Thank You, Prayer Warriors--and St. Therese!

I just wanted to update you on my brother-in-law, who underwent a lengthy surgical procedure yesterday that could have had several outcomes--and one of them would have been utterly devastating.

Thanks to the prayers of many, many people--and the intercession of St. Therese of Lisieux--he came through the surgery with flying colors.  Afterward, his surgeon (a world-renowned specialist for the type of lung cancer my brother-in-law has) told my sister-in-law that things had gone very well. "He looks great," he said.  "Go see him."  This doctor is a man of few words who wouldn't sugar-coat it if he didn't think things had gone well.

She did go see him, finally--after a worry-filled day that seemed like it would never end.  He was in the ICU in a medically-induced coma, hooked up to all kinds of machines; but his color was good, and aside from the wires and tubes, he looked like he was sleeping peacefully.

He will remain in the ICU for a while and his road to recovery will be long and difficult; but we are all feeling very hopeful.  He had the best of all the possible outcomes as far as the surgery goes, and this man is a fighter.  As a friend told my sister-in-law over the phone yesterday, "He's the strongest man I know."

So, dear readers, if you saw yesterday's post and it inspired you to say a prayer for my brother-in-law, thank you from the bottom of my heart!  And my sister-in-law thanks you from hers!  Many, many people were storming the heavens for him, and those prayers were what got him through this ordeal.  Those prayers, along with a dear heavenly friend after whom his wife is named.

I told you yesterday that my brother-in-law, who is not a Catholic yet but plans to convert, held my precious relic of St. Therese as he awaited surgery.  He put that relic on his chest, right over his diseased lung, and he didn't take it off until they wheeled him down to the operating room.  We all believe that the Little Flower was there with him at that hospital in Boston yesterday, and that it is through her intercession that his surgery was so successful. (As Donna commented on yesterday's post, St. Therese died of tuberculosis, a lung disease; she is a wonderful intercessor for any cause, but it is so fitting that we were asking her to intercede for an illness affecting the lung.)

There was a showering down of roses from Heaven yesterday, that's for sure.  And I think we know someone we can thank for that.

There are still hurdles ahead, and my brother-in-law needs a miracle.  But we believe that St. Therese is just the one to give it to him.

Thank you for coming to Boston, St. Therese!  And please stick around for a bit, if it's not too much trouble.  We're still counting on you.