On my heart today:

My father-in-law, who needs heart valve replacement surgery, and who is NOT going to like the recovery…he will not be able to go out each day and get his coffee and his paper and chat with the other retired guys and roam Home Depot…may he be restored to his full health so he can get back to his regular routine and return to building computers for his friends.

SFO Girl’s daughter N, who should be released from the hospital today. I pray that a donor kidney will be found soon so that her time on dialysis will be short. I also keep her family, especially her sisters, in prayer at this time.

Barbara’s dear friend Jill.

All those in the path of Hurricane Ike, including Milehimama and some members of Denise’s family. Donna Marie Cooper-O’Boyle has a prayer for those in the hurricane’s path.

Prayers are working! Here is the latest from SFO Girl:

TODAY..she feels like a new girl and wants to go home. They are puzzled
and her creatinine came down from 10 to 7 …an unexpected trend. Still high…

For whatever reason…DIVINE? There is no place on the schedule open to do an
IR port…until Tuesday….Waiting for the nephrology docs to do rounds and see
if the plan is the same or another wait and see.Or….it will go ahead as planned.
God is in charge

She woke this morning like a new girl…yesterday she appears as if she were
shot down and in misery until 4 AM

Her BP’s today lower than the last 2 months….Off the IV BP meds.

God be Praised for all the miracles great and small…even if one is just feeling
human this morning. She is STARVING and wants to get on the move…complete
turnabout….Waiting for new labs and Neph docs…

Appreciating the prayers …may they rise to the heavens!

N’s family has received the news they did not want to hear. Her dad sent an email to family and friends:

Yesterday she was admitted to the hospital with acute kidney failure; her doctors feel that her kidney of two years has reached the end of its serviceable life and has become a liability.

Today she will receive a hemodialysis port – she will have hemodialysis for the immediate future. She will have surgery to remove her transplanted kidney in the days to come.

Needless to say her spirits (and her family’s) are very low at this time as she embraces this reality.

You know what to do.

I just received an email from my friend SFO Girl–her daughter N is in a health crisis right now. Having received a kidney transplant nearly 3 years ago, N has to be very careful about her health. They are on their way to the hospital. Please keep N and the whole family in prayers!

UPDATE 2:30 PM: I just spoke to SFO Girl. N has been placed in the ICU. She appreciates all the prayers–please continue them.

Yesterday evening TheDad and I joined the extended family at a wake for his godfather’s mother-in-law. She passed away last weekend after a long illness.

Mary D. was married 61 years–how amazing is that! She leaves behind her husband, children, grandchildren and even a brand-new great-grandchild, and a legacy of family and faith.

Let us pray. Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace. Amen.

You’ve generously prayed for her before. Now I’m asking you to pray for her again: SFO Girl’s daughter N.

After poor results on blood tests twice this week, but a puzzling “looks just fine to us” kidney ultrasound, N will be admitted at CHOP today for a biopsy of her kidney, which has less function than it did only 5 days ago. She looks and feels fine.

Please keep N, her parents and sisters in your prayers. Fortunately she has some of the best doctors and nurses EVER, which is a great blessing.

My friend and sister-in-Francis, SFO Girl, contacted me late last night. Her father-in-law is beginning his final journey. His family is gathering around him; he has received the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick; Hospice workers are helping his family care for him at home.

Please pray for Jim as he journeys home, and for his family as they share the final days with him. They will have many happy memories to treasure of this faithful and funny family man. May God bless him and ease his pain.

UPDATE Tuesday May 27: Jim passed away peacefully early this morning with his wife and granddaughter, a nurse, at his side.
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace.

In your kindness, please remember my great-aunt Anna who is undergoing a knee replacement today. She received a knee replacement about 1 1/2 years ago on her other knee and it all went fine. 2 1/2 years ago she suffered a stroke, so she does have other medical concerns. Please pray for Anna, her doctors and other caregivers, through her surgery and recovery.

UPDATE: Thank you so much for your prayers! My mom visited Anna this afternoon. She is doing well, but tired, of course.

Nov. 27: Please pray for my friend SFO Girl’s daughter N. She had a kidney transplant 2 years ago and today has been admitted to the hospital for a biopsy, as some routine tests showed a possible problem. At this hospital she gets the Best Care Anywhere, so everyone is grateful for that. I’m sure that N’s 3 sisters are very worried too, as well as their mom and dad.

SFO Girl has a lot of medical concerns in the family right now, so prayers for her extended family would also be appreciated.

UPDATE: N is still in the hospital. Her body has begun to reject the kidney, despite her very scrupulous care in taking her medicines. She is receiving heavy-duty doses of anti-rejecton medication. SFO Girl said that N is feeling very down and disappointed that this is happening to her. So please keep up the prayers for this brave teenage girl and her whole family.

UPDATE 12/06: N’s condition is improving but she is not “back to normal” just yet. Also, the doctors are unable to determine what caused the rejection. They have done several tests to try to figure this out. N’s dad and 2 of her sisters joined us for dinner last night. They are hoping that she will be able to come home from the hospital very soon since tomorrow is her birthday. Your continued prayers are much appreciated by her family!

UPDATE 12/07: N is home from the hospital and getting ready to enjoy her favorite birthday cake! She’s still got more medicine & procedures to get through, but she’s doing much better. Keep on praying!

Today my friend and fellow Franciscan SFO Girl (you know her from the combox) is presenting a workshop for the Secular Franciscans of our region.

She’s a confident speaker and I know she’s well prepared. But prayers never hurt. So today I call upon the intercession of two very powerful preachers–St. Francis and St. Anthony–on her behalf. And may the Holy Spirit inspire her words.