Born Again… and Again

There are places and times where God meets us in extreme hardship, unthinkable circumstances, suffering, and pain. Places where we’ve been reduced to nothing and Jesus becomes our everything. For some of us slow learners, it’s more a matter of  recognizing him as our everything. He’s been taking care of us all along and we’re just waking up to that fact.

Can you think back to the time when you were “born again”? In some church traditions, some of you may have responded to an altar call or call to prayer. For others, you simply heard the gospel and for the first time believed it. No hands were raised, no walking forward, just a simple embrace and belief that Christ died for your sins. In still other church traditions, Jesus met us in baptism imparting faith, the pastor or priest simply speaking God’s Word over us as we were sprinkled or immersed. The truth, though, is always the same: we are totally needy, and Jesus is totally adequate for meeting that need.

On July 7, I was born again, again. I know that sounds strange. Not born again spiritually, of course. July 7 was the date of my stem cell transplant. A big enough deal that those of us in this tiny community (stem cell transplant recipients) refer to it as a birthday, a new birth, a “second chance.”

On this day, all my family members were invited to watch the two-hour procedure. The Red Cross was also present delivering my  frozen stem cells to my room. They were also there to supervise and insure the baby stems, all four million of them, were ingrafted property. Kind of like a party you might say! 

What followed?

Over the next two to three days my immune system continued to be degraded and drop until it no longer existed. This was so my new baby stem cells would not be rejected. I was totally vulnerable to the slightest infection whether through a cut, exposure to a cold, or some other means. Any one coming in the room was in a complete gown and wore a mask. The next two weeks or so was payback from the chemo I was given to wipe out my immune system. It killed good and bad cells alike. In my case it affected my heart. I was put on oxygen. It was during this time that the hospital staff’s competence and caring attitude stood out. They skillfully kept me on the right side of the line that separates life from death.

Good Samaritan Hospital is staffed by professions deserving of the name. I was totally out of it, at times not even able to get out of my hospital bed. Oddly, an old Beatle’s tune “Strawberry Fields Forever”, was playing on a continuous loop in my head for a number of days as I simply lay there. I had, what some might call, “several out of the body” experiences (likely hallucinations really) but I went nowhere. No tunnel, bright lights, visiting with St. Peter, arguing with Calvin, etc. so probably no book deal in the future… While I was totally on my back not remembering all that was going on, each member of the staff assigned to me invested heavily in keeping me alive. They are the true heroes in my story. They were my good Samaritans.

Eventually I stabilized, my heart began to beat normally, and I was released to go home to recover further. The afternoon I left the hospital, I so much wanted a Blue Star donut the moment I got in our car. But, I was reminded, no eating out for the first 100 days of recovery. No risks allowed to threaten my infant immune system which may not be fully functional for up to a year. 

So, how can you pray? Well, there’s a lot here.

In addition to praying that the procedure be successful, and keep me in remission, here are some specifics.

Blood Pressure Levels: My blood pressure levels are incredibly low, so much so that until this last week, the doctor and nurses could not get a reading while I was standing. The nurse told me that the only time she has seen this is when a patient was unconscious. I’m an enigma of sorts. I’m also a fall risk. Pray that my blood pressure levels rise.

Stay Well: Getting a cold for me could quickly morph into pneumonia. A small cut could become who knows what. Pray that I stay well.

Weight Gain: I’m down about 25 pounds. I went for a week in the hospital without eating due to nausea. The nausea followed me home but isn’t near as frequent or severe. Now, the focus is gaining the weight back.

Energy and Strength: Fatigue is big. Some nights I’m sleeping 12 to 14 hours. Needing a walker to get around.

Restoration of Major Organs: Specifically, heart, kidneys, and gastro system.

As always, thank you for your prayers!

Curt