Former Georgia Baptist state missionary and current Alaska Baptist Convention director of Evangelism and Church Development Jimmy Stewart continues to make strides in a University of Washington burn center from injuries suffered in a gas explosion July 23.
"We have many things to thank our Merciful God for this week!" Stewart's wife Kathryn shared on Facebook. "The 11th surgery last Mon was successful – the grafts on his head ... blend right in w/his skin & have healed so well you can barely see the borders. The shoulder/back grafts have taken & healed quickly. & any infection is long gone."
The post began with Jeremiah 32:27 – "Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; Is anything too difficult for me? – before credit given to the staff of Harborview Medical Center. Kathryn Stewart proceeded to explain her husband gaining stamina and vigor, even cutting back on pain medication.
The explosion left third degree burns over 80 percent of Jimmy Stewart's body and blindness in one eye. Doctors are optimistic about his sight returning. On Oct. 3 Stewart underwent his 11th surgery since the accident.
"[H]e's beginning to get much needed fuller nights of rest over the past few days," Kathryn wrote on her husband's Caring Bridge site today. "Praise God! Swelling in his hands has come wayyyy down."
As much progress as has been made thus far, she added that her husband – a known fitness buff – is ready to get back to his old self.
"He is eager to see further progress, asap," she wrote on Facebook.
The Caring Bridge site shared specific prayer requests:
In addition, the Alaska Baptist Convention established an update page on Stewart's condition. The page also contains information on helping the family financially.
Stewart served in the Georgia Baptist Mission Board (then Georgia Baptist Convention) Evangelism Department from 2001-02 before accepting his position in Alaska.