Working in a hospital one sees things too stupendous to believe. Such an
encounter concerned a patient and the hand of God.
While working as a Ward Clerk in the Surgical Unit, a gift has stayed fresh in
my mind to this day.
Taking a coffee break with nurses and doctors, one hears many concerns
verbalized. A requirement of a job in a hospital is that you maintain
confidentiality. We happily do this. One doctor expressed grave concern about a
patient he had who was bleeding from the stomach. His blood count was low and
the doctor did not seem to be able to find the source of the bleed. He knew he
had tried all the obvious things, like removing any harsh elements in his diet
such as aspirin and acidic drinks like orange juice. He had given the man a
scope of his stomach to try and find the source of the bleeding. He worried that
the man's blood count was low and would continue to get worse. I began to pray
for this patient and remembered him in my morning and night prayers along with
the occasional prayer during the day. There is an expression called to "storm
Heaven" and that is what I tried to do for this man and for the discouraged
doctor. For days whenever he came to our department one or the other of us would
ask the doctor how he was doing. The answer was always the same, but his worry
about the patient was increased.
I had planned a trip to another city to visit relatives. I lived in a coastal
town with my mother, who at that time was in the hospital herself with an
upcoming operation due to diabetes complications. Everyone advised me to go and
not lose the ticket. My mother's surgeon assured me he would not operate till I
returned in a week. The surgeon of the bleeding man had operated and had removed
part of the stomach. The man was still in grave danger and his survival not
guaranteed. I continued to pray for him and my mother, not knowing the outcome.
While on duty the night before, I encountered a daughter of the man. She was
very worried. I reassured her as best I could regarding prayer and God's Mercy.
I mentioned that my own mother was quite ill as well, requiring an operation. We
commiserated with each other and then I left work.
The day I came back, one my co-workers called to say that my mother's surgeon
was going to operate on her a couple of hours before I would arrive at work. I
was very upset and could not understand what prompted him to operate and not
wait, or inform me. I, therefore rushed in to work right away. I confronted the
surgeon in a less than kindly manner and his response was to lead me down to my
mother's room where he took the bandage off her foot, thus exposing the
unexpected mess. I felt ashamed and realized that he did not know I was back
from my trip. He was doing the best he could for my mother. The bleeding man had
survived and went home. My mother fared well from her own operation and was
healing. Now this could be the end of the story, but God has a way of wowing us
some times. After a week one of the nurses came on duty whom I hadn't seen and
was telling a story one night about the bleeding man and his concern before he
left. He wanted to find a nurse who's mother was having an operation. He wanted
to tell her that he and his family had been praying for her and her mother!!!!
Prayer: Dear Lord when life is very weary and we doubt your presence in our
lives, help us to persevere in our faith remembering your wonderful promises.
Thank you for your abundant gifts. Help us continue to protect our faith as a
most precious gift.
Marilyn LaPierre Innisfil, Ontario, Canada
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