We got some news this week that we did not want to hear.
My brother has been fighting cancer for the last 9 months and recently had some imaging done. The imaging was not favorable.
It was a punch in the gut because everything seemed to be going so well. He, his wife and his three daughters (ages 18, 20 and 23) are regrouping.
Prayers requested
I am requesting prayers on his behalf and on behalf of his immediate family.
If it helps to have a name then you can think of him as "Firefighter". God will be able to figure it out from there.
If it helps to have some Bible verses to help focus then Matt 6:25-34 or Luke 12:4-9 might be a good starting place.
If you are not a Christian...no problem. All prayers are welcome although human sacrifice is discouraged by the management.
You might be out of the practice of praying but that is more than OK. It is the wheel that has been idle the longest that makes the loudest squawk. I am sure Firefighter will be tickled if you give it the old college try.
Prayers will be in-coming from here. Have a huge soft spot for firefighters as am related to several.
ReplyDeleteAnd sending hugs to you all as well. Getting news like this is never fun.
Thanks.
DeleteMy brother explained the affinity between nurses and firefighters like this. They are both results-oriented profession and measure performance in seconds. They are both embedded in bureaucracies that are politically driven and populated by "process-oriented" people who are motivated by CYA considerations.
Firefighters and nurses work together in the armpit of the night trying to save lives, even if the lives belong to scumbags. They must both defend every decision in the cold light of morning to bureaucrats who don't understand that you rarely have time to select the "preferred" bore IV line when your patient is exsanguinating through nine through-and-through chest wounds. You reach around, select by feel and ram in another one...not that it will save his life but because that is what duty demands.
yup sounds about right. plus, cops, firefighters and nurses all work 24/7/365. There are few other professional jobs that require working any day and any time of the day/night, no matter the weather.
DeleteDad was a volunteer firefighter for 54 years before he completely retired, quit fighting fires at age 70, then did fire police, then at age 80 when they wouldn't let him go, he just was the Treasurer, and "supervisor". When he had a small stroke age 85, they finally let him retire. Mom was thrilled! They still go to all the installation dinners and picnics.
My second husband was a volunteer firefighter for 10 years until his work schedule had him missing too many practices. His dad was a professional firefighter in Albany NY until he had a chimney come down on his head. Left the brick embedded in the helmet. One of the guys brought it to my mother-in-law to tell her he was ok. He lived, but it did do damage to his neck and he wound up retiring on disability a year later. He passed away about 10 years ago from multiple myeloma the doctors figured he got as a result of inhaling chemicals in a big chemical plant fire in the early 60's---long before SCUBA gear was available. Course, the 3-4 pack a day Camel habit probably didn't help either.