A Call to All Ships at Sea

The Morse Code letters "SOS" became an international distress call early in the 20th century. It was used in many a desparate situation. I have another desparate situation to describe. At the end will come a request for your help.

Contemplative nuns receive requests for prayers by every means possible these days. This one came through a recently established network with over 80% of the members of my high school class, Fontbonne Hall '63. Largely responsible for the effort was our class president Eileen who wants us to be totally prepared for our 50th reunion. Of course e-mail and Facebook are the main means of our connection.

We rejoiced with Eileen when her first grandchild was born late in 2009. Sadie Abigail is a beauty, like mother Elisa and grandmother too. But quickly into this year the news was not to be rejoiced over. Late in January, Elisa's husband Nathan was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer. Nathan is 38 years old. Elisa blogged about the diagnosis, their quandries over treatment decisions and eventual choice of Sloan Kettering's protocall. Nine days later, following a mammography for a small lump, Elisa was diagnosed with breast cancer. A few days later Elisa, age 36, learned that the cancer was stage 4! As she wrote in her blog, "At these words the air went out of the room."

Now, as you are absorbing the shock and thinking about the ramifications of this, I want to ask you to consider two things. I am motivated by my limited ability to do anything for this beautiful couple now so taxed and so challenged. All I can do is pray for them, for those who treat them and those who love them. In the last category I pray particularly for my friend Eileen. But I also thought that I could reach out and enlist others in this prayer chain of support for Elisa and Nathan. So I am asking you to pray.

Should you wish to know more of their story and to attach faces to this request go to the following site.

http://www.friendsofnathanandelisa.blogspot.com/

Elisa's cousin and friends have established a trust fund which will help them with the non-covered costs of maintaining themselves thorough this crisis. Should you wish to make a donation I know that it will be greatly appreciated. Should you be unable to do so go to the site any way because it is beautifully and lovingly done and will make this couple real in your mind.

Elisa's blog can be found at:

http://www.familybondingtime.blogspot.com/

The last two heart wrenching entries were posted by Nathan trying his hand at it for the first time because since receiving a port and beginning daily chemotherapy Elisa has been unable to post herself. 

Thanks for listening to this "SOS" call. Thanks for your prayers, too.