08 Jan Jean Bell Struggling with Kidney Ailment

Jean Bell, an endorsed missionary serving with Wycliffe Bible Translators, has been experiencing some health problems recently. Her husband, Wes, reported on January 4, “They think Jean has developed an auto-immune disease where her body breaks down blood cells and clogs her kidneys called thrombocytopenic purpura. She only has a few of the symptoms, so they were having trouble figuring out what to do. They started her on steroids and did a blood plasma exchange last night [January 3] called plasmotherisis. The kidney specialist wants to do a biopsy when her kidneys are back to normal as well.”

On Monday, January 7, Wes sent this update: “Jean came through the biopsy fine, and was in recovery for three hours to monitor her vital signs more closely.”

Wes and Jean served 34 years in Brazil with Wycliffe, and relocated to home assignment in 2011. They now live in Huntington, Ind., at this address:

Wes and Jean Bell
1914 N. Meridian Rd
Huntington, IN 46750