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Prayer Request for Uncle Sam
Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 6:39 pm
by phr1$k37
Hi Everyone!
Could you all please pray for Uncle Sam?
Uncle Sam is my friends’ father – Auntie Elaine and Evelyn, Uncle Eric.
Uncle Sam is getting old in age (79) and has gone through a lot already. He has been in and out of the hospital a lot.
Last December he had surgery to repair and put in a graft for an aortic-abdominal aneurysm. This involves the aorta where basically he has thinning veins and if the blood does not travel it will balloon and burst for internal bleeding. The healing of this surgery did not go well and instead of staying in the hospital for a few weeks it became months and lead to home stay with community nurses (Auntie Evelyn is a nurse but has limited movement as she has osteoporosis and fell down the stairs not long ago – pray for her as well) and during this time his stomach muscles did not heal at all.
He has a herniated belly and sadly because it never healed his intestines are pushed outward and has a pocket belly that needs to be repaired since the stitches did not close up well.
Infection got through the stitches which is the result of his current severe infection to his gall bladder – this needs to be removed now along with the repair to his stomach and fix up of hernia.
Yesterday Auntie Elaine rushed home when the community nurse said the drainage bag was filling with blood instead of bile which is a good thing *whew … I thought that was bad but blood is better than bile?
Uncle Sam’s surgery is this coming Wednesday.
Pray for the family – there is more but it is tiring at times to share. Sorry.
"There in no unrighteousness with the God of Jacob, he deserves no censure; let him do what he will, he is to be praised, and to reign enthroned amid the songs of his chosen people. If prayer be unanswered it is not because God is unfaithful, but for some other good and weighty reason. If we cannot perceive any ground for the delay, we must leave the riddle unsolved, but we must not fly in God's face in order to invent an answer." -- C.H. Spurgeon
Will be watching the US elections tomorrow. God Bless America.
Re: Prayer Request for Uncle Sam
Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 12:33 pm
by LaGrasta
CHRIST BLESSED!
Re: Prayer Request for Uncle Sam
Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 6:06 pm
by LiftedAWDAstro
You guys are all in our thoughts and prayers. Hope everything goes well.
Re: Prayer Request for Uncle Sam
Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 8:20 pm
by T.Low
Prayers to you and yours, Abe.
Re: Prayer Request for Uncle Sam
Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2008 10:11 am
by phr1$k37
Thanks for the thoughts and prayers guys!
Uncle Sam did not go through surgery yet because of some bad test results right before going in. They have delayed it for more testing today and consultation from the surgeon. Next try will be next Wednesday again.
Re: Prayer Request for Uncle Sam
Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2008 3:33 pm
by blk lt awd
oh man, there can't be anything worse than having to wait for something like that.....hope all goes well next week.
Re: Prayer Request for Uncle Sam
Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2008 4:12 am
by peter
I know I may come off as being cruel and/or insensitive but at some point, quality of life has to be taken into consideration.
My dad passed last fall at the age of 81. He'd been thru triple-bypass & prostrate cancer starting at the age of 50-55. Last few years he'd been plagued with a continuously-reduced heart function. Which caused water in the lungs. Which then entailed putting him on more and more diuretics. Which strained his kidneys more and more, causing renal failure etc..
He had always maintained that he wasn't scared to die, was fed-up of the ever-increasing hospital visits and extended stays, and welcomed the idea of, and I quote, "simply closing my eyes and going to a peaceful sleep forever". Yet in the few months before he passed, he became blatantly aware that his time here was almost up. He'd spent more time in the hospital within the last two years than in the previous 20. Quality of life was not great. Neither for him or for my 71 yr old mother, who was suffering the physical and mental effects of running the to hospital to see him every day.
When the doctor called me on Thursday, August 30th at around 6:30 am to tell me that my dad wasn't doing well and that I should get down there ASAP, I was shocked, yet relieved. It was over. I was sure that he'd already passed, they never tell you that over the phone. I was only 6 minutes from the hospital when I got the call. I got there and got to hold my dad in my arms while he was still warm. And though I was in pain 'cause dad was gone, I decided I was going to be happy for him. Even though he clung to life more fiercely during those last few months than ever before, he was now at peace and in no pain. And his chance of enjoying any half-decent quality of life had they been able to revive him was non-existent.
Why am I telling you this? It may not be what you want to hear, and I'm possibly out of line for having typed this. But I think we've lost sight of "quality of life" in our quest for "quantity of life". I'm not saying that your uncle should pass, not at all. All I'm saying is that if it's his time, may God take him without him feeling any pain. And while we grieve, we should all rejoice with the memories of what they stood for, what they were like, and why we loved them. Although a loved one can pass, our memories of them can never be erased.
Good luck with Uncle, phr1$k37
Re: Prayer Request for Uncle Sam
Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2008 5:11 am
by mattblackratbus
Peter, i'm not joking a tear rolled down my face as i read your post, but your words are true..
phr1$k37 my prayers are for uncle Sam and i wish him and your family all the best....Johnny
Re: Prayer Request for Uncle Sam
Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 11:46 am
by phr1$k37
Hi everyone,
Not to resurrect an old thread ... but thank you all who prayed and read. Uncle Sam is well. This would be a very lengthy post so I will keep it short by saying he is well and alive - ready to belt some holiday tunes with us all and NOT ready to kick the bucket. The old man wants to go walk the ice streets for Christmas light sightings! GO FIGURE!
Thank you all again.
Re: Prayer Request for Uncle Sam
Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 12:50 pm
by Rebel
Very good news. Merry Christmas.
Re: Prayer Request for Uncle Sam
Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 1:18 pm
by skippy
Re: Prayer Request for Uncle Sam
Posted: Sun Dec 21, 2008 3:54 am
by peter
Fantastic, bud! Enjoy him. Ask him about his childhood, about his personal experiences. I'll bet he's got stories that will blow your mind. People from that generation have so many incredible experiences to talk about. And if he gives you an exceptionally juicy one, please share it with us here.
