Praying for others

I am a doctor by profession...I heal my sick patients by diagnosing their illness, prescribing medications & giving words of encouragement /assurance so that I could boost their spirits. Most of the time I am not just their doctor but also their friend whom they can trust, seek comfort & be their shoulder to cry on. There were times when my secretary would ask me why I spent so much time with some of my patients. I needed to spend some time to listen to their dilemma & pacify (in some way) their woes...I usually develop a deeper connection with them, more than just a doctor-patient relationship.

Just last week, I had a Pancreatic Cancer patient, who didn't know his dilemma. I talked with the daughter & wife more often because I could explain the patient's condition only with them. In the process, I gave them my personal opinion & inadvertently established a personal connection with them. Maybe because I had the same experience from my Mom's battle against Parotid Gland Cancer. I could relate with them, with their situation. I understand (& I can even feel) what they are enduring right now. My Mom's formidable fight has left a mark...a deep mark in my heart (that up to now is still hurting me so bad) & proved that cancer is a ruthless ailment...a merciless strife wherein no victim escapes defeat, no matter how arduous the struggle is.

It depends on how the patient himself accepts his predicament...there are those who decide to fight, but there are also who choose to simply but bravely accept their fate...so my advice largely depends on the patient's understanding & acceptance of his illness...his destiny.

After each day of work in my clinic, I pray for them because I believe that God is using me (& my fellow doctors) as an instrument for healing. I may not rescue them from cancer...or their verdict, but I may endow them with some emotional & spiritual healing. I pray for these special patients to allow God to intervene & give them their salvation. May God strengthen them more as they approach the inevitable end...