Saturday, October 3, 2009

God's Mercy In Medicine

As I write this I am just beginning to absorb the news that I am going to have surgery. I have been plagued with diverticulitis since 1992. Dr. Michael Donahoe described this surgery to me today, September 25, as a “preemptive strike.” The antibiotics that I have been taking for a month have not cured the problem. As soon as I stop taking them, the pain comes back, because the infection continues to smolder in my colon. If I put this off, I could possibly have a serious enough problem that I would have to have emergency surgery. This one will come after days of preparation. It will be a laparoscopic procedure and will not require a large incision, though a portion of my colon will be removed.

I will be planning with New Hope leaders my time away for recuperation. My goal is get this over with before the holidays, and be back in full swing by Sunday, November 1, which is All Saints Day.

Fleda and I thank you for your prayers. We thank God for his mercy at work in medicine. So many things that go wrong with our bodies can be corrected. God is the Cure Giver. Human beings are the care givers, and you, my brothers and sisters at New Hope, are among the best care givers on God’s earth.

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