An Urgent Prayer Request

An Ortegas’ Brief Update

1 Praise the Lord, my soul;
    all my inmost being, praise His holy name.
2 Praise the Lord, my soul,
    and forget not all His benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins
    and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
    and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Hello beloved and loving prayer warriors!

Joy and Gratitude have been on my head and heart for several months now, and I’m trying to process life’s many uncertainties and challenges through those two lenses. What follows is not so much our usual newsletter, but rather a brief update, especially concerning some health issues I’m currently facing.

On August 25, 2022, as some might remember, I underwent a TAVR procedure. This was done to replace of my genetically deficient bicuspid aortic valve. Mine was severely calcified and rigid, limiting the proper flow of blood. This caused me to be very short of breath, continually gasping for air, extremely exhausted and pretty much unable to even walk a block without feeling dizzy and wanting to pass out. According to my cardiologist, the procedure was a success, resulting only with a minor leak. After recovering my physical condition, I was pretty much ready to resume my regular activities. This allowed me to plunge right back into ministry more fully at Maranatha, Cuba, Ecuador, and Europe. Then, as of the last month, I’ve felt the same symptoms as I had experienced before the procedure, only adding the sudden and severe headaches. In fact, after sharing the sermon two Sundays ago, I ran out of oxygen and felt quite dizzy and about to pass out. Since then, I’ve seen my cardiologist two weeks in a row.

So, on this coming Wednesday, I will once again undergo a similar catheterization procedure as last year. Only this time, a balloon is added on to inflate inside my replaced aortic valve. The idea in this procedure is to expand the valve more fully, hoping that this will “plug up” the hole entirely and stop the leak. The other option is to plug up the leak by going in between the replaced valve and my own biological valve.

So, please do keep me in your much precious and greatly needed prayers.

Regardless of the outcome, I will remain in joy and gratitude for all the gracious blessings from the Father above.

Franc Ortega
Psalm 48:14