Hospital stories, part I

Lord! I know You are the same God of Africa, Asia, Europe! You don´t make differences, You can do the same things here in Frankfurt that You are doing in Africa! I know You can! I just came back from a mission school in Africa, Mozambique. Back in Frankfurt, I ended up working at the private station in the cardiology department.. Private patients.. Lord, You know me! That was not exactly my favorite patients´ group. But maybe this time I can do it differently.

One day a very unusual patient was admitted to my station. Lady, about 50 years old with an end-stage of lung cancer. The sickness spread into lymphatic system, into bones and even heart. The oncology department was full, and because she was private patient and had to be alone in a room she ended up at my station. I remember her very well, she was skinny, quiet, her lips were blue because of lack of oxygen. And she was in pain. To be honest, from medical point of view there was no hope. I read through the reports and it was just bad news. I thought to myself, I should keep emotional distance, she is going to die! I examined her, talked to her, and because she was in a lot of pain we decided to give her morphium as a continuous infusion. So she slept most of the day and I was glad she was not suffering.

But then her family came to visit her and wanted to speak with professor. So we took a deep breath and went in. I really really liked my boss. He was calm, always nice and very human. Inside the room there was her husband and their two daughters awaiting us. Daughters were about my age, and one of them was pregnant, probably 8th month. It felt like a punch in my face! I have experienced the same situation with one of my best friends, who was pregnant with her first child and her mum was dying because of cancer. She didn´t make it and never saw her grandson. As I saw this very familiar scene unfolding in front of my eyes I have decided to fight. To fight like I never did for a patient before. So while professor was informing the family about medical reality, I started praying and interceding. „Lord, You can do here what You are doing in Africa on daily basis! Please, heal this lady, I cannot stand here watching her dying!” 

I started praying for her every day, it was easy, because most of the time she was sleeping, so I laid my hands on her and prayed quietly. Every morning I was waking up wondering if she made it through the night, praying as I entered the hospital, not breathing as I opened the door of her room. It was intense and it took about two weeks. Then one morning just as I came in a nurse rushed to me with a folder, she was super excited and told me, that as they entered the room early that morning, the lady was sitting in her bed, perfectly oriented and asked them to stop morphium, because it makes her dizzy and ordered breakfast because she was very hungry! So they stopped the infusion, if I could please sign it retrospectively. I did that gladly and rushed into the room to find our lady eating breakfast with a good appetite. She said she feels good and has no pain. Great! There was a celebration in the atmospere, I felt like all personal could feel something special in the air. Surprised, professor told me to organise a bed for her at the palliative care unit, which worked in about 3 days. She was gone, and she had probably the most common german name (I realised later, that God was saying by this, that He can do this for anyone). That made it impossible for me to track her down in our computer system, there were at least 30 ladies with the same name.. I didn´t know what happened to her afterwards.

But God found a way to let me know. Exactly 1 year later, I was working in a different department, was pretty busy, and suddenly I heard my boss shouting at me from the end of the corridor. „Frau Debreova, Frau Debreova!” That was definitely not his normal behaviour! Oh no, I thought to myself, what did I forget this time? Did we have a meeting, lecture, deadline.. He approached me quickly with his long steps and I his face was glowing with excitement. „Do you know whom I have just met downstairs?” Well, based on his strangest behaviour I thought it was at least prime minister.. „Frau xxx!” I looked at him speechless. „You know, the lady we were treating at the private station with lung cancer.” Of course I know, I was frozen, she lives! „First I didn´t recognise her, she was dressed up with make-up and looked really good. She rebuked me that I almost proclaimed her dead, but she was treated with radiotherapy and she is healed!” He came closer, shook his head and said „I have not seen this in my whole career!” (He was supposed to retire next year.) I understood every word he was saying, but I couldn´t speak at all. So he just shook his head again and departed. At that moment I somehow knew there were more people praying for this lady, and she was healed! And she saw her grandchild! And my boss witnessed a miracle, firsthand! And I was encouraged and told my colleagues, friends, even one lady on the bus, a nurse also in end-stage cancer about this miracle. Because He can and will do it again, because He never changes, He is the same God of miracles in Africa, Asia and Europe! Thank You Jesus!