Purpose

Last week at work I was caring for an African-American woman in her mid 40s who had congestive heart failure, a recent MI and left sided paralysis from a stroke. This woman, Sue (not her real name), has been in the hospital since November and her prognosis is poor. She is in dire need of a heart transplant but sadly her left hemiparesis makes her ineligible. The severity of her heart condition has made her balloon pump-dependant, yet she refuses to give up and does not want to be put on hospice. Most of the staff are starting to get tired of working with her as she can be a little particular about her care and also suffers from chronic pain.

It had been a busy day, and we were in the process of admitting a patient to the room next to hers. The new patient was a woman in her mid 60s who had come to ICU from the oncology floor where they could no longer manage her low blood pressure. The woman was confused and frightened, crying out loudly and attempting to get out of bed.

When I went back into Sue’s room to assess her balloon pump, we could still hear the woman in the next room crying and retching. Sue’s first response was,

“I hope that lady is OK over there. Dear Jesus, I just want to pray for that lady that you will put your healing hand on her and give her and her family peace and comfort, and for the doctors and nurses that You would give them wisdom to take care of her.”

When she finished her prayer I asked, “Have you been our prayer warrior the whole time you have been here?”

“Praying for people is just something that God has put on my heart, and what better thing to do in a hospital while I’m lying here in bed?” she replied.

“Sue, maybe that’s why God has you here right now.”

A few days later I found myself taking care of Sue again. Sue’s neighbor has gotten progressively worse and it was feared she would die that day. That afternoon I could hear music coming from Sue’s room. It was Sue and her family and friends singing gospel songs. “We’re having a praise fest in here, come on and join in,” yelled her mom over the accompaniment CD. Only moments later, Sue’s neighbor passed away. They had sung her into eternity.