank you for all you have done??? There are just no words to express all that is in their hearts! You have done SO much more for them than you can imagine. You have genuinely touched their hearts and lives. You are such a blessing and we thank you on their behalf.

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Thank you also to Eastgate Baptist, Salem Baptist, Dale and Kathy, Cheryl,Gina, Lonnie and Jane,Jimmy and Lousie, and Roxie! And to all of the Addie Lackey Missionary circle!

    God bless you Kathy Neilson! Dale had a fatal motorcyle accident on Dec.23. It has shocked our town. Dale is missed by all who knew him. Once you met him you loved him. He was a great man of God and Donnie and Sharon feel honored and very blessed to have met him and was their friend. He and Kathy have been such a blessing to them!

Thank you to the Resaca Assembly of God for giving Donnie and Sharon help and hope!

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Please pray for Elisabeth Harris. She is facing several major medical problems and needs much prayer.

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Thank you to everyone who has called, written, sent a card, e-mail or prayed a prayer for them!

Please keep them in your prayers!

God bless you all!