This just came in from a Catholic friend and fellow writer. Please pray for this amazing girl who desparately needs prayers. I am leaving a couple of names out for privacy reasons...
"To my prayerful friends all over the world,
I need prayers, desperately, for a 14-year-old who lives down the street. Her name is A.J. (Anna Jean) xxxxxxxxxx. A month ago, she fainted while away at camp, her face then began to fill with fluid, her kidneys later began to fail. She was in Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago for a couple of weeks, was diagnosed with Wegener's Disease (Google it), and then was to begin Cytoxan (a heavy chemo drug) to try and stop the disease promptly. As a precaution, she had an MRI to be sure that her heart would be strong enough for the drugs, They found a mass. She had open heart surgery... on top of dialysis regularly, heavy drugs, another surgery to build up her nose with tissue from her hip because the Wegener's had deformed the nose, and so on.
A.J. has never complained. Not once. I cannot tell you how beautiful, kind, compassionate, amazing this girl is. We are so close with her and her family that they are the people with whom we celebrated my "10 years cancer-free" ... in Italy. A.J. has also been my mother's helper and then babysitter for the last three years. I love this girl as if she were my own.
She came home from the hospital last Thursday and all looked good. She went out to dinner with family, requested that I make her spaghetti carbonara on Friday, and then she started to feel sick again. She knew she would need dialysis three times a week for a couple of months until they regulated medications, but now she couldn't breath. Turns out her lungs were filling up with fluid. Back in CMH. Then, they found air in her abdomen, leaking from one lung. Now her heart is enlarged and is not working well at all. She is fighting for her life. Those were the words used last night... fighting for her life.
I need all of my prayer partners, all over the world, to storm heaven for A.J. Her mom is Sue, dad is Al, younger sister in Amy and older sister in Allie. They all need your prayers. They've personally asked me for prayers and I promised that I would contact all of you. Thank you for getting on your knees. The world needs this girl, and more girls like her, safe and healthy and inspiring the masses.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart,
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
7 comments:
Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for A.J. that she may get well. Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us. Holy Queen, Queen of Mercy, Mother of Life, Sweetness and A.J's only hope after Christ, we cry unto you, turn your gracious heart toward us and send down a plethora of graces for A.J. and her family. You once said that, Christ will deny you nothing and He has taught us that whatever we ask in His Name, He will provide, show forth your queenly power in service of your Motherhood. Save your daughter, save our sister and the sister of our Lord. Holy Mary, Mother of God, you once asked, "Am I not here, I your mother...is there anything else you need?" We need you to beg God, with all of heaven, to cure A.J. Beg Christ to heal her...beg Him for our sake, for A.J.'s. Saint Michael, be her defense in this battle, against all the snares of the devil and the flesh. May God rebuke such things, we humbly pray. By God's Almighty power, thrust away from her everything that is harming her and bring her peace and contentment of body and soul from God. In Jesus' Name, without which we can do nothing. Amen.
Wow, Cheryl, I am speechless over your prayer and am very moved. Thank you for your generous prayers.
Please dear Lord hear our prayers! Amen.
Please keep us updated k?
Thank you for your prayers, I will!
Update from woman who requested prayers: "A powerful post Donna; thank you. And to Maria, Renee, Roxane, and everyone else... all my love and gratitude. A.J. got six hours of uninterrupted sleep last night (a big deal for her), will have the lung biopsied today (to determine what is causing the hole), and is on some meds that are helping her heart to pump. Just keep those prayers coming!!
Love you all,
xxxxxxxxx
Praying for this young girl. Please keep us posted. May God bless and comfort her family, and keep the sweet thing out of pain.
As a health-care worker who takes care of very sick people in the hospital, I will be praying for
A. J. and those taking care of her. If I was taking care of A. J., I would place a holy card of Our Lady of Perpetual Help on her bed.
Lord please give this family strength to carry this heavy cross.
Mary Catherine
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