Prayers be with her

This is not a frivolous post. I implore anyone who reads this, regardless of your religious beliefs, to pray. If you're not one for praying, then send positive energy into the universe. My sister Maureen is undergoing a serious surgery tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. Loyola University Hospital.

The surgery is expected to last 3-5 hours. She'll have a tumor removed that is the size of a large grapefruit. It has compromised one of her kidneys. Therefore, they will remove the damaged one. In addition they will attempt to give her a hysterectomy. Due to excessive scar tissue this may not be possible. Depending on the damage within, she may require a colostomy.

Her liver, heart, lungs are all healthy. They don't anticipate any serious problems, but during the initial discussion of the surgery they had to give the run down of the possible things that could go wrong. Even when it's a million to one chance, they have to disclose the risk ... even death.

When I first heard that word I went into a panic. I knew I couldn't hide the fear on my face when I looked to my sister in that examining room. That single word has hung around in the back of my mind ever since. I continue to pray that all negative thought will diminish.

It's a lot to take in right now. I've kept myself busy and tried not to think about anything other than her healing. Currently, I can't even discuss it without bursting into tears. It's difficult to always look to the bright side when a loved one faces such a traumatic, lengthy, multi-tiered operation. Putting my faith solely in others truly tests my faith; yet, my faith that God will bring her through this is unshaken. I know Maureen's faith is strong. She simply wants to get this done so she can get on with recovery.

She and her two sons have been through so much already. In early June their father tragically took his own life. It's too much to fathom. Prayers are required even if you've never considered yourself a praying person. My sister is many things to many people. She's always ready with a kind word and compassion for those she meets. Even if she wasn't my sister I would hope she'd be my best friend (and she is.)

So, you might be asking, "what should I pray for in this case?" Please pray that Maureen's system will take the anesthesiology for the duration of the surgery. Please pray that the doctors will be at the top of their game. Pray that the entire team will have restful sleep so they can give Maureen the best of care. Ask that those of us waiting on pins and needles will manage to remain calm and give each other comfort. Pray that everything will go smoothly and recovery will be swift and without incident ... just pray.

Thank you. I believe in the power of prayer.