My heart is heavy right now for two friends.  One is fighting for her life in the hospital, after the flu turned to pneumonia turned to septicemia.   Tragically, the doctors have had to amputate both of her legs below the knee, and they are now concerned that the sepsis has spread to her brain.  She began having seizures last night.  She has a nine year old daughter.  She also has no health insurance.  She is only 31.

My other friend went into early labor last week and gave birth to her baby girl at 24 weeks.  Now her baby girl is fighting for her life in the NICU.  She seems to be doing well, but she has a long road ahead of her. 

I know the readers of this blog do not know these people personally, but if you are a praying person, please pray for them. 

Life and health are precious, and our bodies are so frail.  The night before they amputated my friend’s legs, I went to yoga class.  I don’t think I have ever truly appreciated my feet.  Holding me up, walking me around, moving to stretch my calves, balancing me as I stand, the great sensation of wiggling my toes.  As I felt the bed sheets touching my ankles this morning, I was so thankful.  I’m staring at my feet now, and I am grateful.  I want to be grateful for these blessings I have, not just for their own sake, but for the sake of my friend who is now lying on a hospital bed, forever crippled, with an increasingly uncertain prognosis.  I want to be grateful — and I am — but mostly I am just sick about this random and devastating situation now threatening my friend’s life.  

I have been praying so very hard in the last two weeks for these friends.  Harder than I have ever prayed for myself, or for this comparatively insignificant problem of infertility.  My struggles seem so very small right now.

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