His name is Dick. He saw my chair and started asking some questions. I spent about an hour talking with him, and could tell he was really having a hard time handling his situation and was grateful just to finally meet someone who understands nerve pain (even though I’m much better off than he is).
His appendix burst a while back and he ended up getting gangrene that spread through his blood stream. He’s been left in pretty bad shape with all kinds of crazy medical problems. His liver and kidneys are in bad shape, his gall bladder is shredded (they don’t know what did that), he’s got diabetes, his heart is bad, and he’s on massive doses of blood thinners because he’s producing too much blood.
He’s also been left with a very severe peripheral neuropathy, has enormous amounts of pain, and can’t find meds to help that don’t have contraindications w/his heart meds. They can’t even do the surgery to remove his gall bladder because his heart is too bad.
After offering some advice on meds that might work, who to talk to about getting a decent chair/braces, etc, and exchanging numbers, I told him I’d be praying for him…
He didn’t say not to, but he made it clear he didn’t think prayer would help.
It broke my heart. I can’t imagine going through what he’s gone through with no faith to stand on. Even though what I face on a daily basis is very minor compared to what he’s going through right now, I know I would not be capable of facing one more day without the hope I find in Christ.
I don’t know whether I’ll ever get the chance to speak with him again. We exchanged numbers, so hopefully we’ll be in touch. In any case I intend to keep him in my prayers, and ask you to agree with me. While his physical situation is dire, and prayer is definitely needed there, my heart aches for him to find the Savior. No one should have to face such a disparaging situation without the sure and certain knowledge he is safe in the hands of a competent God, that healing is not impossible, and that something better awaits him.
