Prayers Needed

Before I make another blog entry I wish to ask that you keep three people in your prayers. First, a dear acquaintance and long time friend of my wife is facing the end of her days. Roughly four months ago she visited the doctor because she didn't feel "quite right." She had already lost an appreciable amount of weight and had achiness "all over." The culprit of her ills is bone cancer. The condition is terminal and chemo is offered solely to provide her more time. She is in constant pain and can only stomach chocolate flavored Ensure. Last week her family requested hospice care. Irene is 70 and was working up until her diagnosis. She is a sweet lady and deserves our prayers of comfort and peace.

Special person number 2 is the granddaughter of our dear friends Brad and Rosie. Their grand child received heart breaking news while undergoing routine testing for entry into kindergarten this coming fall. The brave young girl has leukemia and is facing three years of treatments. The next 6 weeks will be the most crucial as she undergoes chemo to revive her white blood cell count. Right now her immunity to any type of illness or infection is zero. A major component of the treatment involves being quarantined. As bad as this is it could have been much worse. She was fortunate to have been tested during the limited time span when the disease is detectable yet not progressed to the point where nothing could be done. It would have been a matter of weeks before she would have contracted an illness which would not respond to treatment. This girl's a trooper but she and her family need support for both the near term and long haul.

Case #3 does not involve cancer. Can you say "serious brain stem injury?" Severed spinal cord was fused successfully last Wednesday but the patient has a way to go. If you have been following the news at all you may have picked up a whiff of the patient's plight. The baseball Angels rookie star died in an accident involving a drunk driver (other guy) along with two other passengers. The fourth passenger survived but suffered major injuries. Jon Wilhite is the grandson of Gayle Wilhite who sings in the choir I am in. Jon is a wonderful young man. Prayers please for him and the entire family.