COVID 19 Pandemic Prayer





 

St. Francis de Sales taught, "Walk joyously through life.  And if at time you cannot, at least walk with faith and courage."  In this time of great uncertainty, we are called by God to TRUST the Lord and to WALK WITH HIM IN FAITH AND COURAGE.  
Today, I want to share with you perspective and sage advice on the COIVD 19 Pandemic, offered by my son Brian on this most unusual Holy Saturday.  
Remember to count your blessings.

As we pray for an end to the COVID 19 Pandemic, I want to share with you the lastest update on my daughter-in-law Laurie’s progress.  Thank you for the prayers offered and thank you for the prayers you will offer for Laurie, Brain and for an end to the COVID 19 Pandemic.  

[For those who may not know how her story began, at the end of today’s update is a brief overview.]

Update

March 1- April 10, 2020

Journal entry by Brian Kelly — Apr 10, 2020

I was wondering when the appropriate time to update everyone, and I was moved to this moment (mainly because the house is quiet finally!!).  It is now Good Friday, April 10, 2020.  There’s been a tremendous amount of change since our last update in February.   While there have been some incredible personal gains (i.e. Laurie getting up the stairs nearly a year and a half since the day she was carried out on a stretcher July 4, 2018), but it’s hard to be selfish and thankful for all the good that has come because of the current climate.

I can understand what everyone in the world is going through at this very moment, and the only reason I can say that is because my family has had a 20-month head start on most.  When Laurie had a ruptured brain aneurysm in July of 2018, our world was turned upside down, and much like all the world today, everyone is searching for answers trying to understand why, and potentially trying to control an outcome that they have zero control over.  

Throughout the last few weeks, a ton of family, friends, and colleagues have reached out to check in and (vice versa) see how everything is going.  Seeing if there were anything they can to do to help, and I could sense a tremendous amount of stress in the voices.  I can totally understand where they were coming from because it takes me back to July 4, 2018 in Kennestone Hospital in Marietta, GA.  Pacing the halls wondering if my wife would live, completely helpless over my current situation.  I think in one of my previous posts on this site, I categorized it as having one last play in my playbook, and it came in the form of the 3 step drop to G-O-D. 

Since I’ve wrote that post, I know of a miracle that the 3-step dropped produced in my wife Laurie.  Laurie’s nearly 23 week stay in 3 different hospitals allowed me to get to know every one of the people on the front lines fighting COVID-19.  I wish I never met them because of the hell Laurie went through as I was meeting them, but I can tell you, I am glad that I did because they are selfless, humble, smart, and amazing.  Laurie and I keep up with many currently on the front lines, and right now it is downright scary for them. 

As many of you know, I made a vow if Laurie ever got out of Nuero ICU at Kennestone, we would go back on the 4th of every month to thank them for saving her life and allowing our family to continue to make memories.  It hurts to not be able to go there now because of the current conditions, but I can tell you this firsthand, that floor is amazing, and so is that team that helped treat Laurie.  Unfortunately, we have an intimate knowledge about ICU’s, intubating, ventilators, and potential outcomes.  My wife had all of this happen without the COVID-19 pandemic, and I was able to be there.  I am here to tell you anything is possible. 

It stinks to not be able to visit our heroes now, and to let the staff know why we love them and remind them why they do what they do.  Sure, a hot meal delivered is nice, but nothing beats bringing back Laurie.  She has no business interacting with them and they know it and they love it because they knew her prognosis, and she’s a miracle.  I can’t wait to give that back to the floor when this is over.    

Laurie and I have had the pleasure watching a few movies over the last few months, and one that I remember us watching was a 2016 film, “Gold”, starring Matthew McConaughey.  I don’t want to spoil it for those who haven’t seen it, but he was made a fool much of the entire movie for his belief in prospecting areas to find gold where no one thought it existed, but he believed.  He eventually lands on the motherload.  Wins the illustrious prospector of the year award, and makes powerful acceptance speech, which I think is incredibly appropriate for where we are now amidst this pandemic:

“What is a prospector?  It’s someone who believes that it’s out there.  Waking up every morning, again, and again, and again thinking it’s out there, and then it’s not.  Right? But you believe it is. Then you are staring at the edge of the desert, new sun rise, and it’s not.  But then you hear a little voice that says, “Go ahead, keep walking”.  Then that sun gets hotter and it’s shining down, and you were wishing you had water, and everyone wants to turn back, and they do turn back, but there you are all alone.  “Belief, that it’s out there… that’s a prospector”

Our doctors, scientists, and leaders are prospecting now leading us through this pandemic under His direction… they are hearing that voice “Go ahead, keep walking”….Just as 2 Corinthians 5:7 states, “I will walk by faith, even if I cannot see”. 

I am a prospector, based on what Laurie has gone through prior to COVID-19, and what the world is going through now.  We all need to be prospectors in this current time, we all need to believe to go ahead and keep walking, because it’s out there.  

As Jimmy V’s father said, “My bags are packed” we all need to be prospectors in our lives!!!

Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers!  Stay safe and stay home!

Laurie’s Story (Site created on July 7, 2018)

In the middle of the afternoon on July 4th our world was rocked. I thought my wife Laurie was having a seizure. I called 911 and started giving her CPR until the medics arrived.  Shortly after that, when I arrived at the hospital, I came to find out she had an aneurysm that had ruptured.

Let me pause here and tell you what the ER doctor told me; she had already beaten the odds at the moment as once an aneurysm ruptures you have 50/50 chance to make it to the hospital alive.  So, clinging to that news Laurie’s journey begins.