“I just want you to know that I think you are a really cool person, and that you have an uncle in Oklahoma that loves you very much.”
That was the call I received during my recent hospital stay, and will be something that I will cherish forever. A few simple words, but packed with so much meaning; full of love and non-judgmental, just like Jesus.
Sometimes it takes an illness, a moment of weakness, or fear to really make a person realize what an amazing gift it is to have a circle of family and friends that gather around you and lift you up in prayer and thought.
This week has definitely been a life-changing experience for me. It’s scary not knowing what is wrong with you, but when you know there is clearly something bad going on. I have felt so badly for at least a month, going to three different doctors who all put me on antibiotics, which seemed to be having no effect. My health continued to decline, leaving me wondering if I had some terminal illness that the doctors had yet to diagnose.
I have been to the emergency room twice over the last weekend with a soaring blood-pressure, pulse rate, temperature, and excruciating headaches. It took three trips to the ER over the last week to finally get a diagnosis of mononucleosis, and that was only after my sister and mother suggested the test be done.
I finally was released from the hospital last night, after a three night stay, and have been ordered to rest for the remainder of this week and next week.
It has not been a good experience overall, but there have been moments of true blessings. The phone call from my uncle was definitely a highlight, and the support from family, friends, and my partner can’t be properly appreciated with words. It definitely brought my immediate family closer together and made me realize what a lucky person that I am to have these people in my life.
The most poignant and important moment during the whole ordeal actually happened to me in the car on the way to the emergency room on Saturday evening. As illness and fear of the unknown gripped my body, I gazed out the car window at the starry sky and prayed to Jesus to help me. Within a few moments, I had a very strong sensation of his hand on mine and a vision of him embracing me and I felt an overwhelming sense of peace. I knew that he was there with me and that whatever happened was going to be okay.
Just another example of pure love, and love is, without a doubt, the most wonderful thing in this world.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the people who took the time to visit or call me, sent cards and gifts, and offered prayers and well-wishes on my behalf. The spirit of Christ shone through you, and you’ll never know how much it meant to me.
Hi Brian,
I hope you are feeling completely fine nowadays. Mononucleosis (known as Glandular Fever in Britain) struck me down in my final year at college. After months of struggling to keep my head above water, hoping I’d start to recover, the college doctor finally did a blood test and sent me home! That meant I missed Finals (no exams=no degree, after three years of studying!) that year. However, I was helped in unbelievable ways by my college tutor and my IEE mentor—and I am eternally grateful to both senior gentlemen who took me under their wings, so to speak, when I was really, really sick. It took three years for me to recover fully from the daily pain and general lethargy, and I was told I could not donate blood for seven years. The entire episode changed my life and the way I view others. I even wrote into Suresh’s blog about one aspect. You might enjoy his Christmas Day story too. Very moving.