**One of Tom's final wishes before his death was to write one more article for the Asheville Citizen-Times, and to edit a version of it for the St. James Episcopal Church newsletter. He asked that the St. James version of the article be posted here after his death. Tom died gently and peacefully at the Hospice Elizabeth House in Hendersonville, NC on January 24th, 2013. A memorial service will be held Monday, January 28th, at 3pm at St. James Episcopal Church in Hendersonville.**
This is my last article for the St. James Epistle. I
developed pneumonia in early January and I did not recover fully. By the time
you read this, I may be dead. I realize that is blunt, but I want to be clear.
Here are a few thoughts before I go.
I would like to thank Amy Williford, the editor of the
St. James Epistle, for reminding me each month when my article was due and
being gracious about it when it was late. Thank you to all of my St. James
family. You have given me the love of God these last six years that I have been
ill. You have been Jesus to me and I have been Jesus to you. You fed me when I was hungry, comforted me
when I was lonely, gave me shelter when I was lost, and befriended me when I was dying. You have
sacrificed yourselves in a hundred little ways and brought healing. You have
been magnificent.
I decided not to get a tracheostomy and ventilator
because I would had to move away. A feeding tube crisis in December convinced
me I needed to stay near friends who could help me. I had made bold statements
about living as long as God could use or teach me. They were modified by my
fear of dying alone.
Why didn't God heal me? I prayed fervently and
frequently for my healing, as did many others, but healing did not come.
Perhaps God saved me from the Alzheimer's disease that started to take away my
mother's mind when she was my age. Perhaps God taught me to find hope in hard
times. Perhaps God could use me best as a man who is dying rather than living.
I am not afraid of dying and death. I am not afraid of
dying because I am in hospice care. The caring and professional staff will make
sure I die in comfort and dignity. I am not afraid of death because I am in the
care of God who has promised my resurrection to eternal life.
I feel sad about leaving my daughters and their
futures behind. They will be sad I will not be there for their weddings,
children and love. I hope they will take comfort in the words of C.S. Lewis,
"there are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind."
My daughters, Emma and Catherine, were tucking me in
bed here at hospice and Catherine was concerned about the position of my head
on the pillow. She asked, "is your head in a good place?" As soon as
she said it we all laughed at the double meaning. Yes, Emma and Catherine and
everyone, my head is in a good place. Thanks be to God. Amen.
As a sign of gratitude for how my husband was saved from ALS, i decided to reach out to those still suffering from this.
ReplyDeleteMy husband was diagnosed of ALS in 2013 and it was really tough and heartbreaking for me because he was my all and the symptoms were terrible, he always have trouble swallowing , and he always complain of Weakness of the body . we tried various therapies prescribed by our neurologist but none could cure him. I searched for a cure and i saw a testimony by someone who was cured and so many other with similar body problem, and he left the contact of the doctor who had the cure to ALS. I never imagined ALS has a natural cure not until i contacted him and he assured me my husband will be fine. I got the herbal medication he recommended and my husband used it and in one months he was fully okay even up till this moment he is so full of life. ALS has a cure and it is a herbal cure contact the doctor for more info on drwilliams098675@gmail.com on how to get the medication. Thanks for reading my testimony.
I am Karen from Canada, I once suffered from a terrible and Chronic ALS,for more than 23 years , the doctor told me there was no permanent cure i was given medications to slow down its progress, i constantly felt my health was deteriorating as i constantly had muscle weakness and difficulty speaking ,this ailment was really terrible especially when am going out with my friends, i have this constant disorder for about 23 years, this was really a terrible ailment ,on thin one day that i was going through the internet,and i came across a post of Mrs kate on how her husband was been cured from als through the help of Dr Williams herbal product, I contacted this herbal doctor via his email and explain everything to him and make purchase of his product,few days later he sent me the herbal medicine through courier service, when i received the herbal medicine, i used it as prescribed by dr williams and i was totally cured within those week of usage,on thin now i have not experience any sign or characteristics again . for more information you can email him on drwilliams098675@gmail.com for help
ReplyDeleteI have being on blog Sites for a while now and today I felt like I should share my story because I was a victim too. I had HIV for 6 years and i never thought I would ever get a cure I had and this made it impossible for me to get married to the man I was supposed to get married to even after 2 years of relationship he broke up with me when he finds out I was HIV positive. So I got to know about Dr. Itua on Blog Site who treated someone and the person shared a story of how she got a cured and let her contact details, I contacted Dr. Itua and he actually confirmed it and I decided to give a try too and use his herbal medicine that was how my burden ended completely. My son will be 2 soon and I am grateful to God and thankful to his medicine too.Dr Itua Can As Well Cure The Following Disease… Cancer, HIV, Herpes, Hepatitis B, Liver Inflammatory,Diabetes,Fibroid, Get Your Ex Back, If you have (A just reach him on drituaherbalcenter@gmail.com Or Whatsapp Number.+2348149277967)He can also advise you on how to handle some marital's issues. He's a good man.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteMy heart goes out to everyone who have or cares for ALS patient. My husband was diagnosed with ALS 3years ago, He had gone through several bouts of depression, the first sign of ALS appeared in the hand and arm as he experienced difficulty with simple tasks such as buttoning a shirt, writing, or turning a key in a lock later affected one of the legs, trouble breathing, slurred and nasal speech, difficulty chewing or swallowing. He also experienced awkwardness when walking or running and I noticed that he was tripping or stumbling more often. He had gone through several bouts of depression, over 6 hospitalizations in just two years. Coping with ALS wasn’t easy. He had attempted suicide and all treatment had done little for his improvement. When I became fragmented in my thinking, I started to have my worst problems. We've finally benefited from some real dedicated support group of people with natural treatment and a small number of friends and family that knew and loved us. Dr vihaan treatment has turned his life around, he is now symptom free. I don’t want people to feel that suicide is their only option, know you are loved, you are valuable, you are worth more than your darkness. Reach out and get the support you need email: vihaanrey38@gmail.com start your natural treatment, Try to understand the blackness, lethargy, hopelessness, and loneliness they’re going through. Be there for them when they come through the other side.
story by "crystal" with reference of vihaanrey38@gmail.com in comment section is fraud.
DeleteThis is fake story, don’t fall in this trap. Please don’t get trapped in this vihaan’s mail trap. It’s fraud.
My mother was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) when she was 68 years old 2 years ago. The Rilutek (riluzole) did very little to help her. The medical team did even less. Her decline was rapid and devastating. Her arms weakened first, then her hands and legs. Last year, a family friend told us about Ogbeifun Herbal formula and his successful ALS TREATMENT, we contacted him. and ordered his ALS Formula, i am happy to report the treatment effectively treated and reversed her Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), most of the symptoms stopped, she is able to walk and eat well, sleep well and exercise regularly., she is pretty active now and her attitude is extremely positive.i joyfully recommend you to dr ogbeifun because health is wealth this is a very bad experience with those living with ALS please do not hesitate to contact him ogbefunhearlingtemple@ gmail .com or call/whatsapp him via +2348102574680
ReplyDeleteA big thanks to Dr James for reserving my ALS disease with his effective herbal formula. I was diagnosed of ALS disease 5 months ago of all the horrible experience, I was bitterly in pains. My symptoms progressed so fast that I couldn't eat proper, walk, work, breath well, it was my worse part of life then. On this fateful day, I came across a post just like this concerning a patient who used Dr James herbal medicine herbal formula to reserve her ALS disease for over 4 years now. I was skeptical about it but I had no choice than to also contact this dr James I visited his blog site and made my orders. To cut it short, I used the herbal formula for six weeks as instructed and today makes it 7 months without no symptoms. I am also making my testimony about this miraculous did. I have been given 3 years ALS disease reserved guarantee after which i will make another purchase for another 3 years span again. Thank you very much dr James. For those who needs help, you can reach him via email on jamesherbalformula@gmail.com or WhatsApp number: +2348102574680 . Let's share this and help everyone. Don't judge until you give it a try
ReplyDeleteAm Richard, I am here to testify about a great herbalist man who cured my wife of breast cancer. His name is Dr Imoloa. My wife went through this pain for 3 years, i almost spent all i had, until i saw some testimonies online on how Dr. Imoloa cure them from their diseases, immediately i contacted him through. then he told me the necessary things to do before he will send the herbal medicine. Wish he did through DHL courier service, And he instructed us on how to apply or drink the medicine for good two weeks. and to greatest surprise before the upper third week my wife was relief from all the pains, Believe me, that was how my wife was cured from breast cancer by this great man. He also have powerful herbal medicine to cure diseases like: Alzheimer's disease, parkinson's disease, vaginal cancer, epilepsy Anxiety Disorders, Autoimmune Disease, Back Pain, Back Sprain, Bipolar Disorder, Brain Tumor, Malignant, Bruxism, Bulimia, Cervical Disc Disease, Cardiovascular Disease, Neoplasms , chronic respiratory disease, mental and behavioral disorder, Cystic Fibrosis, Hypertension, Diabetes, Asthma, Autoimmune inflammatory media arthritis ed. chronic kidney disease, inflammatory joint disease, impotence, alcohol spectrum feta, dysthymic disorder, eczema, tuberculosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, constipation, inflammatory bowel disease, lupus disease, mouth ulcer, mouth cancer, body pain, fever, hepatitis ABC, syphilis, diarrhea, HIV / AIDS, Huntington's disease, back acne, chronic kidney failure, addison's disease, chronic pain, Crohn's pain, cystic fibrosis, fibromyalgia, inflammatory Bowel disease, fungal nail disease, Lyme disease, Celia disease, Lymphoma, Major depression, Malignant melanoma, Mania, Melorheostosis, Meniere's disease, Mucopolysaccharidosis, Multiple sclerosis, Muscular dystrophy, Rheumatoid arthritis. You can reach him Email Via drimolaherbalmademedicine@gmail.com / whatsapp +2347081986098
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