Visiting A Very Sick Friend

[AnneLine]

I am visiting a very sick friend this weekend, and would value your prayer support.

She is a sixty-ish year old woman who was perfectly healthy until about two years ago when she started tripping and falling... too often.

Her doctor ran a bunch of tests, and she was diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, which is a disease of the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement. ALS is also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. It is progressive... and it is fatal. She will gradually lose her ability to move, talk, communicate out, although she will be completely aware of what is going on around her and retain normal brain functions (as far as I know).

About three weeks ago, it became apparent that we were at the point where I can no longer understand her on the telephone, so we have been communicating by GoogleChat (less than perfect, as you can imagine, but a gift of God.)

I am going up to visit her this weekend, and I am a little scared. I ask your prayer support for her, and for me. I have been her spiritual director for several years.... and we have been working to help her be ready for this point, but now we need to start preparing her for the long, silent period to come. I am not completely sure I know what to say, and it is hard to know how to listen when someone may not be able to speak. So I need to learn to listen with the heart, and let God work through me. I know the Spirit will do this, but I would value prayer support.

Please also pray for her family and friends; she has good care givers, but this is hard on everyone.

Thank you, Pham...