Praise Report!

A reader writes:

I wanted to write you a praise report. I asked for prayer from you and your readers on November 2, 2011, and mentioned that I was reading St. Therese’s book. Well, a little over a month later, I wound up in the hospital. I stayed for ten days. It’s a poor hospital, but a Catholic one, and hands down, had the most supportive and wonderful staff.

I went through a series of 5 treatments called plasmapheresis. It was pretty rough. I had a tube placed inside the major vein in my neck (um, I was awake during the procedure…I wish that horror on no one), down into my chest where it remained for 9 days.

Initially, I started to feel very sorry for myself. But I began reading the book again, and that stopped immediately. I wrote this on my iPad to my husband:

“Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring.”
-St. Catherine of Siena

I took small steps physically today… But over the past week, spiritually, I have begun running the “race set before us” (Hebrews 12:1). I can’t help think that “those cloud of witnesses” include St. Catherine and St. Therese. Their words have inspired me so. I feel like they’re cheering me on, reminding me that “… Weeping may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5)”

In an email to my daughter’s godfather, I included this: “I feel that my time reaching, grasping and stumbling in the dark of doubt is ending. Morning is here, it’s just so dark right before dawn.”

When I entered the hospital on December 5th, I could only walk a few steps before having to pause to rest. On January 5th, the treatments had worked so well I was able to drive to the park, get out and walk a mile.

My illness is not over. My new neurologist (who is a God-send), is planning to begin a different outpatient treatment next week. I pray that it will work as some of my symptoms have slowly begun to return. So please continue to pray.

But thank you all. I spent so much of the past two years feeling my faith wither, and laying on the hospital bed, with tubes in my neck and arms, it was restored. I’m wearing a St. Therese medal right now, and I know God used her to help bring about my spiritual restoration.

God bless you!

Thanks be to God through our Lord Jesus. Father, bring her to complete healing through the same Christ our Lord. Amen. Mother Mary and St. Luke, pray for her!